Abstract
This study examines the US occupation policy for Shinto shrines in postwar Japan and Korea, where the Japanese colonial government and settlers left more than 1000 shrines. For this reason, how to deal with the local shrines was a common policy concern in the two occupied countries placed under the same command of General Douglas MacArthur, appointed as the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP). By tracing Shinto policy in the two occupied zones, this chapter shows that there was a stark contrast between the two policies. In Japan, SCAP aimed at disestablishing Shinto as a state religion, but preserved shrines as religious sites. In Korea, the US occupation forces did not regard Shinto as a religion and ordered all shrines to be closed and confiscated the property despite the SCAP’s concern that abolishing shrines could violate the freedom of religion. This chapter argues that this policy difference eventually led to the formation of different church–state relations in postwar South Korea and Japan.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Matsutani, M. (2017). US Occupation Policy on Shinto in Postliberation Korea and Occupied Japan. In: Anderson, E. (eds) Belief and Practice in Imperial Japan and Colonial Korea. Religion and Society in Asia Pacific. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1566-3_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1566-3_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-1565-6
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-1566-3
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyPhilosophy and Religion (R0)