Key Japanese Words in Romulus Hillsborough’s Books: (5)

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Mitogaku (水戸学): An ultra-nationalistic school of thought that originated in the Mito domain during the 17th century. It has been translated by Marius Jansen (The Making of Modern Japan) as “Mito scholarship”; but from its union of mythology and religion with government and politics, and the fervor by which it was embraced by Imperial Loyalists throughout Japan, I think that “Mitoism” is a more suitable translation. Either way, it was the cornerstone of Imperial Loyalism and the foundation of the samurai revolution at the dawn of modern Japan, generally known the Meiji Restoration.