The national religion of Japan, Shintoism, is the oldest religion in Japan’s history. It is unlike other religions inasmuch as it is basically not a system of beliefs. It is defined by John B. Noss as “basically a reverent loyalty to familiar ways of life and familiar places... it is true to say that for the masses in Japan love of country, as in other lands, is a matter of the heart first, and of doctrinal substance second”. Shintoism is regarded as the traditional religious practices which originated in Japan and developed mainly among the Japanese people along with the underlying life attitudes and ideology which support such practices.
Shinto, meaning the way of gods, traditionally dating back to 660 B. C., is a loosely organized religion of the Japanese people embracing a wide variety of beliefs and practices. In its most basic sense Shinto is a religious form of Japanese patriotism. The mythology of Shintoism teaches that Japan and the Japanese people were brought into being by special divine creation and that their emperors were literally descendants of the Sun Goddess. In Japan a person may in good conscience be a Buddhist, a Confucian, and a member of a Shinto sect at the same time.
Before the arrival of Buddhism in Japan there was no formal Shinto religion, but many local cults were grouped under the name Shinto. Like many prehistoric people, the first inhabitants of Japan were probably animists; devoted to the spirits of nature. In their case these were the Kami (the best English translation of kami is 'spirits', kami also translate as the forces of nature) that were found in plants and animals, mountains and seas, storms and earthquakes, sand and all significant natural phenomena. The early Japanese developed rituals and stories which enabled them to make sense of their universe. By creating a spiritual and cultural world that gave them historical roots, and a way of seeming to take control of their lives. It also regarded that the cults which grouped under Shinto were from Korea.
These religions were highly localized, and not organized into a single faith. Nor were they seen as a single religion; the realms of Earth and the supernatural were so closely integrated in the world-view of the early Japanese that the things that modern people regard as a faith were seen in those times as just another part of the natural world, even though a part of enormous power.
In the 6th century A.D when Buddhism arrived in Japan, Shintoism took some religious elements and rituals from Buddhism. Some Shinto shrines became Buddhist temples, existed within Buddhist temples, or had Buddhist priests in charge. As time went on, the Japanese became more and more accustomed to both the Shinto concept of Kami and Buddhist ideas in their spiritual lives. Philosophers put forward the idea that the kami were transformations of the Buddha manifested in Japan to save all sentient beings.
With the advent of Buddhism, Shintoism became less important to Japanese people. Later, two century before Meiji dynasty there was a movement toward a pure form of Shintoism, with a particular focus on the Japanese people as being the descendants of the Gods and superior to other races. Buddhist and other influences were filtered out of institutions and rituals. This was not so much a purification of something that had once existed, as the creation of a unified faith from a group of many ideas, beliefs and rituals. During this period Shinto acquired a stronger intellectual tradition than it previously had. This change was evolutionary, as had been previous changes in the nature of Japanese religion.
In 19th century, Shinto was reorganized, completely separated from Buddhism, and brought within the structure of the state administration. Amaterasu, who until then had not been a major divinity, was brought to centre stage and used to validate the role of the Emperor, not only as ruler, but as the high priest of Shinto. Shinto became the official state religion of Japan, and many shrines were supported by state funding. However, this financial aid was short-lived, and by the 1890s most Shinto shrines were once again supported by those who worshipped at them. One result of this reformation was that it was no longer acceptable for kami to be identified with Buddhist deities, and a considerable reorganization of the Japanese pantheon of spirit beings had to take place. Shrines were cleaned of every trace of Buddhist imagery, apparatus, and ritual, and Buddhist deities lost their godly status. Buddhist priests were stripped of their status, and new Shinto priests were often appointed to shrines with a tacit mission to purify them.
After the World War II, Shintoism was reformed and the divine superiority of emperor was at end. The emperor wrote: the ties between us and our people have always stood on mutual trust and affection. They do not depend upon mere legends and myths. They are not predicated on the false conception that the Emperor is divine, and that the Japanese people are superior to other races and fated to rule the world (Imperial script, January 1, 1946).
Despite the loss of official status Shinto still remains a very significant player in Japanese spirituality and everyday life. And despite the non-divine status of the Emperor, considerable religious ritual and mysticism still surrounds many Imperial ceremonies.
