Historical Dictionary of United States-Japan ... - Bakumatsu Films

230 • SHINTO
SHINTO. Literally meaning “the way of the gods,” Shinto is recognized
as Japan’s native religion, although it has similarities to ancient
practices in Korea. It is a shamanistic, animistic religion of purity
based upon worship of kami (gods or spirits) who inhabit nature.
There are four main categories of Shinto: imperial Shinto, shrine
Shinto, state Shinto, and folk Shinto. In Japan, Shinto often overlaps
with Buddhism, and many Japanese consider themselves adherents
of both. Shinto was regarded as enflaming Japanese nationalism and
exercising militarism and was thus repressed by the American authorities
just after World War II.
SHOGUN. Shogun is the shortened version of the title, seii tai shogun, literally
meaning “barbarian-expelling general.” Shogun was the title used
by the commander of a military government of samurai, known as
shogunate or bakufu. The shogun and his government were formally appointed
by the emperor and nominally under the emperor’s command;
but in reality it was the shogun and the bakufu government in command
of the country until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The first shogun was
Yoritomo Minamoto (reigned 1192–1199), who established the Kamakura
bakufu; the last shogun was Yoshinobu Tokugawa. See also
CLASS SYSTEM IN JAPAN; TOKUGAWA SHOGUNATE.
SHOGUN’S EMBASSY of 1860. The Tokugawa shogunate sent more
than 70 officials and servants on an embassy to the United States in
1860 for the official purpose of ratifying the United States Treaty of
Amity and Commerce negotiated by the American minister
Townsend Harris and shogunate regent Naosuke Ii. In addition to
meeting with President James Buchanan and other American officials,
the embassy visited San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia;
and New York. This was the first Japanese government overseas
mission to a Western country. See also A BROADWAY PAGEANT.
SIBERIAN INTERVENTION. From July 1918, Japanese, American,
British, and French troops advanced into Siberia. Hopelessly divided
as to the purpose of the intervention, the allies—with the exception
of Japan, whose troops remained until October 1922—withdrew their
troops in early 1920.
In the immediate aftermath of Russia’s Bolshevik revolution of November
1917, the Japanese army saw an opportunity to extend Japan’s