Arahitogami
is a Japanese word, meaning a kami who is a human being. It first appeared in the Nihon Shoki as the words of Yamato Takeru saying: "I am the son of an arahitogami."
In 1946, at the request of the GHQ, the Shōwa Emperor proclaimed in the Humanity Declaration that he had never been an, divinity in human form, and claimed his relation to the people did not rely on such a mythological idea but on a historically developed family-like reliance. However, the declaration excluded the word arahitogami.
In Shinto it is somewhat common for a person to be revered as a god, especially after they have died. Examples include Sugawara no Michizane and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
It is also linked to the Chinese concept of worship of the living.
Overview
, also known as "man-god" or "human deity", is a belief in Shinto in which humans are worshipped as gods during their lives or after their deaths. The term hitogami is derived from the Japanese words hito, meaning "human", and cat=no, meaning "god" or "spirit". In Japan, this belief is also known as ikigami or arahitogami, especially when the deity is a living person. This concept is distinct from the ujigami belief system, which focuses on a deity's connection to a specific family or geographic origin. In contrast, the hitogami belief system emphasizes personal faith as the basis for membership in the circle of believers.People who become human deities include sorcerers, priests, and others who possess special and unusual magical powers, tribal chiefs, kings, and others with superior skills, such as outstanding dancers, soldiers, and others, as well as physically disabled people, Confucian scholars, and foreign aliens who are different from ordinary people. In Japanese folk beliefs, human deities are diverse and can be divided into those who are deified during life and those who are worshipped as human deities after death.
The practice of deifying humans after death is a way to put to rest the legacy of those who have died with a grudge. Examples of the former include toya, miko, and masquerading deities in the rituals of the miya-za. Throughout Japanese history, the hitogami and ujigami belief systems have interacted with one another. Examples of the hitogami belief system can be seen in the deification of heroes like Hachiman and Tenjin, as well as in the ecstatic singing and dancing of Japanese festival processions, and in the charismatic leadership of some of Japan's "new religions".
In ancient societies, it was common for aristocrats who were defeated in political disputes to manifest their grudge as a curse after death and to offer sacrifices to gods in order to quell the curse.
This belief is prevalent in Japan and is known by various names such as ikigami or arahitogami. People who become human deities include sorcerers, priests, kings, and others with special and superior skills, as well as physically disabled people, Confucian scholars, and foreign aliens who are different from ordinary people. The practice of deifying humans after death is a way to put to rest the legacy of those who have died with a grudge.