Walter Skya

What's still relevant about this book is that Skya examines the evolution of political Shinto from the peak of the Meiji era, to the functional triumph of what he calls "radical Shinto ultranationalism" during the turmoil of the 1930s into the Great Pacific War, and the incomprehension of the self-indoctrinated Japanese leadership that the world was not bending to their will. For Skya, the key point is that certain political thinkers recognized by the Taisho period that the suppression of popular political activity was no longer an option, and methods of co-option would have to be found. This lead to a form of political Shinto which asserted, in relation to basic principles, that there was no distinction between the emperor and his people, and since the emperor was a god, there could be no error in acting in his interest; which is how many Showa Era assassins justified their acts. Sincerity would then cover a multitude of sins as the Japanese state united the world under one roof. Skya's in-depth examination of the influences on these varied thinkers, and the issues that they were grappling with, are the real virtues here.

Less good is that Skya's prose is often less than felicitous, his efforts to compare the Shinto extremists to the Muslim extremists of our era don't quite seem to ring true and, at a certain level, Skya seems to be too influenced by Samuel Huntington's notions about the supposed clash of civilizations. The end result is that I'm curious as to what impact this book has really had with serious scholars; though Skya is still active in his field.… (meer)