Worship of the living

Worship of the living (Chinese: 生祠; pinyin: shēngsì; Japanese: 生祀; rōmaji: seishi) is the worship of living people practiced in the East Asian cultural sphere. In China, it is practiced at sheng shrines (Chinese: 生祠, shēng cí). There are two types of enshrinement: the enshrinement of the spirit of a living person who has made a significant contribution, and the enshrinement of one's own spirit.

Owing to its usage by Wei Zhongxian, the practice became seen as a sign of corruption and declined in China. In Japan, the practice was most prominent with the worship of the emperor during the period of the imperial State Shinto from the late 19th century until 1945.