The number of Shinto priests has dropped drastically, from 88,192 in 1997 to 71,142 in 2017
of April 30th, then-emperor Akihito, decked out in a puffy brown robe, entered Kashikodokoro shrine, in the grounds of the imperial palace in Tokyo. He washed his hands, rinsed his mouth, bowed twice, clapped twice, bowed once more and then read a letter to the gods informing them of his retirement.
Those of a new-age disposition see shrines as “power-spots” brimming with healing, love and insight. Satoru Otowa of Ise Grand shrine, Shinto’s holiest place, where a mirror said to have belonged to Amaterasu is kept, says many young people come for “mental health and to feel at peace”. On a spring day groups of them can be seen exploring the vast grounds of the shrine, which is surrounded by trees and a river. Visitor numbers have steadily grown, to more than 8.5m people last year.
Another tension is the still contentious question of Shinto’s official role. After the second world war the American occupiers insisted on the separation of shrine and state, since Shinto had been a central part of Japan’s war effort, in which the cult of the divine emperor served to legitimise militarism. The state stopped administering and funding shrines, leaving private organisations, most notably Jinja Honcho, to assume that role.
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