Yoshida Shintō

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Yoshida Shintō (Jap.). A school of Shinto which draws on Confucianism, Taoism, and Shingon Buddhism, but considers Shinto as the central root or foundation. The Shinto learning passed on in the Yoshida priestly family since the Heian period was summarized and systematized by Yoshida Kanetomo (1435–1511), restoring the ideological independence of Shinto. This school of Shinto called itself ‘Shinto of the Original Source’ (Gempon Sōgen Shintō) because of its belief in a supreme primordial kami, Daigen Sonshin (Venerable Kami of the Great Origin), who preceded heaven and earth and was the source of the myriad kami. Yoshida Shintō was widely spread in Japan from the later medieval period until the Meiji Restoration and was influential in appointments to the priesthood, decisions about religious ceremonies, and the like. It was also called Yui-itsu Shinto (‘unique Shinto’) and Urabe Shinto.