Under the constitution of Imperial Japan, which was in force from 1890 to 1947, State Shinto was effectively the state religion, and government agencies such as the Army Ministry determined the ...

SHIMOSUWA, Nagano -- A rare Shinto "porridge ritual" to predict the state of society and harvests for the year was held from the night of Jan. 14 to early next morning, coinciding with the ...

Ageuma Shinji, a Shinto ritual, is held at the shrine on ... It is believed that the state of the coming harvest can be predicted by whether the horses can jump over the 1.5-to-2-meter-tall ...