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Shinto, or Shintoism, is the oldest religion in Japan. It is unique from other popular religions in that it is completely decentralized, and over the centuries its practices have become so intertwined with secular Japanese culture that some aspects of the religion have become part of everyday life in Japan, whether one identifies as Shinto or not.
Shintoism has been practiced since at least the Neolithic era, with the first material evidence of practices comparable to Shinto appearing during Japan's Yayoi period, which stretched from about the 10th to the 3rd century BCE.
The word itself, however, is not a Japanese invention. The decentralized, non-hierarchal belief system was so widespread that it has no indigenous name. "Shintō" is a word first used by the Chinese settlers of Japan in the 6th century CE, who coined the term to distinguish the indigenous religion of Japan from Chinese Buddhism and Confucianism.
The indigenous Ainu people of Japan, descendants of the earliest humans on the Japanese islands who arrived nearly 30,000 years ago, have a long history of animistic beliefs, and are considered to be the progenitors of what we now know as Shinto.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, at the height of the modern Japanese Empire, the largely peaceful and inoffensive religion of Shinto was appropriated and bastardized by the nationalist imperial government. Known as State Shinto, this invention of the Japanese Empire conflated Shintoism with patriotism, and declared many shrines and temples as places of patriotic celebration, without much regard to the kami those temples were originally dedicated to, and declared the emperor himself to be a heavenly kami manifested in human form.
Coming across from China and the Korean Peninsula during the 6th century, Buddhism and Confucianism each made waves throughout Japan. However, instead of wiping out Shintoism, the ideas of the Buddha and Confucius (pictured) fit in neatly with the animistic beliefs of Shintoism, and they all adopted certain practices from each other.
Shinto, unlike most other religions in the world, has no primary prophet, no absolute authority, or even an official holy book. Shintoism is and presumably always has been a decentralized and organic belief system that grew from the primitive animistic religions of the prehistoric cultures of Japan, and has more or less kept its original form throughout the millennia.
Animism, the belief that everything or most things in the world, from humans and trees to mountains and rivers, has a soul, or a spirit, has been central to the folk religions of Japan for as far back as history can tell us, as is the case with many indigenous and folk religions around the world.
As of 2020, Shinto was still the dominant spiritual demographic in Japan, with 48.6% of the population identifying with Shintoism. However, it's important to note that Shintoism, like Buddhism, is not considered a "religion" in Japan, as the word religion carries implications of dogma and indoctrination that are absent in Shintoism. When other studies have asked Japanese whether or not they are "Shintoists," the number drops drastically.
Sources: (World History Encyclopedia)(tsunagu Japan) (Britannica)
Similar to humans, none of the kami are considered inherently evil. Some kami can have mischievous qualities and play tricks on humans, others are considered the harbingers of natural disasters, but none are considered malicious.
Kami are the spirits that live in everything, affect every aspect of life, and are the primary subjects of worship in Shintoism. There are three loosely defined classes of kami: amatsukami, or "heavenly deities," who are considered to be the purest and most righteous among the kami; kunitsukami, or "earthly deities," who are distinct figures and walk the earth parallel to and hidden from humans; and yaoyorozu no kami, or the "innumerable spirits," who are manifested in everything from pebbles and buildings to cooking pots.
While there are no definitive tenets or commandments of Shintoism, four "affirmations" are generally believed to be at the heart of Shinto beliefs and values: the reverence of family, the reverence of nature, physical cleanliness, and the faithful practice of matsuri, or festivals held in celebration of the many Shinto kami.
At the heart of Shintoism is the belief that god and nature are one and the same, as is the case in many animistic religions. Because of this, Shinto emphasizes respect for the earth and encourages followers of Shinto to maintain a close, healthy, and conscious relationship with nature and their surroundings.
Across Shintoism, Amaterasu, the sun goddess, one of the first children born to Izanami and Izanagi, is the kami most frequently worshipped. She, above all others, is seen as the protector of humanity.
Soon after the introduction of Buddhism to Japan, a new school, referred to as Ryōbu Shinto, or the "Shinto of two kinds," was created, and formulaically combined the beliefs of Buddhism and Shintoism, with sprinkles of Confucianist values. In Ryōbu Shinto, the many kami, or "spirits," that were traditionally worshipped in Shintoism came to be thought of as protectors of the Buddha, or, later on, different manifestations of Buddha himself.
Above all else, Shinto teaches the importance of family and of tradition. Likely a remnant of the prehistoric cultures from which Shinto originated, family is seen as the primary funnel through which life, knowledge, tradition, and all other aspects of Shintoism is passed on and kept alive.
