Mother Mary, Mama Bear, and the Mother of Ultraman (Part One)
From the Meiji Restoration in 1869 through World War II, Shintō was the official religion of Japan. Catholic missionaries entered Japan way back in the 1500’s, but even today, only 1.5% of the Japanese population is Christian while 70.5% are Shintō and 67.2% are Buddhist. (For Westerners who aren’t familiar with these belief systems, it’s possible to be Shintō and Buddhist simultaneously.)
The roots of Shintō began in the 6th century BCE, so its tendrils run deep through Japanese culture. From what I understand, there was a season in which nationalism was tied deeply to Shinto beliefs—though I do not know how similar or different that period was to the dastardly evangelical nationalism we are experiencing in America of late. I have read that this system was shaken in the 1950’s and that the 1960’s were a time of great transition for Japanese culture.
Still, I was shocked to discover that Eiji Tsubaraya, originator of the Ultraman series, was Catholic. It’s just not what I expected ...
