Shinto

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Shinto
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Shinto

• From the Chinese words shin and tao
• The Way of the Gods
• The Japanese expression kami-no-michi
• 3 million practitioners worldwide
• Essentially all followers of Shinto are ethnic
  Japanese. Outside of Japan, Hawaii and Brazil
  have many Shintoists.
• 90 of Japanese follow some combination of Shinto
  and Buddhism.
• Japans national religion

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Views

• Shinto defines itself as a way of relating to
  the spirit world. (Corduan 311)
• The kami Divine powers, personal deities,
  impersonal spiritual force, nature spirits
• Pervades all levels of being
• Associated with natural phenomena
• the sun, trees, rice fields, mountains
• Locations may be marked
• Guardian Kami of particular areas, clans and
  families
• Associated with past emperors and heroes

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Views

• At the center of Shinto is the mysterious power
  of the kami.
• Musuhi creating and harmonizing power of the
  kami
• The way of kami

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Ideas

• Human Nature
• Good
• Ones family kami is the giver of each individual
  persons life.
• All human life is therefore respected.
• Evil is thought to stem from the individuals
  contact with external forces or agents that
  pollute our pure nature.

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Views

• Purification
• No concept of sin
• Ritual Impurities (tsumi) offend the kami and
  result in calamities
• Impurities may come from contact with certain
  taboos corpse, menstruation, unkind action
  between people and the environment.
• Water (at a shrine, misogi), ritual done by
  priest (oharai)

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Views

• Ethics and Morality
• No explicit code of ethics
• Morality is based upon that which benefits the
  group.
• Shinto prioritizes the cooperative efforts and
  community celebrations
• Kindness and unselfishness
• Shintoists aspire to makoto, sincerity or true
  heart. Makoto is how one obtains the way of
  kami.

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Views

• Goal
• The way of the kami and the way of nature
• Kannagara Natural religion
• Same word is used for movement of sun and
  planets.
• The awareness of and harmony with nature, the
  flow of the universe, beauty, the divine in nature

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Views

• Destiny
• Mix of ideas on ones destiny after death
• The deceased becomes an ancestor living near the
  family.
• The Buddhist idea of reincarnation and karma.
• The deceased reverts back to the kami from who he
  or she received life to be born into the family
  as a new child.

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Views

• Generally
• Optimistic
• All of nature including human nature is good
• Close association between gods, nature and
  people harmony
• A this-worldly focus concerned for good fortune,
  and the celebration and enrichment of life

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History

• No founder synthesis of indigenous religions
  with influence primarily from Buddhism.
• The religion of pre-unified Japan consisted
  originally of "an amorphous mix of nature
  worship, fertility cults, divination techniques,
  hero worship, and shamanism."
• ("The Fountainhead of Miracles," at
  http//www.shinreikyo.or.jp)
• 4th c AD Japan unified under one emperor.
• Established one religion as superior to all
  others

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History

• In 6th c AD influence from China and Korea
• Cultural shifts
• Writing, architecture, implements
• Philosophy and religion
• Confucianism filial piety, authority, social
  ethic
• Buddhism ordered worldview, hierarchy of beings
  and spirits flourished
• Taoism yin yang

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History

• The Kojiki
• In the 8th c at the initiation of the emperor a
  collection was made of various Japanese views of
  origins and the kami.
• A coherent narrative was produced the Kojiki
  (712 AD), or record of ancient matters.
• Also the Nihon Shoki (or Nihongi) Chronicles of
  Japan containing discovered variations of the
  Kojiki.

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History

• The Kojiki
• Mythological history of Japan genealogies of
  gods political text establishing Japans
  identity with respect to China and the divine
  origin of the emperor.
• The Kojiki and Nihongi are two of the most
  important texts in Shinto.
• No established scripture

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History

• According to the Kojiki
• Japan was created by the divine couple, Izanagi (
  male) and Izanami (female) who gave birth to the
  islands of Japan, plants, animals, the various
  Japanese clans, and other kami.

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History

• From Izanagi came the three important deities
• Amaterasu sun goddess
• Tsukiyomi moon god
• Susa-no-no storm god
• The main deity is the sun goddess, Amaterasu who
  is the origin of the imperial family. Flag
• Thus the emperor legitimated his claim as ruler.

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Japanese Flag

• The sun goddess Amaterasu founded Japan.
• The emperor is known as the Son of the Sun.
• A name for Japan is Land of the Rising Sun.

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History

• Shinto started its self-reflective existence in
  response to Buddhism. (Corduan 316)
• Interaction between Shinto and Buddhism debates
• Indigenous forms of Buddhism developed
• A synthesis of Shinto and Buddhism developed
  called Ryobu (two-sided Shinto).
• Buddhism overshadows Shinto
• Zen and Confucianism became of the philosophy of
  the samurai warriors.
• Animistic Shinto continues among common people

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History

• In the 19th c a Shinto revival occurs.
• 1868 The nationalistic Meiji Restoration begins
• Followed a period of tight non-imperial rule in
  Japan (Tokugawa era)
• Imperial power was restored under emperor Meiji
  (died 1912)
• Shinto identified with Japanese nationalism and
  patriotism
• State Shinto established

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State Shinto

• Shinto as Patriotism
• Shinto declared to not be a religion during the
  Meiji Restoration
• Government took control of shrines and paid
  priest
• The emperor is divine descendant of Amaterasu the
  sun goddess
• Continued until the end of WW II

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Shrine Shinto

• The place of special ceremonies of ones life
  cycle (except funerals).
• Entrance the torii gate
• Ceremonial washing with water

• Two areas
• Haiden (hall of worship).
• Open or under roof
• Bell rung
• Offerings presented money, food
• Honden (inner area)
• Closed to public
• Place of sacred objects associated with shrine
  kami

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Torri Gates
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Ise Shrine
The most revered shrine in Japan is the Ise
Shrine of Amaterasu
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Domestic Shinto

• Shinto is mainly practiced in the home
• Kamidana shrine for venerating the family kami
• High shelf
• Offerings
• Amulets

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The Life Cycle

• Pre-natal 4 months before birth
• One month First trip to the tutelary kami
  shrine where the child is presented
• Girls at 3 and 7 and boys at 5 presented to the
  kami
• Puberty traditionally boys received warrior
  loin cloth and girls an underskirt
• Marriage
• 61, 77, 88
• Death Buddhist ritual

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Festivals

• New years decorate to welcome the kami
• February 3rd End of winter
• Spring Festival
• One month long
• Purification
• Successful planting
• June rites for protection of crops
• Fall thanksgiving to the kami with firstfruits
  offered to the kami