lude that the spirit of submission to rulers and to fate was a
national characteristic due to racial nature; but every added year of
New Japan shows how erroneous that view would have been. Thus we see
again that the characteristics of Japan, Old and New, are not due to
race nature, but to the prevailing civilization in the broadest sense
of the term. The religious characteristics of a people depend
primarily on the dominant religious ideas, not on the inherent
religious nature.

XXVIII

SOME RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

Among the truly religious sentiments of the Japanese are those of
loyalty and filial piety. Having already given them considerable
attention, we need not delay long upon them here. The point to be
emphasized is that these two principles are exalted into powerful
religious sentiments, which have permeated and dominated the entire
life of the nation. Not only were they at the root of courage, of
fidelity, of obedience, and of all the special virtues of Old Japan,
but they were also at the root of the larger part of her religion.
These emotions, sentiments, and beliefs have built 190,000 Shinto
shrines. Loyalty to the daimyo was the vital part of the religion of
the past, as loyalty to the Emperor is the vital part of the popular
religion of to-day. Next to loyalty came filial piety; it not only
built the cemeteries, but also maintained god-shelves and family
ancestral worship throughout the centuries. One of the first questions
which many an inquirer about Christianity has put to me is as to the
way we treat our parents living and dead, and the tombs and memories
of our ancestors. These two religious sentiments of loyalty and filial
piety were essential elements of primitive Shinto. The imported
religions, particularly Confucianism and Christianity, served to
strengthen them. In view of the indubitable religious nature of these
two sentiments it is difficult to see how anyone can deny the name of
religion to the religions that inculcate them, Shinto and
Confucianism. It shows how defective is the current conception of the
real nature of religion.

Despite the reality of these religious, sentiments, however, many
things are done in Japan quite opposed to them. Of course this is so.
These violations spring from irreligion, and irreligion is found in
every land. Furthermore, many things done in the name of loyalty and
piety seem to us Westerners exceedingly whimsical and illogical. Deeds
which to us se