SYMBOL

The Torii Gate

- most common symbol for Shintoism.

- It is a sacred gateway supposed to represent a gate upon which a cock crew on the occasion when
Amaterasu emerged from the rock cave and relighted the world.

-It marks the entrance to a sacred space which is the Shinto shrine.

-It represents the transition between the world of humans and the world of the gods and goddesses.

-It is believed to help prepare the visitor for their interaction with the spirits by signifying the sacredness
of the location.

-It is traditionally made of wood or stone, but now most toriis are made of concrete and steel.

Shinto- is the traditional religion of Japanese during the eight century C.E

Derives from 2 words:

Shin- which means kami or Gods

To- which means path

Shinto means “the kami way” or “the way of gods”

Shinto is also known as “kami-no-michi” an equivalent Japanese expression that was patterned after its
Chinese translation, which was shen-dao (shen means “gods” while dao means way). “Shen-dao” was
pronounced “shin-to” in Japanese, thus the religion called “kami-no-michi” in Japanese has been
formally called “Shinto.”

It emphasizes the relationship between humans and a variety of supernatural entities called kami which
are associated with different aspects of life, including ancestors and forces of nature. Shinto practices
center on tradition and family, love of nature, physical cleanliness and festivals and ceremonies that
honor the kami. Shinto does not have a schedule of regular religious services—followers decide when
they wish to attend a shrine. Japan has over 80,000 Shinto shrines, ranging greatly in size from tiny to
elaborate and large.

ORIGIN

Shinto has no recognized founder

The ancient people of Japan had long held animistic beliefs (Animism is the belief that objects, places,
and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence), worshipped divine ancestors and communicated
with the spirit world via shamans. Some elements of these beliefs were incorporated into the first
recognized religion practiced in Japan, Shinto, which began during the period of Yayoi culture (The Yayoi
is identified as the first culture in Japan to cultivate rice and to manufacture and use metal implements
and ceremonial objects). For example, certain natural phenomena and geographical features were given
an attribution of divinity. Most obvious amongst these are the sun goddess Amaterasu and the wind
god Susanoo. Rivers and mountains were especially important, none more so than Mt. Fuji, whose
name derives from the Ainu name ‘Fuchi,’ the god of the volcano.

In Shinto, gods, spirits, supernatural forces and essences are known as kami, and governing nature in
all its forms, they are thought to inhabit places of particular natural beauty. In contrast, evil spirits or
demons (oni) are mostly invisible with some envisioned as giants with horns and three eyes. Their
power is usually only temporary, and they do not represent an inherent evil force. Ghosts are known as
obake and require certain rituals to send away before they cause harm. Some spirits of dead animals
can even possess humans, the worst being the fox, and these individuals must be exorcised by a priest.

SACRED SCRIPTURES

The Kojiki and Nihongi are considered as sacred scriptures on Shinto, but they are not exclusively about
Shinto; they also contain extensive information on Buddhism and Confucianism. These books which are
compilations of ancient myths and traditional teachings, are considered to have dual purpose: Political
and Moral purpose

Political Purpose- to establish the supremacy of Japan over all the countries in the world by legitimizing
the divine authority of the ruling families and to establish the political supremacy of Yamato (leading
clan of the sixth and seventh centuries, later known as the Imperial family).

Moral Purpose- to explain the relationship between the kami and human beings by establishing that the
Japanese are a special people chosen by kami, who have human like characteristics. It also emphasizes
the purification as both a creative and cleansing act. Death is considered the ultimate impurity.

KOJIKI

As one of the most important texts on Shintoism, Kojiki is composed of three books: the first is the age
of kami, which narrates the mythology, while the second and third books discuss the imperial lineage,
narrating the events concerning the imperial family up to the death of the thirty-third ruler, Empress
Suiko.

The third book is concerned mainly with revolts and love stories of successive rulers intertwined in a
song-story format

The establishment of the three orders are refelected in the three books

- the establishment of the universe

- the establishment of the order of humanity
 - the establishment of the order of history

Even though it was written at the onset of the spread of Buddhism in Japan and despite the fact that
Emperor Genmei, to whom the Kojiki was presented, was a Buddhist, there was no mention of
Buddhism in the Kojiki. It just goes to show that Kojiki is based on the eternal and cyclical world of
mythology.

