Culte în istoria Japoniei
Cults in Japan’s History

Summary/Abstract: As the name implies, this article aims to capture the existing cults in the Japanese archipelago, crystallized over the ages. We will discuss the four cults that we consider essential, namely: the cult of the Emperor (Tenno), the cult of labour, the family cult (ie) and the cult of harmony (wa), which still manifests itself today almost at the same intensity and which determines the Japanese way of thinking and organization. We will address the cult of the Emperor both constitutionally (analyzing the fundamental Japanese laws since 604 AD until 1946) and ideologically, for a better capturing of this two thousand years old institution. In what the labour cult is concerned, we will try to show one of the reasons due to which the human factor managed on the long-term to compensate for natural vicissitudes and shortage of Japanese soil. We will try to explain the fact that the Japanese work harder than other advanced countries’ populations and therefore we will use the number of strike days, of overtime (declared and undeclared), of working days per year, etc., compared with the values found in the United States, Great Britain and France. We will then draw attention, as previously mentioned, to the family cult and the cult of harmony, trying to catch their manifestation from ancient times to the present day, especially their shaping of the Japanese spirit. We will also attempt a comparative analysis of the Japanese and the Western spirit. As conclusions, we will try to show how all these cults influenced the Japanese development model.

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