Arahitogami

Arahitogami (Japanese现 人 神or荒 人 神) is a Japanese term, with the literal meaning "appearing Kami as a man. " The first evidence of the term is in the Kojiki from the 8th century.

In Shinto the worship of the souls of the dead is common as Kami. In contrast, a still living person is already revered as a kami here. In justified in the Meiji era State Shinto this term for the Tenno ( Emperor ) was used to emphasize his divinity.

The divinity of the Japanese emperor was rejected designated by the Shōwa tennō in his as Ningen - scorch (人间 宣言" declaration of humanity" ) New Year's declaration in 1946 and explains the ties between him and his people had always been based on trust and affection, and not to legends and myths based. However, it was held Arahitogami the less common expression Akitsumikami (现 御 神, but also现 神,现 为 明 神, or明 神明 御 神) is used:

朕ト爾等國民トノ間ノ紐帯ハ、終始相互ノ信頼ト敬愛トニ依リテ結バレ、單ナル神話ト傳説トニ依リテ生ゼルモノニ非ズ。天皇ヲ以テ現御神トシ、且日本國民ヲ以テ他ノ民族ニ優越セル民族ニシテ、延テ世界ヲ支配スベキ運命ヲ有ストノ架空ナル觀念ニ基クモノニモ非ズ。

" The ties between Us and Our people always based on mutual trust and mutual respect and are not products of pure myths and legends. They are not based on the delusion that the Tennô was a present God [ akitsumikami ] and the Japanese people superior to others, or even abandonment, to dominate the world. "

Some critics believe the Tennō have with this rejection denies only a supernatural quality in itself, which he had in fact never owned also by Shinto ideas to meet the Christian ideas of God, of which it was believed would have the occupiers they meant in its call for the rejection of Göttlichkeitsstatus. Another position of critics is that it did not even located in the power of Tennō, his divinity in the sense of Kami- Nature (神格 性, ​​shinkaku -sei ) dismissed qua descent from Amaterasu, as it constituted a historical fact.

In the Japanese Constitution of 1947, the Tennō only has the role of a symbol of the state. He is also the chief priest in Shinto. The privately held ceremony Dajio -sai (大 尝 祭; formerly Ōnihe -no- matsuri ) is a roll-call Tennō - after the ( secular and state ) throne (即位 の 礼, sokui no rei ) - really a Tennō in which it costs together with Amaterasu rice and it embodies their spirit. It is characterized among other things, to Akitsumikami. This ceremony is however since the war no State (国事 行为, kokuji KOI) more, but has only religious function. Tennōisten radicals and nationalists (like the extreme right uyoku, but also conservative politicians and Shinto ), have argued the recent nationalization of Dajio -sai. In contrast, currently speak Articles 20 and 89 of the Constitution.