Unity of religion and rule

The term unity of religion and rule (祭政一致, saisei itchi) refers to the unification of ritual and politics. ritual in ritual-politics means "ritual" and religion. The word "politics" means "ritual" and politics.

Under the ritualistic system, the political leader is also the religious leader. This ideology and political form is common in ancient societies governed by animist religions.、In Japan, the Oracle of miko can be traced back to the ancient theocracy, including the Yamato Kingship, where the Oracle of Wu had political authority, as well as the Ryukyu Kingdom, a system of government that was based on the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Shinto is an animistic religion, and one of its characteristics is the unity of ritual and government. Although not necessarily restricted to Shinto in Japanese, rites and ceremonies are used in English as Saisei itchi as a term for Shinto. Keiichi Yanagawa defined ritual government as different from theocracy, in which a professional clergyman directly governs. Ritual and political unity has been referred to primarily in the context of the ancient emperor system.