Unity of rites and government. A principle adopted at the time of the Taika reforms in 645 within the ritsuryo system to emphasise the sacral character of imperial rule. It expressed the idea that government (sei) should not be separate from religion in the sense of sacred state ritual (sai). The slogan was resurrected in the Meiji period to underpin modernising reforms.
See Matsuri-goto, Kokka Shinto.
A Popular Dictionary of Shinto. Brian Bocking.