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Present day shrine organization.

Shinto among the people.

Grass roots Shinto might be a good general description for the strong regional character of varieties of Shinto. They do not have a consistent ideology or systematized form but contain aspects very characteristic of Shinto. This is an emphasis on ceremonies connected with life and the production found in social groups which show the marks of communities. In an agricultural society where the growing of rice is the main task in life reli gion seems to centre around simple ceremonies asking for an abundant harvest. With such a close connection to nature the phenomena of nature and existence take on a divine character, as do the supposed work and power of spirits. Deities of production and reproduction, language and wisdom are created. In his rela tionship with nature man has perceived the forms of deities, who take on a nature identical to their worshippers. The only diff erence between the deities and man is that the former have spiri tual energy and power which man cannot surpass and forms which are invisible to man.

Serving the deities.

For festivals each village had a ceremonial executor called "miyaza", whose qualifications changed from time to time along with the struture of the villlage. In general all the villagers took turns to be the executor and while playing the roll they were given they were also assigned the titles of "kashirabito" (headman) and "kashiraya" (leader) and served the deiites while the rest of the village participated in an outside capacity. Origianally shrines were places where the deities were served and were not fixed but as services came to take on a fixed form so the shrine came to take on the shape and structure it now has.

Development as a religion.

As society developed and exchanges between villages became more active the people were given the opportunity to worship deities other than their own "ujigami" (clan deity), which they continued to worship and with whom they remained on neighbourly terms. Through the development of individual belief, as opposed to that of the group or village, we have whole groups of wor shippers crossing the borders of their own village to worship the deities of other villages. This relationship brought about a religious unity on a different level from that of the simple belief in a clan deity. The development of a larger union of like believers of the same religion which is based on a specific belief creates the basis for the formation of one of the founder religions.

Modern Shinto.

The policy of the government after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 was to take control of the all existing shrines, which had sprung up in every corner of the country, and treat them all as public institutions. With the institutionalization of Shinto we get "kokka-Shinto" (state Shinto), whereby everybody connected with Shinto became a public servant or state employed bureaucrat, and were treated very differently from the people employed by or connectd with other religions. The administrator of shrines assigned ranks to all the shrines and shrines with no distinct deity came to be worshipped by all. There was a unification in the maintanence of the shrine area, the religious paraphanalia associated with the shrine and religious rites. Many local variations dissapeared and with the idea of strengthening the whole nation Shinto became the centre of the people's thought and education. As part of the unification process the Grand Shrine at Ise became the Holy of Holies and all the shrines thoughout the country were reorganized and supervised. Employees were required to develop a consciousness that would enable them to work for the "religious ceremonies of the State" and people were trained who could devote themselves solely to religious ceremonies and the rites of the shrines. Shinto became a celebration of the state and was no longer a religion for the belief of the individual.

Post-war changes.

Under the Occupation, on the 3rd May 1947, the new constitution was promulgated. In this constitution freedom of religion is guaranteed and there is a strict separation between politics and religion. In the former state all religions were considered either right or wrong, the new constitution separated politics and religion and clearly regulated the non-interference of the state in religious affairs. Shinto was now placed in the same category as religions that emphasize their importance in the minds and hearts of the individual.

Present day structure.

At present the "Jinja honcho" (Head Office of Shrines), that was established in 1946 in accordance with the will of the peop le, controls all the shrines in the country (80,000 approximate ly) and recognizes the Grand Shrine at Ise as its axis. In order to deal with regional needs local head offices were established in many prefectures (47 in all). Shrine employees not only cultivate good relationships with other shrines but try to im prove feelings between their shrine and their own followers and believers, for example sub-organizations have been founded and attached or affiliated to shrine head offices which oversee and organize other activities. In 1946 when shrine head offices and other sub-groups were founded many people with different ideas and ambitions separated from the main stream, so in order to prevent confusion among Shintoists the Shinto of the organization covered by the Head Office of Shrines was called "Jinja Shinto" (shrine Shinto). Its structure is as follows:-

Graph: Head Office of Shrines

Prefectural Head Offices

Local Agencies

Shrines, shrine employees

Organization of the Head Office of Shrines.

In the Head Office is a president, other officials under the Secretary General and various other organs. To make decisions there is a Board of Councillors consisting of 168 councillors selected from all over the country. Under the Secretary General, President, and Vice-President are two permanent directors and a secretariat with eight divisions (Ise Shrine, Secretary General's office, and offices of Finance, Education, Research, Cooperation, Public Relations and Education Research).

Head Office of Shrines and affiliated groups.

The Head Office of Shrines has formed six groups whose task is social education through social activites centering on the shrine and whose secretaries have offices in the Head Office. As well as attending conferences and study meetings the secretaries publish periodicals and other books. These groups are:=

All Japan Women Worshipper's Association (640 groups, 110,000 members).

All Japan Shinto Youth Council (for young Shinto priests, ca.2500)

All Japan Nursery School Association (195 kindergardens and nurseries with about 30,000 children)

All Japan Education Related Council of Shinto Priests (ca. 1500 members)

All Japan Ujiko Youth Council (351 groups, ca. 20,000 members)

Besides the above are related groups such as the All Japan

Shrine Representative Board, National Spiritual Study Hall and Shinto Political Association, which cooperate with each other.