As kami are ubiquitous in the Shinto perception of the world, their worship and celebration is central to Shinto practice. Today, there are around 100,000 Shinto shrines and temples across Japan, all of which are frequented daily by people who go to pay their respects, ask for favors, and leave gifts for the kami who watch over their lives.
At the entrance of every shrine, or any sacred space for that matter, is a torii, the most recognizable symbol in Shintoism. These gates represent the threshold between the world of the "mundane," and the world of spirits and holiness.
The younger brother of Amaterasu, Susanoo was named god of the seas. Similar to sea gods in Western pantheons, Susanoo is traditionally depicted as having a bit of a temper, and was once banned from heaven for acting out in the court of the gods. Despite his unruly behavior, Susanoo is a loved and respected heavenly kami who is also frequently associated with good harvest seasons.
The creation story that is taught in Shintoism involves two siblings and/or lovers, Izanami and Izanagi, who were birthed from the primordial first gods who appeared from nothing at the start of the universe.
In Shintoism, mortal humans can, on occasion, be deified after death. This was the case of Sugawara no Michizane, a once highly-valued poet of the 8th-century imperial courts who died in exile. On the night of his death, a massive lightning storm struck the camp of the new government that had exiled Michizane, and killed many of its leaders and soldiers. The storm was thought to be brought on by Michizane's angry spirit, and he was immediately deified, with his name changed to Tenjin, or "sky-deity." Later, he would also become the patron kami of scholars.
Although Shintoism is a decentralized religion with no definitive set of myths or guidelines, many stories and deities have been represented for such a long time that they have cemented themselves as pillars of Shintoism without any need of indoctrination.
Tasked with stirring up the primordial, muddy stew of the universe to form the earth, the pair did just that, using a jeweled spear. Once the earth was formed and solidified, the couple descended down to the newly formed land and began to procreate, with Izanagi giving birth first to the islands of Japan and then to some of the primary kami that were to look after the earth.
While there is no Shinto equivalent to the Bible or the Quran, there are two archaic Japanese texts, the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, both written during the 8th century CE, that chronicle some of the more common Shinto beliefs. Both are general histories of Japan, not dedicated solely to Shintoism, and neither are complete in their description of Shinto beliefs, legends, or its myriad of deities and spirits.
After the fall of State Shinto in the wake of the end of World War II, many aspects of the religion returned to normal, and are casually observed in tandem with the more secular aspects of Japanese life.
Keeping in line with the rest of Shintoism, Shinto priests aren't held to any set of strict rules of piety or asceticism like the priests of other religions. Known as shinshoku, these priests are free to marry, drink, and are not seen as moral guides for their parish. Seeing as Shinto doesn't observe anything comparable to the Sabbath, shinshoku don't preach or deliver sermons, either. Instead, their main objective is to maintain a healthy relationship between the kami and humans, and to officiate spiritual events such as marriages and festivals.
Sin, or any version of objective wrongdoing, isn't a concept in Shintoism. Humans, as part of the animist system of all-encompassing, all-permeating holiness, are seen as intrinsically pure. However, humans can enter a state of kegare, or "defilement," from which they must be cleansed. Purification rituals are a central component of Shinto, in order to regain hegare, or "spiritual cleanliness." Oftentimes, these rituals involve cleaning the body, hence the importance of physical cleanliness in the Shinto value system.
Tsukuyomi, the moon deity of ambiguous gender, was another of the first generation of heavenly kami. After Izanagi died during childbirth, it is said that the moon, manifested as Tsukuyomi, fell out of a tear shed from Izanami's right eye.
Shinto, or Shintoism, is undoubtedly one of the world's most fascinating religions. While many of the largest and most influential religions, from Christianity to Islam and Buddhism, share many core concepts such as a divine teacher, a holy book, and a principal prophet, Shintoism has none of those components. For thousands of years, Shinto has survived in one form or another as a decentralized, unregulated, leaderless religion, which is still practiced by tens of millions of people in Japan and beyond.
So, what exactly is Shintoism, and what's the secret to its longevity? Read on to find out.
Everything you need to know about Shinto, Japan's oldest religion
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Shinto, or Shintoism, is undoubtedly one of the world's most fascinating religions. While many of the largest and most influential religions, from Christianity to Islam and Buddhism, share many core concepts such as a divine teacher, a holy book, and a principal prophet, Shintoism has none of those components. For thousands of years, Shinto has survived in one form or another as a decentralized, unregulated, leaderless religion, which is still practiced by tens of millions of people in Japan and beyond.
So, what exactly is Shintoism, and what's the secret to its longevity? Read on to find out.