Shinto in the Thought of Nishimura Shigeki : The Basis for National Morality

Abstract

When thinking of a platform for national morality, Nishimura Shigeki's (1828-1902) position was that of disavowing religion. This was not only due to his refusal of religion as irrational, but also due to concerns related to conflicts between denominations. While showing marked wariness towards religion in general, Nishimura held a low opinion of Shinto. In the event of speaking about religion in Japan in public, he would invariably refer to Buddhism and Christianity, but clearly avoided to even mention Shinto. This kind of passive attitude is in many ways in variance with the traditional image of Nishimura as an individual who greatly contributed to the development of national morality discourses. That is, his position obviously differs from that of later intellectuals who found in the mythological history of the "Imperial Ancestors" (Jp. Koso Koso) a source for morality. Therefore, the absence of Shinto in Nishimura's discourse on national morality is suggestive of his unique understanding of the "way of the kami." In order to address the problematic above, in this paper I will consider the position of Shinto in Nishimura's ideas on morality.