Shinto, The native religion of Japan

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History: Shinto is an ancient Japanese religion.Starting about 500 BCE(or earlier)it was originally"an amorphous mix of nature worship,fertility cults,divination techniques,hero worship,and shamanism."Its name was derived from the Chinese words"shin tao"("The Way of the Gods")in the 8th Century CE.At that time,The Yamato dynasty consolidated its rule over most of Japan,divine origins were ascribed to the imperial family,and Shinto established itself as an official religion of Japan,along with Buddhism.The complete separation of Japanese religion from politics didnt occur until just after World War II.The Emperor was forced by the American army to renounce his divinity at that time.Unlike most other religions, Shinto has no real founder,no written scriptures,no body of religious law,and only a very loosely-organized priesthood.
Beliefs: Shinto creation stories tell of the history and lives of the"Kami"(deities). Among them was a divine couple,Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto,who gave birth to the Japanese islands.Their children became the deities of the various Japanese clans.Amaterasu Omikami(Sun Goddess and my goddess)was 1 of their daughters.Shes the ancestress of the Imperial Family and is regarded as the chief deity.Her shrines at Ise.Her descendants unified the country.Her brother,Susano came down from heaven and roamed throughout the earth.Hes famous for killing a great evil serpent.The Kami are the Shinto deities.The word"Kami"is generally translated"god"or"gods."However,the Kami bear little resemblance to the gods of monotheistic religions.There are no concepts which compare to the Christian beliefs in the wrath of God,his omnipotence and omni-presence,or the separation of God from humanity due to sin.There are numerous other deities who are conceptualized in many forms,those related to natural objects and creatures, from"food to rivers to rocks."Guardian Kami of particular areas and clans, exceptional people,including all but the last of the emperors.Abstract creative forces are seen as generally benign;they sustain and protect the people.About 84% of the population of Japan follow 2 religions:both Shinto and Buddhism.As in much of Asia, Christianity is very much a minority religion.Fewer than 1% of Japanese adults are Christians.Buddhism 1st arrived in Japan from Korea and China during the 6th-8th centuries CE.The 2 religions share a basic optimism about human nature,and for the world.Within Shinto,the Buddha was viewed as another"Kami".Meanwhile,Buddhism in Japan regarded the Kami as being manifestations of various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.Most weddings are performed by Shinto priests;funerals are performed by Buddhist priests.Shinto doesn't have as fully developed a theology as do most other religions.It doesn't have its own moral code.Shintoists generally follow the code of Confucianism.Their religious texts discuss the"High Plain of Heaven"and the"Dark Land"which is an unclean land of the dead,but give few details of the afterlife.Ancestors are deeply revered and worshipped.All of humanities regarded as"Kami's child."Thus all human life and human natures sacred.Believers revere"musuhi",the Kamis' creative and harmonizing powers.They aspire to have"makoto",sincerity or true heart.This is regarded as the way or will of Kami.Moralities based upon that which is of benefit to the group.
"Four Affirmations"in Shinto:
1-Tradition and the family:The families seen as the main mechanism by which traditions are preserved.Their main celebrations relate to birth and marriage.
2-Love of nature:Natures sacred;to be in contact with natures to be close to the Gods.Natural objects are worshipped as sacred spirits.
3-Physical cleanliness:Followers of Shinto take baths,wash their hands,and rinse out their mouth often.
4-"Matsuri":The worship and honor given to the Kami and ancestral spirits.The desire for peace,which was suppressed during World War II,has been restored.
Practices: Shinto recognizes many sacred places,mountains,springs,etc.Each shrines dedicated to a specific Kami who has a divine personality and responds to sincere prayers of the faithful.When entering a shrine,you passes through a Tori(special gateway for the Gods).It marks the demarcation between the finite world and the infinite world of the Gods.In the past,believers practiced"misogi",the washing of their bodies in a river near the shrine.In recent years they only wash their hands and wash out their mouths in a wash basin provided within the shrine grounds.Believers respect animals as messengers of the Gods.A pair of statues of"Koma-inu"(guard dogs)face each other within the temple grounds.Shrine ceremonies,which include cleansing,offerings,prayers,and dances are directed to the Kami.Kagura are ritual dances accompanied by ancient musical instruments. The dances are performed by skilled and trained dancers.They consist of young virgin girls,a group of men,or a single man.Mamori are charms worn as an aid in healing and protection.They come in many different forms for various purposes.An altar,the"Kami-dana"(Shelf of Gods),given a central place in many homes. Seasonal celebrations are held at spring planting,fall harvest,and special anniversaries of the history of a shrine or of a local patron spirit.A secular,country-wide National Founding Day is held on FEB-11 to commemorate the founding of Japan;this is the traditional date on which the 1st(mythical)emperor Jinmu ascended the throne in 660 BCE.Some shrines are believed to hold festivities on that day.Other festivals include:JAN 1-3 Shogatsu(New Year);MAR-3 Hinamatsuri(Girls' festival);MAY-5 Tango no Sekku(Boys' festival);JUL-7 Hoshi Matsuri(Star festival).Followers are expected to visit Shinto shrines at the times of various life passages.Example,the Shichigosan Matsuri involves a blessing by the shrine Priest of girls aged 3 and 7 and boys aged 5,its held on NOV-15.Many followers are involved in the"offer a meal movement,"in which each individual bypasses a breakfast(another meal)once per month and donates the money saved to their religious organization for international relief and similar activity.Origami("Paper of the spirits")is a Japanese folk art in which paper is folded into beautiful shapes.They are often seen around Shinto shrines.Out of respect for the tree spirit that gave its life to make the paper,origami paper must never cut.