The term Shinto is commonly associated with the expression of eighty myriads of kami, indicating the truly immense number of such kami found in the religion, and suggesting the obvious reason why Shinto is usually referred to as a polytheistic belief system. In Shinto, there is no faith in the concept of the absolute one god who is the creator of both nature and human beings. The ancient Japanese had never divided material and spiritual existence, but considered that the both were inseparable, seeing everything to be spiritual. In other word, they did not draw a border between a certain object and the work of that object. According to the Shinto myth, there was one thing in the beginning of this universe. Later that thing was divided into two things: Heaven and Earth. From Heaven, Kami appeared and a couple of Kami who were male and female appeared last gave birth to the various Kami, the land of Japan and her nature as well as people. The Shinto faith starts with a belief in this mythology. Therefore, Shinto does not acknowledge the existence of the substantial difference or discontinuation between Kami and man, nature and human beings. It can be said that Shinto is basically the faith in the life-giving power.
Nevertheless, all of them are not Kami by themselves. The principle of the polytheism is reflecting here that the only thing that has a great influence on human life could be Kami. For instance, relating to natural phenomenon, Kami of Rain, Kami of Wind, Kami of Mountains, Kami of Seas, Kami of Rivers, Kami of Thunders is worshipped. Thus, objects of worship are limited to those which are closely associated and have great influences on human life. In the case of human beings, all people are revered after their death at their home as ancestral Kami. However, people whose spirits are enshrined after death are limited to those who have had a great contribution to a community or the state. People who are enshrined during their lifetime are especially limited to those who have enormous spiritual power over human life.
The idea that kami are the same as God stems in part from the use of the word kami to translate the word 'God' in some 19th century translations of the Bible into Japanese. To make understanding easier kami are often described as divine beings, as spirits or gods. But kami are not much like the gods of other faiths: Kami are not divine like the transcendent and omnipotent deities found in many religions. Kami are not omnipotent. Kami are not perfect - they sometimes make mistakes and behave badly. Kami are not inherently different in kind from human beings or nature - they are just a higher manifestation of the life energy... an extraordinary or awesome version. Kami do not exist in a supernatural universe - they live in the same world as human beings and the world of nature
Kami include the gods that created the universe, but can also include: The spirits that inhabit many living beings; Some beings themselves; Elements of the landscape, like mountains and lakes; Powerful forces of nature, like storms and earthquakes; human beings who became kami after their deaths.
Today’s, Shintoism is distinguished into many cults and lay emphasize on different rituals. To distinguish between these different focuses of emphasis within Shinto, many feel it is important to separate Shinto into different types of Shinto expression.
Generally, Shinto is not based on a set of commandments or laws that tell the faithful how to behave, but on following the will of the kami. So a follower of Shinto will try to live in accordance with the way of the kami, and in such a way as to keep the relationship with the kami on a proper footing. The overall aims of Shinto ethics are to promote harmony and purity in all spheres of life. Purity is not just spiritual purity but moral purity: having a pure and sincere heart.
Shinto ethics start from the basic idea that human beings are good, and that the world is good. Evil enters the world from outside, brought by evil spirits. These affect human beings in a similar way to disease, and reduce their ability to resist temptation. When human beings act wrongly, they bring pollution and sin upon themselves, which obstructs the flow of life and blessing from the kami.
Things which are usually regarded as bad in Shinto are: things which disturb kami; things which disturb the worship of kami; things which disrupt the harmony of the world; things which disrupt the natural world; things which disrupt the social order; things which disrupt the group of which one is a member.
The followers of Shinto observe some festivals which are mainly for celebrating the New Year, child birth, coming of age, planting and harvest, weddings, and groundbreaking ceremonies for new buildings. Death, funerals, and graveyards involve Buddhist rituals, not Shinto. Shinto shrines hold regular festivals, matsuri, to commemorate important dates related to the shrine and its deity(s) and to pray for a wide range of blessings such as abundant rice harvests, fertility, health, and business success. The essential meaning of the term matsuri is "welcoming the descending gods" or "inviting down the gods," for it is believed that Shinto's heavenly deities periodically descend to earth to visit shrines, villages, and families, and to make their wills known among the people.
There are currently 119 million observers of Shinto in Japan, although a person who practices any manner of Shinto rituals may be so counted. The vast majority of Japanese people who take part in Shinto rituals also practice Buddhist ancestor worship. However, unlike many monotheistic religious practices, Shinto and Buddhism typically do not require professing faith to be a believer or a practitioner, and as such it is difficult to query for exact figures based on self-identification of belief within Japan. Due to the syncretistic nature of Shinto and Buddhism, most "life" events are handled by Shinto and "death" or "afterlife" events are handled by Buddhism—for example, it is typical in Japan to register or celebrate a birth at a Shinto shrine, while funeral arrangements are generally dictated by Buddhist tradition—although the division is not exclusive.
