An Introduction to Shintoism
Understanding The Indigenous Religion of the Japanese People
Jun 14, 2009
Religion serves many purposes for humanity. One of its purposes is to offer a means to make sense of the world, and a way to give meaning to existence. Religion also provides a belief system around which specific people identify, define, and unify themselves. Shinto is one such tradition.
This article will briefly explore Shintoism, a nature-centric belief system, commonly understood as the traditional and indigenous religion of Japan.
A Brief Overview of Shintoism
Shinto (or, Kami no Michi, meaning “the way of the gods”) is rooted in the national and cultural identity of Japan. Practices and beliefs associated with Shinto became a formal religion in the late 6th century AD as a way to distinguish it from Buddhism and Confucianism.
Differentiated from other formal religions, Shinto has no founder, no principle doctrine, and no established religious law. As such, Shinto is embraced as a natural force to be experienced by each practitioner in his or her own personal way. A wide range of behaviors, prayers, and rituals performed at sacred places (shrines) show reverence to particular deities known collectively as kami.
The Kami of Shintoism
According to the ancient teachings of Shinto, founded in the Japanese myth of origin deities Izanagi and Izanami (the gods who gave birth to the island of Japan), each person of Japanese heritage has the nature of kami within.
Kami may be best understood as representing the “Superiors," or "the Higher Ones,” referring to these numerous and holy spirits who take the form of physical objects in nature. It is believed Kami dwell in the wind, in the rain, within mountains, in trees, and within rivers, streams, waterfalls, etc. Certain animals are viewed as messengers of the gods, and humans have the capacity to become kami upon death.
Kami are free of worldly contamination, and an unclean person cannot commune with the kami. A Shinto priest may perform the purification ritual (misogi harai, or nagoshi-no-oharai) under a free-standing waterfall, for example, or at the torii gateway entrance of a shrine, where there is water for cleansing. These, as well as other purification rituals make it possible for the living to experience a harmonious communion with the holy kami.
Holy Shrines, Sacred Spaces
Although Shintoism does not adhere to one way of observance, or one way of showing faith, holy shrines are a definable mark of devotion. There are between 78,000 and 80,000 Shinto holy shrines scattered throughout Japan. These are sacred places for reverence and ritualistic prayers, the manifestation of which may be distinct from region to region, and from community to community. Sacred altars to specific kami are also a common fixture in traditional Japanese homes.
Shinto is often interpreted as being the "religion of the forest" since the natural landscape of streams, trees and valleys are the sacred and holy places where the Kami can be found. Shinto devotees see the sacred in all things, but especially in natural spaces. In fact, there are kami for each space in nature: kami of the forests, kami of the moon, kami of the seas, kami of the river, kami of the rains, etc.
Adherents of Shinto devote much of their surroundings to the erection and construction of natural and man-made shrines to honor kami. Within these shrines, there are sacred objects (goshintai), or god-body, to represent the kami (a mirror, or an ornament, a jewel, or a sword). These sacred objects embody the fidelity of the worshiper towards the kami.
By following these traditions, and by showing honor at shrines through ritual, prayer and dutiful obedience to natural law, Shinto adherents manifest their connection to one another, their ancestors, and to nature. These acts affirm the belief that Japan will continue to be prosperous, unconquered, and forever be a joyful place to live out one’s mortal existence, in service to and in reverence of the land, the people, and all Kami.
Sources:
- Livingston, James C., Anatomy of the Sacred: An Introduction to Religions (College of William & Mary, Pearson/Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, NJ. 2004).
- Fieser, James. Powers, John. Scriptures of the World's Religions (McGraw-Hill, NY. 2004).
