A Concept of “Overseas Shinto Shrines”: A Pantheistic Attempt by Ogasawara Shōzō and Its Limitations

Abstract

"Overseas Shinto shrines" (kaigai jinja) is a generic term that refers not only to colonial shrines within the former Japanese empire, but also to shrines built in countries other than Japan by Japanese emigrants. This article examines the thought and activities of Ogasawara Shōzō (1892―1970), who coined this term and devoted himself to the establishment of institutions for Shinto shrines overseas before Japan's defeat in World War II. Beginning with an overview of the conventional State Shinto concept, including the historical facts concerning colonial shrines, it traces Ogasawara's Shinto education, his encounter with ethnic Korean issues in the Japanese empire, and his enthusiasm to make shrine Shinto a universal (world) religion. Through analyses of the successes and failures of his attempts, this article reveals the potential of Shinto as a polytheistic religion and also its limitations with regard to modern Japanese expansionism.