ABSTRACT
In the course of the eighteenth century, Shinto entered a new path and prepared for another revival to follow. All the earlier Shinto theorists had depended much upon either Buddhism or Confucianism in interpreting Shinto ideas; now the time became ripe for purging away the alien elements to a certain degree and restoring by means of scholarship the primitive religion of Japan. Moto-ori's work was continued by Hirata Atsutane, a man of great ability but a bigot of doubtful character. He had never met Moto-ori but deemed himself to be his disciple and apostle, and pursued the contentions of the master to their consequences. The chief contention of Hirata was essentially the same as Moto-ori's and he directed vehement attacks upon Buddhism and Confucianism. There was another aspect to the revival of Shinto, namely, the appearance of popular teachers in the first half of the nineteenth century.