Shinto, meaning the way of gods, traditionally dating back to 660 B. C., is a loosely organized religion of the Japanese people embracing a wide variety of beliefs and practices. In its most basic sense Shinto is a religious form of Japanese patriotism. The mythology of Shintoism teaches that Japan and the Japanese people were brought into being by special divine creation and that their emperors were literally descendants of the Sun Goddess. In Japan a person may in good conscience be a Buddhist, a Confucian, and a member of a Shinto sect at the same time.
Before the arrival of Buddhism in Japan there was no formal Shinto religion, but many local cults were grouped under the name Shinto. Like many prehistoric people, the first inhabitants of Japan were probably animists; devoted to the spirits of nature. In their case these were the Kami (the best English translation of kami is 'spirits', kami also translate as the forces of nature) that were found in plants and animals, mountains and seas, storms and earthquakes, sand and all significant natural phenomena. The early Japanese developed rituals and stories which enabled them to make sense of their universe. By creating a spiritual and cultural world that gave them historical roots, and a way of seeming to take control of their lives. It also regarded that the cults which grouped under Shinto were from Korea.
These religions were highly localized, and not organized into a single faith. Nor were they seen as a single religion; the realms of Earth and the supernatural were so closely integrated in the world-view of the early Japanese that the things that modern people regard as a faith were seen in those times as just another part of the natural world, even though a part of enormous power.
In the 6th century A.D when Buddhism arrived in Japan, Shintoism took some religious elements and rituals from Buddhism. Some Shinto shrines became Buddhist temples, existed within Buddhist temples, or had Buddhist priests in charge. As time went on, the Japanese became more and more accustomed to both the Shinto concept of Kami and Buddhist ideas in their spiritual lives. Philosophers put forward the idea that the kami were transformations of the Buddha manifested in Japan to save all sentient beings.
With the advent of Buddhism, Shintoism became less important to Japanese people. Later, two century before Meiji dynasty there was a movement toward a pure form of Shintoism, with a particular focus on the Japanese people as being the descendants of the Gods and superior to other races. Buddhist and other influences were filtered out of institutions and rituals. This was not so much a purification of something that had once existed, as the creation of a unified faith from a group of many ideas, beliefs and rituals. During this period Shinto acquired a stronger intellectual tradition than it previously had. This change was evolutionary, as had been previous changes in the nature of Japanese religion.
In 19th century, Shinto was reorganized, completely separated from Buddhism, and brought within the structure of the state administration. Amaterasu, who until then had not been a major divinity, was brought to centre stage and used to validate the role of the Emperor, not only as ruler, but as the high priest of Shinto. Shinto became the official state religion of Japan, and many shrines were supported by state funding. However, this financial aid was short-lived, and by the 1890s most Shinto shrines were once again supported by those who worshipped at them. One result of this reformation was that it was no longer acceptable for kami to be identified with Buddhist deities, and a considerable reorganization of the Japanese pantheon of spirit beings had to take place. Shrines were cleaned of every trace of Buddhist imagery, apparatus, and ritual, and Buddhist deities lost their godly status. Buddhist priests were stripped of their status, and new Shinto priests were often appointed to shrines with a tacit mission to purify them.
After the World War II, Shintoism was reformed and the divine superiority of emperor was at end. The emperor wrote: the ties between us and our people have always stood on mutual trust and affection. They do not depend upon mere legends and myths. They are not predicated on the false conception that the Emperor is divine, and that the Japanese people are superior to other races and fated to rule the world (Imperial script, January 1, 1946).
Despite the loss of official status Shinto still remains a very significant player in Japanese spirituality and everyday life. And despite the non-divine status of the Emperor, considerable religious ritual and mysticism still surrounds many Imperial ceremonies.