NIHON SHOKI/NIHONGI

Nihon shoki or Nihongi records the descent of the Yamato rulers of japan from the gods. It represents a
combination of a political purpose with folklores and myths, it is believed to have been completed
around 720 C.E and have become significant in the restricting of Japan by the Yamato rulers, even in
naming the country as Nippon (The name "Japan" is believed to have originated from the Chinese
pronunciation of the Japanese name 日本 (Nihon or Nippon) during the Tang Dynasty in China).

It was presented to the court during the reign of Emperor Gensho and is considered as Japan’s first
official history which was completed after 39 years and compiled by Jimmu Tenno’s (first emperor of
Japan) third son, Prince Toneri along with numerous bureaucrats and historians.

It is composed of 30 books, the first two discusses the “age of kami” while the remaining books
chronicle the events pertaining to the rulers up to the 41st emperor.

The stories in the Kojiki and Nihongi provide the Japanese people with a sense of pride, for these
scriptures narrate how their rulers were descended from the gods, and how their race was descended
from the gods as well..

The stories in the Kojiki and Nihongi gives the Japanese people a sense of ride for hese scriptures narrate
how their rulers were descended from the gods and how their race was descended from god as well.

CORE TEACHING, BELIEF AND PRACTICES

KAMI, THE SHINTO GODS

- The divine principle in Shinto worship

– an honorific title for greatness and benevolence

- It can be manifestations of the sacred in nature or extraordinary people

- All people have a potential to be a kami but not everyone is referred to as one because it is an
honorific title reserved to a few entities, human or non-human (Ono 1962)

- the English term for Kami is God but through a closer analysis of the word “kami” Kato (1973) found
out that the word kami is associated with nature and thus impersonal in character

- Shintoism is a polytheistic religion

- Shintoism believes in the sacredness manifested in nature (Picken 1994)

-Amaterasu-o-mikami (sun goddess) is the highest in Shinto mythology and worship because the sun is
the giver of life on earth

The Japanese Emperor is believed to be a direct descendant of the kami because, according to the Kojiki,
Ninigi-no-mikoto’s great grandson Jimmu is the first emperor of Japan. From him, the succession of
Japanese emperors bears direct lineage from the kami.

Some scholars classified the various types of kami into its basic types to easily distinguish them:

1. NATURE KAMI
- they include the kami of trees, animals, mountains
- geological entities (such as clay, stones, lightning, metals, stars, sun, moon,
minerals, and gemstones)
- food (especially agricultural foods)
- forms of water (such as wells, rivers, oceans, springs, storms, and rain).

2. ) Mythic Kami

- they consist of all the kami mentioned in the Shinto myth or creation story which include Izanagi,
Izanami, Amaterasu, Tsukiyoma, and Susanowo.

3) Clan Kami

- they include all the kami that serve as protectors of divine clans, foremost of which is the kami
Amaterasu, of whom the members of the imperial family

- the primary divine clan, are believed to be descendants through the first divine emperor Jimmu.

- They also include the kami of other (secondary) divine clans, such as the descendants of Jimmu’s
companions and the noble families who ruled Japan prior to the reign of Jimmu. As regards the Imperial
Family, Urubshurow (2009, 8506) notes that, the members of the Imperial Family, being descendants of
Amaterasu, are all divine in nature

4) Guild Kami

- they consist of all the kami worshipped by various guilds (associations of craftsmen and artists)

- foremost of which are the kami worshipped by the guild of mirror makers (referring to the kami
believed to have made the mirror that enticed Amaterasu to get out of the cave she hid in for some
time)

- the kami worshipped by the guild of jewellers (referring to the kami believed to have made the eight-
foot long string of 500 jewels worn by Amaterasu)
- the kami worshipped by the guild of dancers and geisha (referring to the kami Uzume who danced to
entertain Amaterasu)

Another classification (Picken 1994, 94-96) divides the kami into two categories; thus:

1. Kami of the Japanese mythology, which consist of the following:

a. Kami of Heaven (Amatsu-no-kami)

b. Kami of Earth (Kunitsu-no-kami)

2. Kami not named in the mythology, which consist of the following:

a. Kami associated with natural phenomena

b. Kami derived from historical personalities

c. Kami traceable to political origins

d. Kami associated with commerce and prosperity

RITES AND PRACTICES

Worship:

Shinto Shrine

* Worship of the kami is done at the following places:

- at the shrines

- public shrines

- personal ones (those set up at homes).

