Ministry of Religion (Japan)
Japanese government agency
The Ministry of Religion (教部省, Kyōbushō) was a central government organization of the Empire of Japan established under the Daijō-kan system in the early Meiji period for the purpose of national indoctrination through religion control to replace the Department of Divinities. It sought to advance the Proclamation of the Great Doctrine and mobilize the people with both Shinto and Buddhism.
It was abolished in response to arguments for separation of church and state and the Bureau of Shrines and Temples taking over much of its functions.
Outline
On April 21, 1872, the Ministry of Divinities was reorganized into the Ministry of Religion. The Ministry of Popular Affairs, and established by merging the Ministry of Popular Affairs Shakaiji Kake. Following the failure of the national teaching based on Shinto and Confucianism by the Missionary Office established within the Shinto priesthood, the largest religious force of the time, Buddhism, especially Jōdo Shinshū, which was the largest religious force at the time. While implementing modern religious policies such as the lifting of the prohibition of Christianity and the lifting of Nyonin Kinsei in shrines and temples, the Department of Divinities was unable to achieve the national indoctrination that was required by the Interlocutors. In order to realize national indoctrination, which the Department of Divinities was unable to achieve, a system of Kyodo Shoku was established, and the Great Teaching Institute was used for national indoctrination and Proclamation of the Great Doctrine campaign.
The Ministry of Religion was a voluntary sector appointment system. Religious figures—such as shinkans, Kannushis, Bhikkhus, Rakugoka, Waka poets, haiku poets—were also appointed as instructors.
The public source identifies “Ministry of Religion (Japan)” as japanese government agency. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Ministry, Religion and Japan.
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The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4294653. VIAF identifies the subject as 127914872. The Library of Congress control number is n85268183. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1872.
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This entry incorporates text from “Ministry of Religion (Japan)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.