The was one of the government offices in Japan during the Meiji period (1868-1912). On July 8, 1869 (August 15, 1869),

Proclamation of the Great Religion The was issued in the name of Emperor Meiji on January 3, 1870 (February 3). �歴代の詔勅�� p.66 河野省三内閣印刷局、1940年（国立国会図書館） It declared the "way of the gods" (Shinto) as the guiding principle of the s ...

, was established for the purpose of proselytizing, and a director, vice director, lecturer, historian The Secretary, Vice-Ministers, lecturers, historians, magistrates, chief priests, missionary messengers, and other officials were appointed. On October 9 of the same year, it became under the jurisdiction of the

Department of Divinities The , also known as the Department of Shinto Affairs, Department of Rites, Department of Worship, as well as Council of Divinities, was a Japanese Imperial bureaucracy established in the 8th century, as part of the ''ritsuryō'' reforms. It was fi ...

. On April 5, 1897, the missionary missionaries were renamed "Dai, Chūchū, Shōgun no Dai, Chūchū, Shōgun no Shōsōshi" (Grand, Middle, and Minor Missionaries of the Shōsō and Kikoku). On April 23, the government established the "Missionaries' Book of Instructions," and began a national indoctrination campaign based on imperialism.法令全書 On March 14, 1897, it was repealed.

Kokugaku ''Kokugaku'' ( ja, 國學, label=Kyūjitai, ja, 国学, label=Shinjitai; literally "national study") was an academic movement, a school of Japanese philology and philosophy originating during the Tokugawa period. Kokugaku scholars worked to refo ...

and

Confucian scholars Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

were employed as mission officials. However, due to the following reasons, they were not successful at all. * There was a serious conflict of opinion among the magistrate and missionary staff over the policy, content, and methods of missionary work. The conflict between schools of thought led directly to conflict within the government. * It was impossible for the government to carry out missionary work on its own due to the authority and number of officials in charge of the government and missionary missions, and no concrete measures could be taken without going through the Grand Council of State. * Since it was before the

Abolition of the han system The in the Empire of Japan and its replacement by a system of prefectures in 1871 was the culmination of the Meiji Restoration begun in 1868, the starting year of the Meiji period. Under the reform, all daimyos (, ''daimyō'', feudal lords) ...

, the magistrate did not have the ability to administer the local government (the domain was half an independent state).

References

1872 disestablishments Government agencies established in 1869 State Shinto Defunct government agencies of Japan Pages with unreviewed translations {{State Shinto