Yamagata Bantō: An Atheist in the Tokugawa Period

This paper will discuss the atheistic thought of Yamagata Bantō (1748–1821). The general concept of atheism will also be discussed. The term “atheism” is often used only in the Western sense; as such, existing studies of atheism in Japan only focus on modern intellectuals who were influenced by Western atheism. But the merchant-scholar Yamagata Bantō, who lived in the Japanese Tokugawa period (1603–1868), can also be classified as an atheist. In his Yume no shiro, Bantō denies any belief in supernatural beings by adopting a rationalistic worldview and criticizing religions from philological, historical, and rationalistic perspectives. According to Bantō, gods were a “skillful means” created by humans for the purpose of guaranteeing peaceful governance. While belief in gods had become commonplace over time, Bantō believed it was impossible to govern contemporary society according to such simple beliefs. He claimed that there was no further need to worship gods. However, he did not deny every form of worship, as he approved of worship that acknowledged obligations to ancestors or ancient sages. Bantō, therefore, showed the way toward a moral life understood from a humanistic standpoint. Bantō’s “no gods” argument was influenced by Western science and Neo-Confucianism. However, because his view was considered reactionary by the Shintoist government, Bantō is little known among modern intellectuals. A study of Bantō will, therefore, make a useful contribution to scholarly knowledge of the universal category of “atheism” and its relevance to local differences in atheistic thought.