ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 continues the revisionist approach (Nosco 2015) that posits that individual and collective identity in Japan develop in tandem instead of sequentially. I link identity, including social identity, to various forms of the early modern orientation—spatial, temporal, and social—showing how their taxonomic precision made each individual essentially unique. The chapter concludes with observations regarding the contributions to individuality provided by Tokugawa religions and religious modes of thought.
