Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the terms and conditions for the formation of the order of national rituals in pre-war Japan, in particular, Shinto shrine rituals. First, the study outlines the Ministry of Home Affairs' process, as part of its administration of Shinto shrines, of designating shrines as places for national rituals. Next, the Ministry of Home Affairs' Bureau of Shrines' unification of the “Procedures for Shrine Ritual Observance” and the government and the public's formation of the genre of shrine ritual procedural manuals are described. Books detailing “Procedures for Shrine Ritual Observance” were used as manuals for training sessions and ritual instructional sessions for members of the clergy. These resulted in the standardization of the evaluation of the participants in these rituals. Finally, this paper shows how, after the 1930s, under these terms and conditions, “indiscretions” in shrine rituals became increasingly problematic.
