Yamakage Shinto
Shinto religious movement
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yamakage Shinto (Japanese: 山蔭神道, Hepburn: Yamakage Shintō) is a New Sect Shinto-based[3] shinshūkyō (Japanese new religion) that is based on the legacies and traditions of Ko-Shintō. The founder of the modern form of the religious organization was Yamakage Motohisa (山蔭基央).[2] Yamakage Hitoyoshi (山蔭仁嘉) is the current 81st head of Yamakage Shinto.[4]
| Yamakage Shinto | |
|---|---|
| 山蔭神道 | |
Kirei-gū (貴嶺宮), Yamakage Shinto's headquarters in Kōta, Aichi | |
| Head (Priest) | Yamakage Hitoyoshi (山蔭仁嘉) |
| Headquarters | Kōta, Aichi[n 1] |
| Founder | Yamakage Motohisa (山蔭基央) |
| Origin | 1954[2] |
| Members | 1,618 in 2025[3] |
| Slogan | Ajimarikan (アジマリカン) |
History
Yamakage Shinto came from generations of families that preserved and practiced Ko-Shintō traditions for generations.[5] The earliest recognizable form of Yamakage Shinto started its origins before the Bakumatsu period and right before the Meiji Restoration. Below is the list of leaders of the earliest Yamakage Shinto with the descriptions of their spiritual or national achievements:[5][6]
- The 75th head, Yamakage Kazuhira (山蔭昌衡)[n 2] who revived aspects of Ko-Shintō and incorporated doctrinal elements of Suika Shinto.
- The 76th head, Nakayama Tadakore (中山忠伊)[n 3] (1804 – 1864) who made a contribution to the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate.
- The 77th head, Nakayama Tadafusa (中山忠英)[n 4] (1846 – 1916) who participated in the national governance under Emperor Meiji to elevate the social and political status of the Imperial House of Japan with the additional help of his own organization, Kōdōkai (皇道会), which was later renamed as Dai Nihon Kōdō Ritsukyōkai (大日本皇道立教会).
The 78th head Nakayama Tadanori (中山忠徳)[n 5] (1898 – 1957)[6] converted to Ontakekyō in 1921 and created his own separate religious organization called Ontake Honkyō (御嶽本教) in April 1927 and renamed it to Jinrui Aishin Taisokyō (人類愛信太祖教) two years later.[8]
Afterwards, it was renamed as Aishinkai (愛信会) after the Occupation of Japan in 1954; afterwards it merged with Yuiitsu Shintō Tensokyō (唯一神道天祖教)[n 6] to change its name to Tensha Yamakage Shintō Aishinkai (天社山蔭神道愛信会)[n 7] in 1956 and finally Nakayama Tanadori's adopted son as well as the 79th head, Yamakage Motohisa (山蔭基央) (11 March 1925 – July 2013),[11][12] renamed it to Yamakage Shinto in 1966.[13]
Belief
The two important kami figures in Yamakage Shinto are Ōkuninushi and Sukunabikona.[14]
Activities
It is known as a Sect Shinto-based new religious organization that performs vigorous publication of literature for laypeople, especially under Yamakage Motohisa.[14]
Chinkon meditation is practiced in Yamakage Shinto.[15] The Shinto sect, headquartered at Kirei-gū (貴嶺宮) in Kōta, Aichi Prefecture, is associated with the modern koshintō (古神道) revival movement.[16] Chinkon meditation in Yamakage Shinto is performed while seated on the floor and is performed using techniques such as breathing exercises, counting numbers, mudras, meditating on a mirror, and ritual chanting.[15]: 48–58
Incantation
Branch Shrines
See also
Notes
- It is situated directly across the road from Chūsei Shrine, a Shinto-based religious facility that houses the spirit of Chiang Kai-shek as a kami.[1]
- He came from a family that managed the system of Yoshida Shinto under the patronage of the Tokugawa clan.
- He was the biological son of Nakayama Tadakore.
- He was the third son of Nakayama Tadafusa.
Further reading
- 宗敎年鑑（令和７年版） [Religion Almanac (2025 Ed.)] (PDF) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Agency for Cultural Affairs. 2025.
- Inoue, Nobutaka, ed. (1996). 新宗教教団・人物亊典 [Dictionary Of Organizations And Figures In New Religions] (in Japanese). Tokyo: KOUBUNDOU Publishers Inc. ISBN 978-4335160288.
- Inoue, Nobutaka (1989). "戦後の教派神道研究" [Post-War Research on Sectarian Shinto]. Bulletin of Institution of Japanese Culture (日本文化研究所紀要) (in Japanese) (64). Tokyo: Kokugakuin University.