I suppose that keeping the government in check is the job of the judicial branch (law enforcement), not by a religious institution. A well-oiled government would run and keeping itself in check, adding religion would just turn it into another nuisance in the machinations of bureaucracy, and...
Japanese traditional steel for sword-forging is nowhere near the quality of equivalent western steel, hence the need to fold the steel to remove impurities (that's why filthy weeb trashes usually shout "my sword is folded one million times!"). Hijikata was a historical figure during the Meiji...