KUROZUMIKYŌ is a popular charismatic religion founded in Japan in the early nineteenth century (the late Edo period) by Kurozumi Munetada (1780–1850). Kurozumi began to spread his teachings in 1814, and in the 1840s a formal religious body called Kurozumikyō was established. After the Meiji restoration the group was persecuted for a time, but in 1872 it received formal recognition from the government.

Its teachings include a belief in Amaterasu Ōmikami, the sun goddess and supreme deity of the universe. Another major tenet is that since all people are emanations of the kami (deities), they may themselves become kami through certain spiritual practices. Further, it is taught that when a person becomes one with the kami (ikitōshi) that person will achieve life without end. All are exhorted to "live cheerfully" and to obey the kami. At the time of its founding, the religion included a strong...