Deities in the Interwar Period

DOI

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 戦間期の神々
  • Various Aspects of “Polytheism”
  • 「多神教」の諸相

Abstract

<p>The term “polytheism” emerged during the Meiji period. While it can be used in its literal sense to refer to a religion that believes in multiple gods, it also acquired the image of a less evolved and backward religion when contrasted with monotheism in the context of religious evolution theory. Particularly among Shintoists, objections arose against classifying Shinto as polytheistic.</p><p>This article points out that the play Polytheism by Izumi Kyōka, published in 1927 during the interwar period, is a work based on the assumption of such a polytheistic complex. It also discusses how the interwar period marked a turning point in the image of polytheism. This shift involved liberating polytheism from the framework of evolutionary theory and emphasizing the developmental nature of Shinto as a polytheistic religion. This discourse resonated with the assertion made during the fascist era of colonial domination that polytheistic Japan had an advantage over monotheistic religions in terms of domination.</p>

Journal

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

  • CRID
    1390299318852238080
  • DOI
    10.20716/rsjars.97.2_251
  • ISSN
    21883858
    03873293
  • Text Lang
    ja
  • Data Source
    • JaLC
  • Abstract License Flag
    Disallowed

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