These narratives were also intended to validate the Imperial house, showing its lineage back to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, as other ethnic groups were warring against the Shinto and not accepting the Imperial House's rule.

Eventually, Shinto was made the official religion of Japan in hopes of unifying the country, and combining it with Buddhist beliefs was outlawed. Shinto beliefs spread to territories like Hokkaido and Korea. After World War II, it was no longer the state religion because the Emperor no longer claimed to be the living god. Shinto has remained, but without the same focus on mythology or divine Imperial family, and more focus on helping ordinary people have good relations with their ancestors. There are far less people that identify as Shinto today officially, but many offshoot religions in Japan remain highly influenced by Shinto....
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