ABSTRACT
There are dimensions of the modern emperor system that one might usefully regard as a religious system, but the extent of its influence was broad, and it is inappropriate to approach it as an extension of a pre-existing religious system. Here I discuss only the aspects in which the modern shrine system constituted a premise for the formation of the emperor system. For here, too, tradition and its reinterpretation as they appeared in the shrine system make their presence felt.
