Shinto A[ a Gjance Last Updated 2011-10-07

BBC - Religions - Shinto: Shinto at a glance Page 1 of 2

g Shinto a[ a gJance Last updated 2011-10-07

A brief overview of Shinto, a traditional folk religion of Japan.

Introduction Shinto at: a glance The essence of Shinto is the Japanese devotion to invisible spiritual beings and powers called karni, to shrines, and to various rituals.

Shinto is not a way of explaining the world. What matters are rituals that enable human beings to communicate with kami.

Kami are not God or gods. They are spirits that are concerned with human beings - they appreciate our interest in them and want us to be happy - and if they are treated properly they will intervene in our lives to bring benefits like health, business success, and good exam results.

Shinto is a very local religion, in which devotees are likely to be concerned with their local shrine rather than the religion as a whole. Many Japanese will have a tiny shrine-altar in their homes.

However, it is also an unofficial national religion with shrines that draw visitors from across the country. Because ritual rather than belief is at the heart of Shinto, Japanese people don't usually think of Shinto specifically as a religion - it's simply an aspect of Japanese life. This has enabled Shinto to coexist happily with Buddhism for centuries.

The name Shinto comes from Chinese characters for Shen ('divine being'), and Tao ('way') and means 'Way of the Spirits'. , Shrine visiting and taking part in festivals play a great part in binding local communities together.

, Shrine visiting at New Year is the most popular shared national event in Japan. • Because Shinto is focussed on the land of Japan it is clearly an ethnic religion. Therefore Shinto is little interested in missionary work, and rarely practised outside its country of origin. ° Shinto sees human beings as basically good and has no concept of original sin, or of humanity as 'fallen'.

o Everything, including the spiritual, is experienced as part of this world. Shinto has no place for any transcendental other world.

o Shinto has no canonical scriptures. • Shinto teaches important ethical principles but has no commandments.

, Shinto has no founder. , Shinto has no God. , Shinto does not require adherents to follow it as their only religion. World Geography: Understanding a Changing World Page 1 of 2

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Shinto

Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan. During the 19th century, it progressed from a loosely organized set of rituals and customs, heavily influenced by Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, into the official state religion of Japan. The newly organized government of the Meiji Restoration saw in Shinto a means of uniting the Japanese people and developing a sense of national identity. The "purified" Shinto that resulted, freed of foreign influences, was expected to serve that purpose but in fact was never able to replace Japan's other religions.

Shinto originated in Japan before the seventh century and centered around devotion to native deities called kamL The kami included deified emperors and heroes, spirits of nature, and deities of Japanese mythology. Shinto was highly localized around cults of the clans or territorial gods. It was primarily a communal cult of small-scale social groupings and did not promulgate doctrines. Shinto was especially a liturgical and ritual practice and lacked an organizational structure. Buddhism, by contrast, consisted of formal schools, with priests and temples organized in a hierarchy. Shinto cult centers were referred to as shrines and served by local men, not dedicated priests. The participation in Shinto ceremonies usually reflected the social hierarchy of the local village. Perhaps the most important part of Shinto was a series of elaborate rituals that included both Buddhist and Shinto elements performed by the imperial court. The emperor presided over rites that included the harvest, the equinoxes, worship of the four cardinal directions, the beginning of the new year, and others.

During the early 19th century, Shinto experienced a rebirth of importance in Japanese society. A movement known as National Learning sought to recover a purer mentality based upon the ancient Japanese model. This Ancient Way included the concept of purging Japanese society of foreign pollution. The primary source of this pollution was Buddhism, which was attacked as the agency most to blame for Japan's loss of its original way of life. The most influential proponent of National Learning during the 19th century was Hirata Atsutane, who transformed National Learning from a type of scholarship to a nativist movement. His goals included separating Shinto from Buddhism, freedom to hold Shinto funerals, reestablishment of the Department for Divinity as a formal agency of the central government, and standardized worship of local deities. National Learning teachings on Shinto gained influence as the 19th century continued. By 1838, Shinto was the official religion of the Hamada province, with Tsuwano province following soon thereafter.

One important aspect of Shinto was its worship of deified emperors of the past. By making emperors into gods, Shinto helped to raise the status of the office. The living emperor's role was also important, since he was the chief participant in the major Shinto rituals. In 1868, the Tokugawa shogun was forced from office by a coalition of clans that restored rule to the emperor in the Meiji Restoration. The new government was in the hands of the men who displaced the shogun. Anxious to legitimatize their position, they seized upon National Learning's teachings regarding Shinto. It was important that the Japanese people be united by devotion to their god-emperor, and Shinto reinforced that image.

In 1868, an order intended to raise the status of Shinto called for its separation from Buddhism. One unintended World Geography: Understanding a Changing World Page 2 of 2

result was the plunder and destruction of Buddhist temples and religious objects. Most Japanese people did not turn from Buddhism, however, largely because Shinto had no doctrines with which to attract followers. Sacred mountains, which attracted pilgrims, were made a part of the Shinto kamL The government also established the Department of Divinity to regulate religious matters and conduct Shinto rites. The Shinto shrines were ranked, and important ones were supported with public funds. Rituals at the shrines were standardized and brought into line with rituals performed by the emperor. Shinto became much more centralized,

The Japanese government attempted to create a state religion with the Great Promulgation Campaign of 1870- 1884] Although this was not initially identified as Shinto, it eventually included many sects under that general title. The Great Teaching Institute was established with the duty of developing the Great Teachings. The institute was both a government agency and a religious institution whose teachings included respect for the gods and love of country; clear principles of Heaven and the Way of Man; reverence for the emperor; and obedience to the will of the court. The teachings were spread by National Evangelists, who included Shinto and Buddhist priests, and entertainers, actors, and storytellers, who traveled the country.

The message was also spread by ministers of such new religious sects as Kurozumikyo. Many of these new religions were officially designated as sects of Shinto and eventually totaled 13. Although the Great Promulgation Campaign did not result in a majority of the Japanese people turning away from Buddhism, it did elevate Shinto's status among the people. Competing religions were subsumed into Shinto, which became a broad umbrella term for many different sects., Shinto also became an important support for devotion to the emperor and his national government, helping to unite the country.

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