* Reasons and purposes why people visit shrines:

- to pray to the kami (prayers to the kami are called norito)

- to give praises to them

- to request for health, success in their endeavors (school, career, business,

etc.), safety in travels, and well-being of their loved ones.

* A Shinto shrine is called jinja in Japanese (jinja literally means “place of the kami”)

*These are the certain ceremonies one goes through during a visit to a public shrine:
- washing one’s hands and mouth at a water basin located at the entrance to the shrine

- climbing the stairs leading to the haiden (the space in front of the place where the kami is enshrined)

- giving respect to the kami by bowing in front of them

- donating money

- ringing a bell and clapping several times (allegedly to get the attention of the kami),

- praying either silently or by chanting.

*Sometimes Shinto devotees performs the following:

- leave their prayer requests written on a piece of paper or on small wooden plaques which they tie to
the fences or branches of a sacred tree near the kami’s shrine.

- During festival days, there are processions which people may join and booths where they can buy
souvenirs and amulets.

* Worship can also be done daily at home.

- set up a small Shinto shrine, called kamidana, at their houses, sometimes in the garden area. Prayers
and food offerings, like rice and water, are done at the kamidana.

*Shinto priest leads the following ceremonies:

-worship eceremonies at public shrines

- give blessing on children that are brought in the shine a month after birth and when children reach a
certain age

-performs weddings outside shrines like weddings that are held at hotel

- participates in every spring rice-planting because they believe that it will guarantee a good harvest for
the entire nation

- he and his family annually visit the shrine of Ise to pray for the country (Shinto priests are allowed to
get married and have children)

The shrine at Ise, Mie, Japan

- known as the Ise Grand Shrine, which is dedicated to sun goddess Amaterasu

- considered the holiest among the Shinto shrines for it is believed that the sacred mirror of Amaterasu,
one of three Imperial Regalia (Kusunagi no Tsuguri the sword, Yata no Kagami the mirror, Yasakani no
Magatama the jewel) is preserved there.
Purification Rituals

Shinto rituals are mainly purification rituals

Purification (oharai) - is the process of removing an impurity (tsuml). Picken (2004, 176) explains that
the state of purity is a necessary condition to be in communion or harmony with the kami.

*Various forms of impurities:

1. Physical impurities - like sickness, injury, and death.

2. Moral impurities - like the acts of inflicting pain on other people, stealing properties of other persons,
killing, and others.

Basic forms of Shinto purification rituals according to Picken 2004:

1. Misogi - This is a form of purification that uses water.

- For example, Worshippers washes their hand at the entrance of the shrine

-A form of misogi is called misogi shuho, a form of purification wherein the devotes stands under a
flowing waterfall with its water’s full force on their shoulders. Before doing the ritual, the devotee
does some stretching and deep breathing exercises and is cleansed with a bit of salt.

2. Shubatsu - This is a form of purification using salt. Salt is sprinkled by Shinto priests on the
objects, humans, or places to be purified.

3. Harai - This form of purification uses a harai-gushi, a wand consisting of a stick and streams of
paper attached to the stick. A Shinto priest waves a harai-gushi over the person, place, or object to
be purified.

4. Imi - This is a form of purification that one does to oneself by refraining from saying
inappropriate words and avoiding doing inappropriate actions. For instance, the word “cut” (kiru)
is taboo in a wedding ceremony. On the other hand, attending a party or a celebration is
inappropriate when a loved one has just died

Major Annual events celebrated in Shinto

1. Oshogatsu - New Year Celebration

- This is the biggest celebration of the year.

- Before the holiday preparations the house is thoroughly cleaned for the kami who are invited to
visit.

• They have their own decorations (kadomatsu, a special arrangement consisting of pieces of cut
green bamboo, small branches of pine, and leaves of plum).

• kind of food - mochi, a soft dough made of pounded rice.

- ozone, a special soup of vegetables and mocha.

- Men and women dress in kimono and make offerings to Shinto shrines

- they pray for blessings for the coming year, they also visit relatives and friends

- The overall spirit of celebrating the New Year is cleansing and the renewal of life.

2. Haru Matsuri - Spring Festival

- The purpose of holding this festival is to

guarantee the safety of rice planting.

