神道指令 · しんとうしれい · sects_organizations

Shintō Directive

The 15 December 1945 SCAP order separating Shintō from the Japanese state and ending State Shintō.

Definition

Issued by the Allied General Headquarters (SCAP) on 15 December 1945, the directive banned state sponsorship, financial support, and propagation of Shintō; removed Shintō ritual from schools and government offices; and required public officials to attend shrines only in a private capacity. It directly led to the formation of Jinja Honchō (3 February 1946) as a private religious corporation and to the constitutional separation of religion and state in the 1947 Constitution.

Etymology

English designation, translated as Shintō Shirei