TRANSFORMASI AGAMA SHINTO DI JEPANG: DARI ERA EDO HINGGA ERA RESTORASI MEIJI

Abstract

This article examines the transformation of Shinto’s position within the dynamics of religion and state in Japan from the Edo period to the Meiji Restoration, using a historical-analytical approach grounded in literature studies. During the Edo period, Shinto primarily functioned as a cultural and spiritual foundation within communities, coexisting syncretically with Buddhism, without serving as a major political instrument in the Tokugawa government structure. A fundamental shift occurred during the Meiji era, when the modern Japanese state was constructed with the emperor as its symbolic and ideological center. Through the policy of separating Shinto and Buddhism (shinbutsu bunri), the state reconstructed Shinto into State Shinto (Kokka Shinto), an institutionalized system designed to instill political loyalty, shape national identity, and integrate imperial mythology into education and public life. This study demonstrates that this process shifted the role of religion from a spiritual-communal domain toward an ideological instrument of the state. The main implication is a tendency to reduce the meaning of religion to a tool for legitimizing power, affecting the public role of other religions. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining a proportional distinction between religious functions and political interests to preserve the transcendental orientation of religion.