Note 154 — Chapter XVII · 153 DISESTABLISHMENT OF SHINTŌ

“Shintō signifies character in the highest sense,—courage, courtesy, honor, and, above all things, loyalty. The spirit of Shintō is the spirit of filial piety [Lat. pietas], the zest of duty, the readiness to surrender life for a principle.... It is the docility of the child; it is the sweetness of the Japanese woman.... It is religion—but religion transmuted into hereditary moral impulse—religion transmuted into ethical instinct. It is the whole emotional life of the race,—the Soul of Japan.”—Hearn.