Shinto is the oldest religion in Japan. It is animistic and believes supernatural forces reside in natural objects like mountains, trees, and animals. Shinto worship focuses on nature and ancestors. There is no sense of transcendence, as all is part of nature. Shrines are important places of worship that house kami, which can be natural objects or legendary people. Visitors make offerings and prayers at shrines. Japanese Buddhism incorporated elements of Indian Buddhism and developed various sects like Zen Buddhism, which uses meditation and koans. Home altars honor ancestors and include Buddhist images and scriptures.

1. World Religions
Shinto &
Japanese Buddhism

2. Shinto – Overview
• The oldest and most common faith in Japan
• Very animistic
– Believe that supernatural forces reside in natural
objects: mountains, trees, animals, etc.
– People see themselves as part of the total landscape,
and part of the world of spiritual forces
– Gods did not come from above but from over the
horizon, or from another forest
– Worship of two major things: (1) Nature, (2) Ancestors
(Kamis – dead people)
• Ancestors can be good or pernicious Kamis

3. Shinto – Overview
• No sense of transcendence --- all part of nature
and on the same level --- all blends together
because all is sacred
• Nihonshoki: the oldest literary work containing the
teachings of Shinto
• Until 1945 the emperor was considered semi-
divine and learning Shinto was mandatory. Today,
instruction is voluntary, even in state-run schools

4. Shinto – Overview
• Shrines are very important, each having a reason
for its existence
• Commitment to the emperor and the shrines was a
major factor in the radical commitment and brutal
acts of Japanese soldiers during WW II
– Normal moral standards were set aside for the idea
that the land, shrines, and emperor must be
represented and protected

5. Shinto – Overview
• The god or Kami of the shrine may be a natural
object or a legendary person
• At the shrine visitors
– toss a coin into the offering box
– pull a rope on a clanger
– clap hands twice
– bow in prayer
– leave
• The sounds made are to notify the Kami of
their presence

6. Shinto – Overview
• Three types of shrines
– Those of purely local interest that house a local
Kami
– Those intended to help in winning business
success
– Those of national importance: i.e. the emperor
shrines or the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, which
honors the war dead

7. Shinto Practice
• Much of Shinto practice is purely individual
– Individuals visit shrines to make offerings before
journeys or entering various enterprises
– Families visit shrines together as a joint activity
– New-borns are brought to shrines to insure good health
– Shrines are visited at New Year and other holidays
• Festivals are important
-- Festivals are often like fairs with stalls and sideshows
-- Floats are common (often pulled by men in loin
cloths and loaded with sake)

8. Japanese Buddhism
• Came to Japan c. 6th century AD
• Established as the national religion by Prince Shotoku (c. 622
AD)
• In late 1200s, Zen masters Eisai and Dogen built schools to
their discipline, teaching mental training by “koans” (puzzling or
paradoxical statements used to aid meditation), and seated
meditation in the enlightenment position of the Buddha
• Japanese Buddhism is varied, including 17 Shingon sects, 9
Tendai Sects, 16 Zen sects, 10 Pure Land sects, etc.

9. Japanese Buddhism
• Altars are located in the homes
• These normally contain:
 A buddhist image
 Tablets commemorating ancestors
 Booklet with Scriptures
 A place for incense and other items
In the morning a small piece of food is
placed on the altar, a passage is recited,
and a stick of incense is lit
Flower festival in April
Festival of the 47 masterless Samurai who
avenged the forced suicide of their master