Influence of religion on the Emperor of Japan

Japan is geographically described as having 47 prefectures, with 4 distinct main islands, Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. The distance separating Korea and Kyushu is only 200 km while the distance separating Hokkaido and Sakhalin is only 40 km. The formation of the Japanese civilization is said to have begun in the Jomon Period (7,000 BC to 250 BC), and is described as a Prehistoric and Neolithic Period. The Japanese as a race consists of different origins. These include the Ainu, Mongolians, Hans, Fins, Kumaso and a large immigration of Koreans and Chinese from 300 AD to 700 AD (Riley, 2000).

The Japanese Culture is one that is distinct and ethnocentric. Any military force (the U.S. occupation was considered too civilized) has never successfully invaded them. They have also never produced any great philosophers. The Japanese also tends to be beneficiaries rather than benefactors. Japanese race is largely homogenous and is clearly absent of any ethnic minorities (Riley, 2000).

The Japanese also have the longest surviving monarchical system in history (Meyer, 1993). This goes back to the mythical Jimmu Tenno, who was directly related to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu Omikami, the most important goddess in the

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Tenno is the Chinese-style designation for sover!

eign. The Tenno’s symbols of office were three regalia; a bronze mirror, curved jewel, and an iron sword, which were a gift from the Sun Goddess through her great grandson Ninigi-no-Mikoto (Varley, 1971). This was shown throughout many of the turbulent eras such as the Nara, Heian, Kamakura, Ashikaga, Sengokujidai and Tokugawa. The Japanese people go to Shinto shrines at birth and for the funerals they practice Buddhist methods. Lanham, Maryland, Rowman & Littlefield

7. , and reverence and absolute obedience to show one’s respect to parents and superiors. They view mankind as innately pure and clean, without sin or guilt, emphasizing cleanliness. Thus this indiginous religion of Japan became one which was embraced by the Japanese monarch. As during the 1500’s many of the western countries were over flowing with the Christian belief, much of which went unnoticed to the Japanese society until the official opening of the country to western ideas. The Yamato Kingdom appeared between 300 BC and 300 AD on the Nara plain near central Japan which is where Jimmu Tenno settled after he defeated the people of the Kinki region.

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