3. Natsu Matsuri - Summer Festival

- The purpose of holding this festival is to protect the crops from pests and diseases during the hot
seasons.

4. Aki Matsuri - Autumn Festival

- The purpose of holding this festival is to express gratitude to the kami for the gathered harvest.

- This is a ritual of thanksgiving.

5. Setsubun-sai

- The purpose of holding this festival is to drive away bad luck and invite good luck.

- This is done by throwing beans and a Shinto high priest firing an arrow. Worshippers later on take
the beans home for good luck.

Major Forms/Sects of Shintoism

1. State Shinto or Kokka Shinto

- Made the national religion in 1882 when the Japanese government was instilling patrionism
- Shrines weew put under control of the government
- The rituals that will be performed are listed
- This is abolished after the defeat of japan in the 2nd world
- Became known as the “imperial househokd Shinto” which still performs the special Shinto
practices
2. Sect Shinto or Kyoha Shinto
- Under State Shinto, several Shinto shrines (most of which were run by different Shinto
organizations) were put under government control, but this sect is recognized by the
government
- Called by the government as Sect Shinto or Sectarian Shinto
- This is seen as the purely religious form of Shinto
 - Also called “Religious Shinto” which means that this sect has features that cannot be reconciled
with or accommodated by the political objectives of state Shinto
3. Shrine Shinto or Jinja Shinto
- Refers to the forms of Shinto in which the shrines are the center of religious activities
❖ During the time when Shinto was flourishing in Japan and building its places of worship,
there were also many Buddhist temples that were established.
❖ To distinguish Shinto places of worship from Buddhist
• Buddhist places of worship called temples
• Shinto places of worship were called shrines.
4. Folk Shinto or Tsuzoka Shinto
- Another form of Shinto that were not put under government control
- Not recognized by the government
- Not organized, not systematized, and not institutionalized
- Can be performed in the absence of a priest
- it is called Folk Shinto because it is blended with folk culture and local beliefs, which have
influences from Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
5. Shinto-based New Religions or Shinko Shukyo
- after World War II, new religious forms, called New Religions, emerged. Some of these new
religions were Buddhistbased while some were Shinto-based
- this was developed from some of the original 13 sects of Sect Shinto
- First included in Sect Shinto (Williams 2005, 123).

According to Matthews(2010), Japan’s Agency of Cultural Affairs divided the Shinto Sects into three
groups based on their history and unique practices:

1. Traditional Sects
2. Mountain Worship Sects
3. Sects based on Revelation which has 2 prominents:

- Tenrikyo (heavenly reason teaching)

- founded by Nakayama Miki (1798-1887)

- a spiritually healing group

- teaches that physical health is a consequence of mental or spiritual health

- practices healing by faith

- their sacred texts consists of the poetry composed by Nakayama Miki that speaks of her revelations

- Omoto-kyo (great origin teaching) or Omoto

- founded by Deguchi Nao (1836-1918)

- all art is religious

- runs a school near Kyoto teaching Japanese traditional art and non-Japanese art

- promotes world peace through the study of universal language

- It is said that Deguchi Nao, like Nakayami Miki, lived a very miserable life—extreme poverty, death of
her husband and three of her eight children, mental illness of her two children, among others. In her
moment of hopelessness, she had a vision urging her to lead the creation of a new, perfect world.

Issues

1. Grow of Buddhism in Japan

-its growth has been threatened by the growth of Buddhism in Japan and its association with military
build-up of Japan during World War II. Many have thought that Shinto would not survive after the
Second World War; but it did and it continues to flourish.

2. Association with military build-up of Japan during the World War II

-because of Shinto’s association with the Japanese government during World War II, how to deal with
questions concerning the divine status of the Japanese emperor remains as a challenge to Shinto.

3. Lack of strong institutional structure.

-Shinto still generally lacks a strong institutional structure to enable it to spread outside of Japan or to
do missionary work. This is, however, compensated by the fact that the Japanese bring their religious
practices with them wherever they settle in (see Molloy 2010, 283-284).

4. Religion of Ecology

-One challenge in this area is how to reconcile the seeming conflict between this ecological ideal of
Shinto and the pervasive Japanese commercial and business goals that resulted in the decimation of the
forests of Japan and other countries (Williams 2004, 140).