The Incorporation of Spiritual Learning and the Creation of Rituals at the Miho Shrine

This presentation explores the religious practices of Shinto shrine families within the framework of shrine kōsha (devotional societies) and kyōkai (churches) under State Shinto during the Meiji and Taishō periods. The study is based on historical documents discovered from the Miyagishima family, a shrine family of Miho Shrine, which was historically the Third Shrine of Suruga Province, located in Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

In 1871, the Japanese government declared shrines as "national places of worship" and established a hierarchical classification system called "shakaku" (shrine ranks). Following the precedent of the ancient Engishiki regulations, shrines were categorized with the distinction being made between official shrines and other types of shrines. All shrines were assigned ranks. Shrine administration was carried out under this modern shrine ranking system, which remained in effect until the system was dismantled in 1946 under the Shinto Directive. Miho Shrine was initially ranked as a gōsha (village shrine) and was promoted to kensha (prefectural shrine) in 1897.

After the Russo-Japanese War, the Ministry of Home Affairs implemented a shrine-centered policy, under which shrines were deemed non-religious entities at the national level but were regarded as central institutions for national indoctrination at the local level. In 1882, the government prohibited Shinto priests from performing religious guidance, leading to a division between Shrine Shinto and Sect Shinto. At this time, kōsha were also categorized into shrine-affiliated kōsha and kyōkai -affiliated kōsha. Shrine-affiliated kōsha were managed by the shrines themselves, while kyōkai -affiliated kōsha were run by sectarian Shinto kyōkai that had been officially recognized as religious organizations during the Meiji period. The Miyagishima family, which managed Miho Shrine, established the Shinto Miho Church (kyōkai), which was affiliated with the Shinto Headquarters (a Sect Shinto organization known also as simply “Shinto”). They actively engaged in religious activities and creation of rituals at the shrine, based particularly on Spiritual Learning (reigaku) and its practices.

Spiritual Learning was a philosophy and set of practices created by Honda Chikaatsu (1822-1889), who was associated with the National Learning Bureau of Kagoshima Prefecture. His philosophy and practices are classified as Fukko Shinto (Restoration Shinto), influenced by scholars such as Tachibana Moribe, Hirata Atsutane, and Mutobe Yoshika, a disciple of Hirata. Honda Chikaatsu, influenced by Tachibana Moribe’s philological work "Shinpi Gokajō" (The Five Mystical Tenets), believed that oral traditions had altered the transmission of classical texts such as the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki before they were compiled. Therefore, he proposed the "kishinhō" method, which involved divine possession techniques to seek accurate textual interpretations. As a preliminary step to divine possession, he emphasized maintaining purity of mind and soul through the practice of "chinkonhō" (soul-pacification method) as a daily ritual. Additionally, he advocated for divination practices such as "futomani" and healing rituals like "kin'enhō." His teachings attracted disciples, including government officials like Soejima Taneomi and shrine families mainly in the Tōkai region.

Honda’s spiritual thought was also influenced by Hirata Atsutane’s Honkyō Gaihen (1806), which was based on the dualistic concept of the visible and invisible worlds. He asserted that the emperor, as a descendant of the heavenly deities, ruled the visible world, while Ōkuninushi, based on the divine agreement at the time of the land transfer, ruled the invisible world as the chief deity of the arcane world. According to this belief, upon death, individuals were guided by their tutelary deities to face judgment before Ōkuninushi, where their earthly deeds determined their eternal fate in either the celestial or underground world realms. Hirata Atsutane’s ideas were also influenced by Christian theological texts, incorporating the notion that Ame-no-Minakanushi was the supreme creator of the universe, similar to the Christian God. Honkyō Gaihen adapted content from Jesuit missionaries such as Matteo Ricci’s Jiren Shipian, Giulio Aleni’s Sanshan Lunxueji, and Diego Pantoja’s Qike. Honda Chikaatsu integrated Western astronomy into his theology, particularly influenced by Ensei Kanshō Zusetsu, an astronomical book by Yoshio Nankō (1787–1843), published in 1823. He correlated Shinto deities with celestial bodies, positioning Ame-no-Minakanushi at the center of the universe as the supreme deity governing the 50 divine elements that pervade the cosmos. Ultimately, his "Kishinhō" method aimed at unifying the human soul with the universal deity Ame-no-Minakanushi.

The Miyagishima family’s archives contain 597 materials spanning 32 years from 1893 to 1925. These include 287 oracular records given by Miyagishima Kinsaku (pen name: Uchū, 1873–1921), the chief priest of Shinto Miho Church, and 25 documents on Shinto spiritual Learning. Among them is a handwritten copy of Honda Chikaatsu’s theological work "Michi no Taigen," as well as "Yūji Shinden Kishin-hō: with Shinkai Monogatari," authored by a figure identified as "Shin’ichi Gakujin," believed to be Miyagishima Kinsaku. This document describes divine possession techniques from the perspective of a medium. The collection also includes records of Miyagishima’s experiences with divine possession, doctrinal materials, and ritual texts from the church.

This presentation particularly focuses on a ritual manual titled Shinkai Gakusoku (M586), written in 1915 by Miyagishima while possessed by Mihotsuhime-no-Ōkami’s retainer deity, Mihohiko-no-Mikoto. The text begins with an introduction written while possessed, followed by a transcribed excerpt from Honda Chikaatsu’s "Reigaku Shō," copied by Takada Junsaku, a priest of Hozumi Shrine on Ryūsōzan and a senior instructor of the Shinto Headquarters. Takada referred to Reigaku Shō as Shinkai Gakusoku. The Text also details an "easy childbirth prayer ritual" conducted by summoning the deity Konohanasakuya-hime of Sengen Shrine, the First Shrine of Suruga Province. This ritual was likely performed for church believers seeking a safe childbirth. This text concludes with an afterword written under divine possession by Miyagishima.

Shinkai Gakusoku is not only an oracular text written under divine possession but also a ritual manual detailing the summoning of deities for religious ceremonies. By examining this ritual text, it becomes evident that through the practice of Honda Chikaatsu’s Spiritual Learning, shrine families of Miho Shrine and other priests nearby gathered under the framework of kyōkai-affiliated kōsha, engaging in religious practices with significant autonomy.