Establishing Shintō Funerals in Edo Japan

Abstract

In early modern Japan, the Buddhist monopoly on death-related rituals eventually triggered a movement for the development of Shintō funerals. Based on an analysis of ritual texts produced by several Shintō groups—Yoshida Shintō, Yoshikawa Shintō, Suika Shintō, and Kokugaku Shintō—this study delineates how each group adopted and localized Confucian discourses to establish Shintō funerals during the Edo period. While there were Buddhist overtones in the practices of Yoshida Shintō, clergy from the other three groups frequently borrowed from Confucian rituals in their construction of Shintō-style funerals. Attempting to revive ancient Japanese funerary rites, scholars created Shintō versions of Confucian-style spirit tablets and justified Confucian rituals by invoking the practices of the kami. This study provides a deeper understanding of the history of Shintō funerals, and the inherent Shintōization of Confucian practices therein, while also exploring the relationship between Buddhist, Confucian, and Shintō thought in Edo-period Japan.