JJRS > Volume 23 Issue 3-4 The World of Spirit Pacification: Issues of State and Religion

Kuroda Toshio

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This essay examines the role of “spirit pacification” (chinkon) in Japanese history, focusing on developments in the medieval period. It begins with a historical sketch of the cults of vengeful spirits (goryō), examines how the exoteric-esoteric system (kenmitsu taisei) managed these cults, and concludes with comments on the relevance of this topic with regard to Shinto in contemporary Japan and the “Yasukuni Problem.”