Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the Japanese mythologists during the imperial period who claimed that Japan, as a country of polytheistic Shinto, was better suited to dominate Asia than the European powers which were perceived to be based on the monotheistic Christian culture.

Paper long abstract:

The study of Japanese mythology began in the Meiji period. From the outset, the mythologists sought to explore the origins of Japanese culture by comparing and contrasting its mythology with that of neighbouring regions, such as India and Polynesia. As Japan expanded its territory, however, the gaze on the tradition of the occupied areas became charged by the colonialist ideology. The mythologist Mishina Shoei, for example, characterised Japanese myths as ‘developed’ while Korean ones as ‘underdeveloped’.

This paper discusses the way in which Shinto mythologists viewed the myths of other regions during the imperial period, focusing on the argument around the relationship between the religion of the ruler and that of the ruled. The Japanese colonial endeavour started late compared to that of imperial European countries, and the justification for its rule was different in various aspects. The territories occupied by Europeans in Asia were geographically far away from Europe and had often developed outside the direct Christian area of influence. A stark contrast in religiosity therefore emerged between the monotheistic colonisers and the non-monotheistic subjects in the occupied area. The Japanese case was, however, different. The Japanese colonies, including Korea, Taiwan and Manchuria, were neighbours in Asia and both the ruling and ruled sides shared similar poly- and/or pantheistic traditions. This paper analyses the way in which Japanese mythologists justified Japanese colonial ambition based on their comparative study of the myths in Japan and its neighbouring countries. It focuses on scholars such as Matsumoto Nobuhiro, and the way in which Matsumoto claimed the shared non-monotheistic culture as the reason why Japan should dominate Asia.