The term Shinto is commonly associated with the expression of eighty myriads of kami, indicating the truly immense number of such kami found in the religion, and suggesting the obvious reason why Shinto is usually referred to as a polytheistic belief system. In Shinto, there is no faith in the concept of the absolute one god who is the creator of both nature and human beings. The ancient Japanese had never divided material and spiritual existence, but considered that the both were inseparable, seeing everything to be spiritual. In other word, they did not draw a border between a certain object and the work of that object. According to the Shinto myth, there was one thing in the beginning of this universe. Later that thing was divided into two things: Heaven and Earth. From Heaven, Kami appeared and a couple of Kami who were male and female appeared last gave birth to the various Kami, the land of Japan and her nature as well as people. The Shinto faith starts with a belief in this mythology. Therefore, Shinto does not acknowledge the existence of the substantial difference or discontinuation between Kami and man, nature and human beings. It can be said that Shinto is basically the faith in the life-giving power.
Nevertheless, all of them are not Kami by themselves. The principle of the polytheism is reflecting here that the only thing that has a great influence on human life could be Kami. For instance, relating to natural phenomenon, Kami of Rain, Kami of Wind, Kami of Mountains, Kami of Seas, Kami of Rivers, Kami of Thunders is worshipped. Thus, objects of worship are limited to those which are closely associated and have great influences on human life. In the case of human beings, all people are revered after their death at their home as ancestral Kami. However, people whose spirits are enshrined after death are limited to those who have had a great contribution to a community or the state. People who are enshrined during their lifetime are especially limited to those who have enormous spiritual power over human life.
The idea that kami are the same as God stems in part from the use of the word kami to translate the word 'God' in some 19th century translations of the Bible into Japanese. To make understanding easier kami are often described as divine beings, as spirits or gods. But kami are not much like the gods of other faiths: Kami are not divine like the transcendent and omnipotent deities found in many religions. Kami are not omnipotent. Kami are not perfect - they sometimes make mistakes and behave badly. Kami are not inherently different in kind from human beings or nature - they are just a higher manifestation of the life energy... an extraordinary or awesome version. Kami do not exist in a supernatural universe - they live in the same world as human beings and the world of nature
Kami include the gods that created the universe, but can also include: The spirits that inhabit many living beings; Some beings themselves; Elements of the landscape, like mountains and lakes; Powerful forces of nature, like storms and earthquakes; human beings who became kami after their deaths.
Today’s, Shintoism is distinguished into many cults and lay emphasize on different rituals. To distinguish between these different focuses of emphasis within Shinto, many feel it is important to separate Shinto into different types of Shinto expression.
Generally, Shinto is not based on a set of commandments or laws that tell the faithful how to behave, but on following the will of the kami. So a follower of Shinto will try to live in accordance with the way of the kami, and in such a way as to keep the relationship with the kami on a proper footing. The overall aims of Shinto ethics are to promote harmony and purity in all spheres of life. Purity is not just spiritual purity but moral purity: having a pure and sincere heart.
Shinto ethics start from the basic idea that human beings are good, and that the world is good. Evil enters the world from outside, brought by evil spirits. These affect human beings in a similar way to disease, and reduce their ability to resist temptation. When human beings act wrongly, they bring pollution and sin upon themselves, which obstructs the flow of life and blessing from the kami.
Things which are usually regarded as bad in Shinto are: things which disturb kami; things which disturb the worship of kami; things which disrupt the harmony of the world; things which disrupt the natural world; things which disrupt the social order; things which disrupt the group of which one is a member.
The followers of Shinto observe some festivals which are mainly for celebrating the New Year, child birth, coming of age, planting and harvest, weddings, and groundbreaking ceremonies for new buildings. Death, funerals, and graveyards involve Buddhist rituals, not Shinto. Shinto shrines hold regular festivals, matsuri, to commemorate important dates related to the shrine and its deity(s) and to pray for a wide range of blessings such as abundant rice harvests, fertility, health, and business success. The essential meaning of the term matsuri is "welcoming the descending gods" or "inviting down the gods," for it is believed that Shinto's heavenly deities periodically descend to earth to visit shrines, villages, and families, and to make their wills known among the people.
There are currently 119 million observers of Shinto in Japan, although a person who practices any manner of Shinto rituals may be so counted. The vast majority of Japanese people who take part in Shinto rituals also practice Buddhist ancestor worship. However, unlike many monotheistic religious practices, Shinto and Buddhism typically do not require professing faith to be a believer or a practitioner, and as such it is difficult to query for exact figures based on self-identification of belief within Japan. Due to the syncretistic nature of Shinto and Buddhism, most "life" events are handled by Shinto and "death" or "afterlife" events are handled by Buddhism—for example, it is typical in Japan to register or celebrate a birth at a Shinto shrine, while funeral arrangements are generally dictated by Buddhist tradition—although the division is not exclusive.
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