4 main forms(traditions)of Shinto:
1-Koshitsu Shinto(The Shinto of the Imperial House):This involves rituals performed by the emperor,who the Japanese Constitution defines to be the"symbol of the state and of the unity of the people."The most important ritual is Niinamesai,which makes an offering to the deities of the 1st fruits of each year's grain harvest.Male and female clergy(Shoten and Nai-Shoten)assist the emperor in the performance of these rites.
2-Jinja(Shrine)Shinto:This is the largest Shinto group.It was the original form of the religion;its roots date back into pre-history.Until the end of World War II,it was closely aligned with State Shinto.The Emperor of Japan was worshipped as a living God.Almost all shrines in Japan are members of Jinja Honcho,the Association of Shinto Shrines.It currently includes about 80,000 shrines as members.The association urges followers of Shinto to do 3 things.
a-"To be grateful for the blessings of Kami and the benefits of the ancestors,and to be diligent in the observance of the Shinto rites,applying oneself to them with sincerity.brightness,and purity of heart"
b-"To be helpful to others and in the world at large through deeds of service without thought of rewards,and to seek the advancement of the world as 1 whose life mediates the will of Kami."
c-"To bind oneself with others in harmonious acknowledgment of the will of the emperor,praying that the country may flourish and that other peoples too may live in peace and prosperity."
3-Kyoha(Sectarian)Shinto(aka Shuha Shinto):This consists of 13 sects which were founded by individuals since the start of the 19th century.Each sect has its own beliefs and doctrines.Most emphasize worship of their own central deity;some follow a near-monotheistic religion.
4-Minzoku(Folk)Shinto:This isn't a separate Shinto group;it has no formal central organization or creed.It is seen in local rural practices and rituals,e.g.small images by the side of the road,agriculture rituals practiced by individual families,etc.A rural community will often select a layman annually,who will be responsible for worshiping the local deity.
These 4 forms are closely linked.Shintos a tolerant religion which accepts the validity of other religions.Its common for a believer to pay respects to other religions,their practices and objects of worship.
Texts: Many texts are valued in the Shinto religion.Most date from the 8th century CE:The Kojiki(Record of Ancient Matters),The Rokkokushi(6 National Histories), The Shoku Nihongi and its Nihon Shoki(Continuing Chronicles of Japan),and The Jinno Shotoki(a study of Shinto and Japanese politics and history)written in the 14th century
Number of adherents: Estimates of the number of adherents are hopelessly unreliable. Some sources give numbers in the range of 2.8-3.2 million.1 states that 40% of Japanese adults follow Shinto;that would account for about 50 million adherents.Others state that about 86% of Japanese adults follow a combination of Shinto and Buddhism;that would put the number of followers of Shinto at 107 million.1 source estimates 1000 followers of Shinto in North America.The Canadian Census(1991)recorded only 445 in Canada.Essentially all followers of Shinto are Japanese.Its difficult for a foreigner to embrace Shintoism.Unlike most other religions,theres no book to help a person learn about the religion.Its transmitted from generation to generation by experiencing the rituals together as a group.

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List Of ShintoKami
1)Ama-no-Uzume:goddess of joy and happiness,called the Daughter of Heaven and Heaven's Forthright Female.Her name means"whirling".Shes also the goddess of good health,which people obtain from drinking the blessed water of her stream. When the sun goddess Amaterasu had hidden herself in a cave,thus covering the earth in darkness and infertility,it was Uzume who brought her back.With her provoking and curlew dances she managed to make the gods laugh so hard,that Amaterasu left the cave intrigued.Her emerging brought light and life back to earth.Her brother Ninigi married Uzume to the deity who guards the Floating Bridge to Heaven.The dances of Uzume(Ama-no-uzume)are found in folk rites,such as the 1 to wake the dead,the Kagura(dance-mime),and another 1 which symbolizes the planting of seeds.
