During the latter half of the Edo period, the idea of "original way of thinking by Japanese people prior to the introduction of foreign religions" arose in the studies of Japanese literature and culture, which emphasized Japanese classical literature.
江戸時代後期ごろ、日本の古典を研究する学問国学のなかから、“外来宗教伝来以前の日本人固有の考え方”という発想が起こった。