The Meiji Period (1868- ) had been the time when they had exerted various authorities under the name of the Emperor and the scheme of things had been changed rapidly.
At first, they the Meiji Government had established a policy of deciding the national religion as Shinto, and intended to give the order to religions world.
Of course Ise Grand Shrine, the religion belonging to Shinto had been positioned the top of all Japanese shrines as “the shrine dedicated to the guardian goddess of imperial family”.
Incidentally, it had also around that time that the syncretism of Shinto (Kami warship) and Buddhism, the traditional Japanese way of thinking about the religion had been denied, and made people distinguish clearly between God (in Japanese word, “Kami”) and Buddha, in other word, shrine and temple.
“The Kami and Buddhas Separation Order” had been issued in 1868.
They had aimed at national education by using Shinto and not intended to eliminate Buddhism.
But still, the destructive behavior triggered by the Kami and Buddhas Separation Order against temple and Buddhist objects had broken out all over the country.
And within very little time, the religious policy which they had tried to bring all religion including Christian religion and Buddhism under tight political control had fallen through.
There had been some inconsistencies in the policy, and the ordinary people’s mind could never have catch up.
It had been clear that the religious policy of the Meiji Government had lost their way.
In fact, however, Ise Grand Shrine hadn’t faced a funding shortfall and Sengu had been performed smoothly.
And the time had changed from Meiji (1868- ), through Taisho (1912- ), to Showa (1926- ), and Japan had plunged into World War II.