2)Amaterasu-ômikami:sun goddess,ruler of the Plain of Heaven,whose name means'shining heaven'or'she who shines in the heavens'.Shes the eldest daughter of Izanagi. She was so bright and radiant that her parents sent her up the Celestial Ladder to heaven,where she has ruled ever since.When her brother,the storm-god Susanowa, ravaged the earth she retreated to a cave because he was so noisy.She closed the cave with a large boulder.Her disappearance deprived the world of light and life.Demons ruled the earth.The other gods used everything in their power to lure her out,but to no avail.Finally it was Uzume who succeeded.The laughter of the gods when they watched her comical and obscene dances aroused Amaterasus curiosity.When she emerged from her cave a streak of light escaped(a streak nowadays people call dawn).The goddess then saw her own brilliant reflection in a mirror which Uzume had hung in a nearby tree.When she drew closer for a better look,the gods grabbed her and pulled her out of the cave.She returned to the sky,and brought light back into the world.Later,she created rice fields,called inada,where she cultivated rice.She also invented the art of weaving with the loom and taught the people how to cultivate wheat and silkworms.Amaterasu's main sanctuaries Ise-Jingue situated on Ise,on the island of Honshu.This temples pulled down every 20 years and rebuild in its original form.In the inner sanctum shes represented by a mirror(her body).Shes also called Omikami("illustrious goddess")and Tensho Daijan(in Sino-Japanese).
3)Ame-no-Koyane:1 of the deities of Kasuga Shrine,Nara,Japan
4)Fûjin:god of the wind and 1 of the eldest.He was present at the creation of the world and when he let the winds out of his bag,they cleared the morning mists and filled the space between heaven and earth so the sun shone.Hes portrayed as a terrifying dark demon wearing a leopard skin,carrying a large bag of winds on his shoulders.
5)Hachiman:god of war,and the divine protector of the Japanese people.Hes worshipped by the peasants as the god of agriculture,and by the fishermen who hope he will fill their nets.An alternative name for him is Yawata,the god of the 8 banderoles.The doves are his symbolic animals and his messengers.
6)Inari:god of food or goddess of rice.Inaris 1 of the most mysterious deities of Japan.Hes both male and female.Each year descends from a mountain to the rice fields.The fox is Inari's messenger and its believed that he can assume a fox's shape.The deity may also assume the shape of a spider in order to teach wicked men a lesson.Inari is portrayed with a beard and carrying 2 bundles of rice.An Inari-shrine can be found in many Japanese towns and in many households hes venerated as a symbol of prosperity and friendship.These shrines are guarded by statues of foxes,divine messengers.Inari's central temples Fushimi-Inara in south-east Kyoto city,built around 700CE.Inara the rice-goddess is celebrated in a festival held during the 1st days of spring when cultivation begins.She may be identified with the Indian Lakshmi and the Javanese Dewi Sri. Inaris also sometimes identified with Uga-no-Mitama,the goddess of agriculture
7)Izanagi:the primordial sky,the god of all that is light and heavenly.Izanagi("the male who invites")and his wife and sister Izanami("the female who invites")were given the task of creating the world.Standing on Ama-no-ukihashi(the floating bridge of the heavens),they plunged a jewel crested spear into the ocean.When they pulled it free,the water that dripped from the spear coagulated and formed the 1st island of the Japanese archipelago.Here the 1st gods and humans were born.When his wife died giving birth,Izanagi went to the underworld to retrieve her,but she refused to come back with him and they parted forever.When Iganami returned from the underworld,he started the 1st cleaning rites.He washed his left eye and thus created the sun goddess Amaterasu.When he washed his right eye,the moon goddess Tsuki-yomi came forth.From his nose he created Susanowa,the god of the seas and the storms.
8)Izanami:a primordial goddess and personification of the Earth and darkness.Izanami("the female who invites")is the wife and sister of Izanagi.Together they created Onogoro,the 1st island of the Japanese archipelago.She died gaving birth to the fire god Kagutsuchi and since then she rules over the underworld.Her husband went there to take her back with him,but she refused.By sealing the entrance to the underworld she tried to imprison him,but Izanagi managed to escape.Furious,Izanami vowed to kill 1000 of Izanagi's subjects a day,and Izanagi vowed to create 1500 new 1s a day.
