Arahitogami is a Japanese word, meaning a god who is a human being.
This word appears first in Kojiki, but is assumed to have been used before this book.
The most well-known usage of this word would be in Japan before 1945, until the end of the Second World War. In those days Kokka-shinto (Nationalistic Shintoism) applied this word to the Emperor Hirohito and required the Japanese people to obey absolutely and have loyality to the Emperor as a god. Later, Hirohito himself disclamed this conception and claimed his relation to the people didn't rely on such a mythological idea but a historically developed family-like reliance.
See also
Last updated: 10-19-2005 11:03:29
