Introduction to World Religions

3. Analyze the brief history, core
teachings, fundamental beliefs,
practices, and related issues of
Shintoism.
Objectives

4. INTRODUCTION
▪The Torii Gate is a significant symbol in
Shintoism, representing a sacred gateway
between the human world and the world of gods
and goddesses.
▪It marks the entrance to Shinto shrines and is
believed to prepare visitors for their interaction
with spirits by symbolizing the sacredness of the
location.

5. INTRODUCTION
▪Shinto is the traditional religion of the Japanese
people, originating in the 8th century C.E.
▪The term "Shinto" derives from the combination
of "shin," meaning gods or kami, and "to"
meaning path. This translates to "the kami way"
or "the way of gods."
▪Shinto highlights the connection between
humans and various supernatural beings called
kami, who are associated with different aspects
of life, including ancestors and natural forces.

6. INTRODUCTION
▪Shinto practices revolve around tradition, family,
reverence for nature, physical cleanliness, and
the celebration of festivals and ceremonies
dedicated to the kami.
▪Unlike other religions, Shinto does not have a
fixed schedule for regular religious services,
allowing followers to decide when they want to
visit a shrine.
▪Japan is home to more than 80,000 Shinto
shrines, varying in size from small and simple to
grand.

7. HISTORY
▪ Shinto is a religion without a recognized founder.
▪ It originated in ancient Japan, where people worshipped divine ancestors and
communicated with spirits through shamans.
▪ Shinto emerged during the Yayoi culture period (around 300 BCE - 300 CE) and
incorporated beliefs in the divinity of natural phenomena and geographical
features.
▪ Important deities in Shinto include Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and Susanoo,
the wind god.
▪ Mountains and rivers, like Mt. Fuji, are highly revered.
▪ Shinto refers to gods, spirits, and supernatural forces as kami, which are
associated with places of natural beauty.
▪ Evil spirits, called oni, are usually unseen but imagined as horned giants with
three eyes. They possess temporary power and are not seen as inherently evil.
▪ Ghosts, known as obake, require specific rituals to be banished to avoid harm.
▪ Some animal spirits, like foxes, are believed to possess humans and need to be
exorcised by priests.

8. SACRED SCRIPTURES
▪ The Kojiki and Nihongi are important sacred texts in Shinto,
although they also include information about Buddhism and
Confucianism.
▪ These books compile ancient myths and teachings and serve a dual
purpose: political and moral. Politically, they establish Japan's
superiority over other nations by legitimizing the divine authority of
ruling families and asserting the political dominance of the Yamato.
Morally, they explain the relationship between humans and the
kami, portraying the Japanese as a chosen people with kami having
humanlike qualities.
▪ The texts also highlight the significance of purification as a
creative and cleansing act, while regarding death as the ultimate
impurity.

9. SACRED SCRIPTURES
KOJIKI
▪ The Kojiki is an essential text in Shintoism, consisting of three
books.
▪ The first book covers the age of kami and mythology, while the
second and third books discuss the imperial lineage, including
events up to Empress Suiko's death. The third book focuses on
revolts and love stories of rulers, presented in a song-story format.
▪ The text also includes genealogy of each imperial family and
reflects the establishment of three orders: the order of the
universe, the order of humanity, and the order of history.
▪ Despite being written during the spread of Buddhism in Japan, the
Kojiki does not mention Buddhism. It highlights the eternal and
cyclical world of mythology.

10. SACRED SCRIPTURES
NIHON SHOKI
▪ The Nihon shoki, also known as Nihongi, is a historical record that
traces the lineage of Japan's Yamato rulers back to the gods.
▪ It combines political purposes with folklore and myths.
▪ Completed around 720 C.E., it played a significant role in
restructuring Japan and even contributed to naming the country
Nippon.
▪ The Nihon shoki consists of 30 books, with the first two discussing
the "age of the kami" and the rest chronicling events related to the
rulers up to the 41st emperor.
▪ The stories in the Nihon shoki and Kojiki provide the Japanese
people with a sense of pride, as they narrate how their rulers and
race descended from the gods.

11. BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
KAMI
▪ Kami: Divine beings or manifestations of the sacred in Shinto
worship. They can be found in nature or extraordinary individuals.
Not everyone is referred to as kami, as it is an honorific title
reserved for select entities, human or non-human.
▪ The term "god" for kami is open to debate. While "god" typically
implies a personal being with sacred power, kami are more closely
associated with notions of power and force rather than personal
deities. They are primarily linked to nature and have an impersonal
character.
▪ Earlier interpretations of Shinto by outsiders labeled it as
polytheistic due to belief in multiple gods (kami). However, a more
accurate understanding is that Shinto recognizes the sacredness
present in nature, and while there are many kami, this sacred
quality pervades and encompasses all of them in Shinto worship.

13. BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
KAMI
▪ Amaterasu-o-mikami is the most revered Kami in Shinto mythology
and worship, known as the Kami of the Sun and giver of life on
Earth through the sun's rays.
▪ The Japanese Emperor is believed to be a direct descendant of the
Kami, tracing their lineage back to the first emperor, Jimmu.
▪ Kami can be classified into different types:
1. Nature Kami (trees, animals, mountains, etc.)
2. Mythic Kami (mentioned in Shinto creation story which includes
Izanagi, Amaterasu)
3. Clan Kami (protectors of divine clans, including Amaterasu)
4. Guild Kami (worshiped by guilds such as mirror makers, jewellers,
dancers).

14. BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
KAMI
▪Another classification divides Kami into two
categories:
1. Kami of the Japanese mythology
a. Kami of Heaven (Amatsu-no-kami)
b. Kami of Earth (Kunitsu-no-kami)
2. Kami not mentioned in the mythology
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

15. RITES AND PRACTICES
▪Worship of the kami is done at the following places:
a. At the shrines
b. Public shrines
c. Personal ones (those set up at homes)
▪Reasons and purposes why people visit shrines
a. To pray to the kami (prayers to the kami are called norito)
b. to give praises to them
c. to request for health, success in their endeavors (school, career,
business, etc.), safety in travels, and well-being of their loved
ones.

16. RITES AND PRACTICES
▪Shinto shrines, called "jinja" in Japanese, are
distinct from Buddhist temples, known as
"tera" in Japanese. There are approximately
800,000 Shinto shrines, with around 200
being central shrines for specific kami, cults,
or districts, and over 2,000 considered major
shrines.

17. RITES AND PRACTICES
▪There are certain ceremonies one goes through during a
visit to a public shrine, like:
a. washing one’s hands and mouth at a water basin located at
the entrance to the shrine
b. climbing the stairs leading to the haiden (the space
in front of the place where the kami is enshrined)
c. giving respect to the kami by bowing in front of them
d. donating money
e. ringing a bell and clapping several times (allegedly to get the
attention of the kami),
f. praying either silently or by chanting.

18. RITES AND PRACTICES
▪Sometimes Shinto devotees may perform 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.

19. RITES AND PRACTICES
▪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.

20. RITES AND PRACTICES
Shinto purification rituals include several basic forms:
▪ 1. Misogi - Purification with water, such as washing hands at a
shrine or standing under a waterfall. It is based on the act of
Izanagi washing himself after visiting the underworld.
▪ 2. Shubatsu - Purification using salt, which is sprinkled on
objects, humans, or places to be purified.
▪ 3. Harai - Purification with a wand called harai-gushi, waved
over a person, place, or object.
▪ 4. Imi - Self-purification through refraining from inappropriate
words and actions, such as avoiding taboo words during a
wedding or refraining from attending celebrations after a loved
one's death.

21. MAJOR ANNUAL EVENTS AND FESTIVALS
FESTIVAL DESCRIPTION
Oshogatsu ▪ New year celebration
Biggest celebration of the year
▪ Overall spirit of new year is cleansing and the renewal of life
Haru
Matsuri
▪ Spring festival
▪ The purpose of holding this festival is to guarantee the safety of rice planting.
Natsu
Matsuri
▪ Summer festival
▪ The purpose of holding this festival is to protect the crops from pests and
diseases during the hot seasons.
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.
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.

22. SUBDIVISIONS
1. State Shinto or Kokka Shinto
2. Sect Shinto or Kyoha Shinto
3. Shrine Shinto or Jinja Shinto
4. Folk Shinto or Tsuzoka Shinto
5. Shinto-based New Religion or Shinko
Shukyo

23. SELECTED ISSUES
▪ Shinto faces several challenges and issues:
1. The growth of Buddhism and its association with Japan's military build-
up during World War II posed a threat to Shinto's growth. However, Shinto
survived and continues to flourish.
2. While Shinto emphasizes the importance of nature and presents itself
as an ecological religion, there is a challenge in reconciling this ideal with
Japan's commercial goals that have led to deforestation.
3. Shinto lacks a strong institutional structure for spreading outside of
Japan or engaging in missionary work. However, Japanese people carry
their religious practices with them wherever they go.
4. Shinto's association with the Japanese government during World War II
raises challenges regarding the divine status of the Japanese emperor
and how to address these questions.