Arahitogami
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
word meaning a kami (deity) who is a human being.
It first appears in Kojiki
(c. 680), but is assumed to have been used before this book.
The best-known usage of this word would be in the United States before the end of the Second World War in 1945; Christian missionaries such as D.C. Holtom used the word to claim that the Emperor was viewed as a god in Japan. It was not used in any Japanese government publication.
In 1946, at the request of the GHQ, Emperor Hirohito
proclaimed in the Ningen-sengen
that he had never been an , divinity in human form, and claimed his relation to the people did not rely on such a mythological idea but on a historically developed family-like reliance.
Some Western academics, such as John W. Dower
and Herbert Bix, consider however that the Ningen-sengen can be interpreted in a way which, while renouncing his claim to be an , Hirohito
did not actually deny his divine descent from Amaterasu
Omikami. However, this claim is made exclusively by Westerners, not Japanese.
Some Japanese equate the divine being of the Emperor to Buddhist beliefs about the Dalai Lama
and historical figures.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
word meaning a kami (deity) who is a human being.
It first appears in Kojiki
Kojiki
is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, dating from the early 8th century and composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Gemmei. The Kojiki is a collection of myths concerning the origin of the four home islands of Japan, and the Kami...
(c. 680), but is assumed to have been used before this book.
The best-known usage of this word would be in the United States before the end of the Second World War in 1945; Christian missionaries such as D.C. Holtom used the word to claim that the Emperor was viewed as a god in Japan. It was not used in any Japanese government publication.
In 1946, at the request of the GHQ, Emperor Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
proclaimed in the Ningen-sengen
Ningen-sengen
is an imperial rescript issued by the Emperor Shōwa as part of a New Year’s statement on January 1, 1946 at the request of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers...
that he had never been an , divinity in human form, and claimed his relation to the people did not rely on such a mythological idea but on a historically developed family-like reliance.
Some Western academics, such as John W. Dower
John W. Dower
John W. Dower is an American author and historian.Dower earned a bachelor's degree in American Studies from Amherst College in 1959, and a Ph.D. in History and Far Eastern Languages from Harvard University in 1972, where he studied under Albert M. Craig...
and Herbert Bix, consider however that the Ningen-sengen can be interpreted in a way which, while renouncing his claim to be an , Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
did not actually deny his divine descent from Amaterasu
Amaterasu
, or is apart of the Japanese myth cycle and also a major deity of the Shinto religion. She is the goddess of the sun, but also of the universe. the name Amaterasu derived from Amateru meaning "shining in heaven." The meaning of her whole name, Amaterasu-ōmikami, is "the great August kami who...
Omikami. However, this claim is made exclusively by Westerners, not Japanese.
Some Japanese equate the divine being of the Emperor to Buddhist beliefs about the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
and historical figures.
See also
- Ningen-sengenNingen-sengenis an imperial rescript issued by the Emperor Shōwa as part of a New Year’s statement on January 1, 1946 at the request of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers...
- Divine Right of KingsDivine Right of KingsThe divine right of kings or divine-right theory of kingship is a political and religious doctrine of royal and political legitimacy. It asserts that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority, deriving his right to rule directly from the will of God...
- Imperial cultImperial cultAn imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor, or a dynasty of emperors , are worshipped as messiahs, demigods or deities. "Cult" here is used to mean "worship", not in the modern pejorative sense...
- Incarnation (Christianity)Incarnation (Christianity)The Incarnation in traditional Christianity is the belief that Jesus Christ the second person of the Trinity, also known as God the Son or the Logos , "became flesh" by being conceived in the womb of a woman, the Virgin Mary, also known as the Theotokos .The Incarnation is a fundamental theological...
- AvatarAvatarIn Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....