Transcript Shinto - Weebly

SHINTO
What is Shinto?
“The way of the gods”
 Ancient, indigenous, mythical, nature religion
of Japan
Wide variety
Hard to define
No founder – An “ethnic” religion of the
Japanese people
The root and embodiment of Japanese culture
Shinto’s History
More than 1500 years old
Japanese worship had consisted of a
variety of practices
Ancestor worship, animism, many gods
Chinese missionaries brought
Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism
Name ‘Shinto’ originated to differentiate
between the old & new customs
Shinto dictated ways of daily life,
Buddhism dictated thoughts on afterlife
Shinto’s Revival
Shinto was so blended it had almost
disappeared by the 8th century
Tokugawa Regime (1600-1867)
Military leaders
Sought to eliminate outside influence
Religions pushed out (Except Confucianism
since it supported military ethics)
Samurai
1853, Commodore Perry opened trade
between Japan and US
Shinto Mythology
Two main texts:
Kojiki (myths of ancient times, origins of gods and
man, islands of Japan)
Nihonji (ancient history of Japan)
The Kami: gods & goddesses
 Polytheistic
Present everywhere, in nature and people
Creation myth – Japan as the center of the
world
Shinto Mythology
Izanagi (“male”) &
izanami (“female”)
(brother & sister)
create the islands of
Japan
Amaterasu – the Sun Goddess
Mother of the first emperor of Japan
Three kinds
of Shinto
1. Shrine/Folk Shinto
2. State Shinto
3. Sect Shinto
Shrine Shinto
a.k.a. Domestic Shinto
Jinja (shrines) - Tens of thousands
located throughout Japan
Torii – entry gate, separates sacred from
profane space
Household shrines – kami-dana
(god shelf)
Contain offerings for ancestors, etc.
State Shinto
Constitution of 1889end of WWII
Emphasis on Japanese culture and nationality
(elimination of foreign influences)
Emperors of Japan as divine
Hierarchy of shrines:
Main shrine at Ise – dedicated to Amaterasu
Mother goddess of Japan
Palace shrines honoring Amaterasu, other kami,
and emperors
Shrines elsewhere dedicated to national heroes
97% of remaining shrines dedicated to local kami
Sect Shinto
 13 recognized sects
1. Mountain worship
2. Faith healers
3. Pure Shinto (similar to yoga practices in
Hinduism)
 Some combine Shinto with influences
from Buddhism or other religions
Alienation
The Problem
for Humans
Humans can become ritually unclean and
need purification
Estranged from the kami and need
communication
Alienated from family, ancestors,
community, emperor thru failure to do
what’s expected
Solution: reconciliation thru offerings,
prayer, heroic deeds, ritual suicide
Community
Devotion to family and country governs
all conduct
People are a part of something (family,
nation, etc.)
Duty to sacrifice your selfish impulses to
good of the whole
Groups govern your behavior and
consequences
The Four
Affirmations
Tradition and Family
Love of Nature
Physical cleanliness
Matsuri: festivals that worship and honor
the Kami
The End
Shinto Practices
Tradition and Family
Life cycle celebrations take place at shrines:
Newborn’s first visit to shrine
7-5-3 festival: blessings for boys age 5, girls ages
3&7
Entry to adulthood (age 20)
Marriage
(since Shinto celebrates life in this world, in death,
the Japanese turn to Buddhist rather than Shinto
rituals)
Shinto Practices
Love of Nature:
Annual cycle of seasonal festivals
Physical Cleanliness:
Misoji - Water purification rites to wash
away impurity, thus restoring original
purity
Shinto on the Web
Ancient Japan: Shinto Creation Stories
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ANCJAPAN/CRE
AT.HTM
Visit a Shinto shrine on-line: Tsubaki Grand
Shrine of America
http://www.tsubakishrine.com/test/home.as
p
The Shinto Online Network Association
http://www.jinja.or.jp/english/s-0.html