2. Because ritual rather than belief is at the heart of
Shinto, Japanese people DO NOT USUALLY THINK
OF SHINTO SPECIFICALLY AS A RELIGION - IT IS
SIMPLY AN ASPECT OF JAPANESE LIFE
This has enabled Shinto to coexist happily with
Buddhism for centuries.
3. Shinto
● Shinto, meaning "the way of the gods", is Japan's indigenous
religion and is practiced by about 83% of the population.
● participating in certain aspects of Shinto is generally
considered enough for association.
● Shinto has no single founder and no canon, but the Nihongi
and Kojiki contain a record of Japanese mythology
● Originated in prehistoric times as a religion with a respect for
nature and for particular sacred sites. These sites may have
originally been used to worship the sun, rock formations,
trees, and even sounds. Each of these was associated with a
deity, or kami, and a complexpolytheistic religion developed.
● Individual Shinto sects, such as Tenrikyo and Konkokyo,
often have a unique dogma
4. Tenrikyo
● Tanno (Joyous Acceptance) – a constructive attitude towards
troubles, illness and difficulties without placing judgment on what
has happened in the past
● Juzen-no-Shugo – ten principles involved in the creation which
exist in Futatsu Hitotsu (two-in-one relationships), these principles
are considered to be applied continuously throughout the universe
● In Tenrikyo there are three successive levels of understanding of
the nature of God: the first is Kami, which is God as understood in
everyday terms; the second is Tsukihi (lit. Moon Sun), or God as
the creator of nature and natural laws; and lastly Oya (Parent), or
God as the parent of human beings.
● Reincarnation is part of the religion in the form of denaoshi,
5. Konkokyo
● worships God under the name of Tenchi Kane No Kami, Ikigami
Konkō Daijin, the Golden God of Heaven and Earth. Tenchi Kane
No Kami is also referred to as Kami, or the Parent God.
● everything is seen as being in profound interrelation with each
other.
● God is not seen as distant or residing in heaven, but present within
this world.
● The universe is perceived to be the body of the Parent God.
Suffering is seen as being caused by individual disregard of the
relationship between all things.
● Konkokyo's beliefs center around the betterment of human life
in this world by gratitude, apologising, mutual help and prayer.
In this way, everybody can join their hearts with God to
become Ikigami, a living God. It is believed that after death, all
beings return to God. The spirits of the deceased do not pass
on to a heaven or a hell, but remain in this world, in unity with
Tenchi Kane No Kami.
6. FYI - SHINTO
-Coexistence with other religions
Vatican proclamation in 1936 allowed Japanese Catholics to
participate in Shinto ceremonies, on the grounds that these were
merely civil rites of "filial reverence toward the Imperial Family
and to the heroes of the country".
-Yasukuni shrine (peaceful country)
honours 2.5 million Japanese soldiers, including convicted war
criminals such as former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who was
executed after World War II.
8. Islam
"The Japanese government does not keep
any statistics on the number of Muslims in
Japan. Neither foreign residents nor ethnic
Japanese are ever asked about their religion
by official government agencies".
9. Islam
● FYI- July 11,2013(article date)July 2, 2013 Ramadan began, Tokyo
Camii (the largest mosque in japan) begin providing free "IFTAR
(evening meals) to 200 visitors, regardless of religion, to introduce
residents to Islamic Culture
● AZAN -prayer recited at dusk before every prayer to let people
know it is going to start
● Islam was firstly known to Japanese people in 1877 as a part of
Western religious thought. Around the same time the life of prophet
Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was translated into
Japanese
● If a Japanese woman marries a Muslim, she will be considered an
outcast by her social and familial environment
11. FYI - KAMI
Ebisu
A kami who brings prosperity. Originally the abandoned leech-
child of Izanami and Izanagi.
Hachiman
Traditionally the god of archery and war.
Izanami - Izanagi
The two kami who gave birth to Japan.
Konpira/Kompira
Now the kami of safety at sea, but originally a Buddhist deity.
Protects sailors, fishermen, and merchant shipping.
12. FYI - KAMI
Susanoo
The kami of the wind, or the storm-god, who both causes and
protects from disasters. The brother of Amaterasu.
Tenjin
The kami of education, originally the Japanese scholar
Sugawara no Michizane (845-903 CE). Parents and children
often ask Tenjin to grant them success in exams.
