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Shinto ( Japanese: 神道, romanized : Shintō) is a religion originating from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners Shintoists, although adherents rarely use that term themselves.
- Iwakura (Shinto)
Overview. Nature worship, also known as spirit worship or...
- Shinto (Disambiguation)
Shinto is the native religion of Japan and was once its...
- Kami
Meaning Amaterasu, one of the central kami in the Shinto...
- History
Shinto is a religion native to Japan with a centuries'-long...
- Shinto shrine
A Shinto shrine (神社, jinja, archaic: shinsha, meaning:...
- Iwakura (Shinto)
- Origins of Shinto
- Kojiki & Nihon Shoki
- Shinto Gods
- Shinto & Buddhism
- What Are The Key Concepts in Shinto?
- Shinto Shrines
- Worship & Festivals
Unlike many other religions, Shinto has no recognised founder. The peoples of ancient Japan had long held animistic beliefs, worshipped divine ancestors and communicated with the spirit world via shamans; some elements of these beliefs were incorporated into the first recognised religion practised in Japan, Shinto, which began during the period of ...
Two chronicles, commissioned by the imperial house (Emperor Temmu), are invaluable sources on Shinto mythology and beliefs. The Kojiki ('Record of Ancient Things') was compiled in 712 CE by the court scholar Ono Yasumaro, who drew on earlier sources, mostly genealogies of powerful clans. Then the Nihon Shoki ('Chronicle of Japan' and also known as ...
As with many other ancient religions, the Shinto gods represent important astrological, geographical, and meteorological phenomena which are ever present and considered to affect daily life. These gods or ujigami, were associated with specific ancient clans or uji. Unusually, the sun and supreme deity is female, Amaterasu. Her brother is Susanoo, t...
Buddhism had arrived in Japan in the 6th century BCE as part of the Sinification process of Japanese culture. Other elements not to be ignored here are the principles of Taoism and Confucianismwhich travelled across the waters just as Buddhist ideas did, especially the Confucian importance given to purity and harmony. These different belief systems...
The main beliefs or key concepts of Shinto are: 1. Purity- both physical cleanliness and the avoidance of disruption, and spiritual purity. 2. Physical well-being. 3. Harmony (wa) exists in all things and must be maintained against imbalance. 4. Procreation and fertility. 5. Family and ancestral solidarity. 6. Subordination of the individual to the...
Shinto shrines, or jinja, are the sacred locations of one or more kami, and there are some 80,000 in Japan. Certain natural features and mountains may also be considered shrines. Early shrines were merely rock altars on which offerings were presented. Then, buildings were constructed around such altars, often copying the architecture of thatched ri...
The sanctity of shrines means that worshippers must cleanse themselves (oharai) before entering them, commonly by washing their hands and mouth with water. Then, when ready to enter, they make a small money offering, ring a small bell or clap their hands twice to alert the kami and then bow while saying their prayer. A final clap indicates the end ...
- Mark Cartwright
May 9, 2024 · Shintō, indigenous religious beliefs and practices of Japan. The word Shintō, which literally means “the way of kami ” (generally sacred or divine power, specifically the various gods or deities), came into use in order to distinguish indigenous Japanese beliefs from Buddhism, which had been introduced into Japan in the 6th century ce.
Shinto (Japanese: 神道) is a form of Japanese animism. It has many kami, translated as gods or nature spirits. Some "kami" are just spirits of certain places, and some are the overall "kami" (like "Amaterasu", the Sun goddess).
Learn about Shinto, the ancient religion that reveres nature and the land of Japan. Explore its history, practices, imagery, and relation with Buddhism.
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