Kokka Shinto

9.9

A form of Shinto that the state supported as Japan's official religion from the Meiji era until World War II

noun

: Kokka Shinto

During the Meiji era, Kokka Shinto played a central role in shaping Japan's national identity.

Examples

After World War II, the Allied Occupation abolished Kokka Shinto as a state-supported religion.
Textbooks often discuss the influence of Kokka Shinto on Japanese society and government policies.
Is Kokka Shinto still practiced in Japan today?
How did Kokka Shinto influence Japanese culture?
During the Meiji era, Kokka Shinto played a central role in shaping Japan's national identity.
After World War II, the Allied Occupation abolished Kokka Shinto as a state-supported religion.
Textbooks often discuss the influence of Kokka Shinto on Japanese society and government policies.

Synonyms

Kokka

vsKokka Shinto

9.9

A form of Shinto that was Japan's state religion from Meiji to World War II

notes formal state recognition without stressing government promotion

Surface Forms

Kokka Shinto singular

Kokka Shintos plural

Morphology

Kokka + Shinto

The compound is compositionally built from 'Kokka' (state/national) + 'Shinto' (the indigenous faith), so its meaning as the state-promoted form of Shinto is directly derivable from the parts. This is a straightforward, non-idiomatic naming pattern (equivalent to 'state Shinto'), making it immediately understandable to learners who know the constituent meanings.

Etymology

Kokka Shinto comes from the Japanese words kokka meaning 'state' and Shinto meaning the native religion. It describes when the government made Shinto an official 'state religion' in the Meiji period to support the emperor and unite the country, so the term now means the form of Shinto that was backed by the state.