9)Ninigi-no-Mikoto:rice-god,ancestral god the Japanese imperial family.Hes a grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu and her husband Takami-Musubi.His mother sent him to the earth take charge of the general and political affairs. Accompanied by his sister,the vivacious Uzume,he descended to earth and arrived at the point where 8 paths lead in all directions of the compass.They he met the terrible deity who guards the Floating Bridge to Heaven,who frightened him but not Uzume.Therefore,the god of the paths guided Ninigi to all the regions of his terrestrial kingdom.Out of gratitude,Ninigi give his sister in marriage to him.He himself married Ko-no-Hana.Later,Ninigi and his descendants fought their way from southern Japan to the Jamato plain(east of Osaka)and there they founded the imperial dynasty of Jamato.Amaterasu gave him a mirror,a jewel,and a sword(which are still the imperial symbols of sovereignty in Japan).
10)Raijin:1 of the Japanese gods of thunder.Raijins depicted as a muscled man carrying a series of drums,which he uses to make the rumbling sound of thunder. According to some legend,he and Fujin were originally demons who opposed the gods.The great Buddha ordered his army to capture them. After a severe battle between the 2 demons and 33 gods,the demons were captured and converted.
11)Ryûjin:"Luminous Being"dragon god of the sea.Ryujin lives in Ryugu his palace at the bottom of the sea.His daughter Otohime(Toyo-Tame)married prince Hoori.The sea-kings depicted with a large mouth.Turtles are regarded as his messengers.Ryujin controls the tidal flows with the magical Tide Jewels.Many centuries ago the Empress Jingo planned an invasion of Korea.She prayed to Ryujin and sent the beach-god Isora to his temple.There he was given the Tide Jewels for the empress.The Japanese fleet then set sail towards Korea and the Korean fleet sailed out to confront them.When she saw the approaching fleet,Jingo quickly threw the Low Tide Jewel into the sea so that the tide receded at once and the Korean fleet was beached.The Koreans all jumped out onto the mudflats but at that moment the empress threw the High Tide Jewel and a tidal wave drowned the men.The tidal wave carried the Japanese fleet on to the coast,into the harbor and to victory.Later Ryujin personally presented the Tide Jewels,on a beautiful pink shell,to Prince Ojin,Empress Jingo's son.
12)Susanoo-no-mikoto:god of the winds,storms,and ocean,also the god of snakes. He was born from the nose of Izanagi,and was given dominion over the seas.His sister, the sun goddess Amaterasu,is also his consort.Susanowas(Susanoto)the personification of evil,but also a brave,if lawless and impetuous,god.His outrages are not limited to the ocean;he also ravages the land with his storms and he darkens the sky,thus angering the 8,000,000 deities(kami).His little pesterings,especially against his sister, proved his undoing:he looses his beard,fingernails,and all possessions,and is banished.He wanders the earth and has many adventures,such as the slaying of the 8-headed snake Koshi and by defeating this monster he obtained a powerful sword,called Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi("grass cutting sword").Some other feats were conquering Korea and wiping out the plague.Okuni-Nushi,his son,eventually tricked him out of the sword.
13)Tenjin:god of learning and calligraphy.He taught humans to write their language.
14)Toyotama-hime:"Luminous Jewel",the beautiful daughter of the sea-king Ryujin.She married Hoori and gave birth to a son after which she turned into a dragon(her father's original shape).Shes also called Toyotama
15)Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto:god of the moon,the brother of the sun-goddess Amaterasu.He was born from Izanagi's right eye,when he returned from the underworld.As soon as Tsuki-yomi was born he climbed up the Ladder to Heaven and rose majestically.
16)Amatsu-Mikaboshi:god of evil.His name means"August Star of Heaven".
17)Konohanasakuya-hime:Blossom Princess("child-flower"),the symbol of delicate earthly life.She makes the flowers blossom.She is the daughter of the mountain god Oho-Yama,and is the wife of Ninigi.She met him on the seashore and they fell in love.Ninigi asked Oho-Yama for his daughter's hand,but the mountain god proposed that he should marry his elder daughter Iha-Naga("princess live-long")instead.Ninigi choose Ko-no-Hana and the lived happily together and had 3 sons,including Hoderi and Hoori. Their marriage,however,was not a happy 1.Because of her husbands unreasonable jealousy Ko-no-Hana retired to a hut in the woods.The hut she later set on fire and she perished in the flames.
18)Ohoyamatsumi:mountain god
19)Sarutahiko Ôkami:earth-god who offered to guide the divine Ninigi-no-mikoto when he descended to take charge of the earth.He waited at a crossroad but his brilliance was noted by the other gods who sent down Uzume to inquire who he was and why he waited there.Popularly worshipped among Shinto followers as an example of loyal service to the emperor and as a symbol of masculanity.Hes depicted with a very long nose(which is of fallic significance),a red face,and large round eyes.
20)Uke Mochi:goddess of fertility and food.She was killed by the moon god Tsuki-yomi when she offended him by vomiting large amounts of food.From her dead body emerged various animals(horse,ox,silk worm,etc.),as well as rice,beans,etc.Her attributes are often absorbed into those of Inari.