Overseas Shinto

Overseas Shinto designates the practice of the Japanese religion of Shinto outside Japan itself. Shinto has spread abroad by various methods, including the imperial expansion of the Empire of Japan during the Meiji period, the migration of Japanese to other countries, and the embrace of Shinto by various non-Japanese individuals.

Jinja outside Japan are termed kaigai jinja ("overseas shrines"), a term coined by Ogasawara Shozo [ja].^[1]

On June 22, 2014, Europe's first official Shinto Shrine: San Marino Shrine was opened in Serravalle, San Marino. The San Marino shrine was inaugurated in the presence of 150 personalities including the president of the Association of Shinto Shrines and Yoko Kishi, mother of the former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe and daughter of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi.^[2][3] The shrine was established in commemoration of the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.^[4]

In Japanese-controlled territories (China, Korea, the Pacific Islands, Singapore, Taiwan, Manchukuo and Karafuto Prefecture), shrines were erected by both Japanese settlers and colonial authorities. Most of the sanctuaries were built by settlers, but many of them later received government recognition and funding. At first, jinja built Japanese communities for their use, often using ritual objects from their old shrines.^[5][6][7] In 1900, the Japanese authorities erected the first large shrine in the colonies, it became Taiwan Grand Shrine. It was followed by other major shrines, such as Chōsen Shrine in Korea and Karafuto Shrine on Sakhalin. These shrines were built by decree of the governor and without consultation with the Shinto clergy, and their policies were determined by the military.^[8][7][9]

The first Shinto shrine in Hawaii was Hilo Daijingu [ja], built in 1898.^[10] It is known that shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Japanese Shintoists in Hawaii held ceremonies in honor of the former commander-in-chief of the Japanese fleet, Tōgō Heihachirō. One of the shrines, built at the beginning of the 20th century, was subordinate to both the Japanese authorities responsible for the shrine system and the American authorities, since it was registered in the state as a non-profit organization. American Shintoists were culturally influenced by their local environment. Thus, the spirits of George Washington and Hawaiian King Kamehameha I entered the local pantheon. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the American government closed the shrine, fearing the growth of anti-American sentiment among the Japanese, but after the surrender of Japan in September 1945, the shrine continued its work. The few shrines on the West Coast of the United States were not restored after the war.^[11][12]

Two Shinto shrines were built in Brazil before the outbreak of World War II, both in the state of São Paulo. The first one was built in 1920 by Uetsuka Shuhei in the city of Promissão. The second temple was built by immigrants in the municipality of Bastos 18 years later. Most emigrants performed rituals of worshiping the gods with their families, and less often with their neighbors.^[13] 11 major shrines are still located in Brazil.^[14]

Shinto shrines dating from during or after World War II exist in some Micronesian countries.^[15]

Some Shinto-inspired new religions have gained ground in various cities in Sub-Saharan Africa.^[16]