SHINTOISM

AND
HINDUISM

CULTURE AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

NAME: BHAVANI U K
USN: 1JA18AT007
6TH SEM ‘A’ SECTION
SHINTOISM

• Shinto also termed kami-

no-michi, is a religion
which originated in Japan.
• Classified as an East Asian
religion.
• Practitioners often regard it
as Japan's indigenous
religion and as a nature
religion.
• Scholars sometimes call its
practitioners Shintoists,
although adherents rarely • Shinto does not have a founder, nor does it have sacred scriptures like the sutras or
use that term themselves. the Bible. Propaganda and preaching are not common either, because Shinto is
• There is no central deeply rooted in the Japanese people and traditions.
authority in control of
Shinto and much diversity • "Shinto gods" are called kami. They are sacred spirits which take the form of things
exists among practitioners. and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and
fertility. Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as
ancestral kami. The kami of extraordinary people are even enshrined at some
shrines. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu is considered Shinto's most important kami.
• Shinto shrines are the places of This concept of Makoto is
worship and the homes of IMPURITY important to the core
kami. beliefs of Shintoism. If
goodness and sincerity are
• Most shrines celebrate not in your heart, all the
festivals (matsuri) regularly in acts are pointless. Sincerity
order to show the kami the is the grounding of all
ethical thought and
outside world. PURITY behavior.
• Shinto priests perform Shinto
Wrestlers sprinkle salt as
rituals and often live on the purification
shrine grounds.
• Men and women can become FOCUS
priests, and they are allowed to SINCERE-
ON BELIEFS
marry and have children. ITY
PRESENT
• Priests are aided by younger
women (miko) during rituals
and shrine tasks. Miko wear
white kimono, must be HARMONY
unmarried, and are often the FESTIVALS WITH
priests' daughters.
NATURE

Fire purifying festival A Shinto house

 A SHINTO RITUAL
The conventional order of events in many
Shinto festival rituals is as follows:
Senses 1.Purification - this takes place before the
main ceremony
Language Mind 2.Adoration - bowing to the altar
Purification: Miscanthus ring Adoration by priests 3.Opening of the sanctuary
Pleasing
Kami 4.Presentation of food offerings

Aesthetic 5.Prayers
Sounds elements 6.Music and dance
7.Offerings - these are symbolic and
consist of twigs of a sacred tree bearing
Any Shinto ritual is
conducted to please of white paper
Purification: Waterfall bath Food offerings
the Kami through
these mediums

Purpose: To obtain
blessings for
personal goals,
festivals and such.

Main prayer Altar Music and Dance ritual Offerings in front of Main hall
 Imperial
TYPES OF SHINTO SHRINES
Shrine
Of thousands of types of Shrines across Japan, the Main types are:
Imperial Shrines: These are the shrines which were directly funded and administered by the government during
the era of State Shinto. They include many of Shinto's most important shrines such as the Ise Shrines, Izumo Shrine
and Atsuta Shrine, and a number of shrines newly built during the Meiji Period, such as Tokyo's Meiji Shrine and Inari shrine
Kyoto's Heian Shrine. Imperial shrines can be recognized by the imperial family's chrysanthemum crest and by the
fact that they are often called "jingu" rather than "jinja".

Inari Shrines: Inari Shrines are dedicated to Inari, the kami of rice. They can be recognized by fox statues, as the
fox is considered the messenger of Inari. There are thousands of Inari Shrines across Japan, among which Kyoto's Hachiman
Fushimi Inari Shrine is most famous.
shrine
Hachiman Shrines : Hachiman Shrines are dedicated to Hachiman, the kami of war, which used to be particularly
popular among the leading military clans of the past. Of Japan's thousands of Hachiman Shrines, the most famous is
probably Kamakura's Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, while their head shrine is Usa Shrine on Kyushu. Tenjin shrine
Tenjin Shrines: Tenjin Shrines are dedicated to the kami of Sugawara Michizane, a Heian Period scholar and
politician. They are particularly popular among students preparing for entrance exams. Tenjin Shrines can be
recognized by ox statues and plum trees, Michizane's favorite trees. The first and most famous Tenjin Shrine is
Dazaifu Tenmangu near Fukuoka.

Sengen Shrines : Sengen Shrines are dedicated to Princess Konohanasakuya, the Shinto deity of Mount Fuji. More Sengen shrine
than one thousand Sengen Shrines exist across Japan, with the head shrines standing at the foot and the summit of
Mount Fuji itself.

Shrines dedicated to the founders of powerful clans: Some powerful clans in Japanese history established
and dedicated shrines to their clans' founders. The most famous example are the several dozens of Toshogu Shrines
dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, including the famous Toshogu Shrine at Nikko. Another example is Kanazawa's
Toshogu
Oyama Shrine which is dedicated to Maeda Toshiie, the founder of the powerful, local Maeda clan.
shrine
Local Shrines: Many shrines are dedicated to local kami without association to other shrines.
• Shinto shrines were traditionally near
unusual "concentrations" of nature such A typical Shinto Shrine consists of the Torii, water basins for
as waterfalls, caves, rock formations, purification, a stage for performances and dance, the Haiden or outer
mountain tops, or forest glens, based on
the understanding that ‘Kami’ resides in shrine, the Main Prayer hall or Honden.
nature.

• Rather than buildings, shrines of the

earliest age were sacred precincts such
as mounds, groves, or caves.

• Rituals were held outdoors, among

natural surroundings, with no structure
for them.

• For example, the foremost ritual of Shinto

priests, the purification (harai) was done
with natural water sources such as
waterfalls, hot springs and rivers.

• As Shinto became more established in

Japanese society, people needed more
convenient access to worshipping the
kami, and shrine complexes were built
within villages and cities. More
convenient methods of conducting rituals
were adopted and led to the introduction
of the shrine complex with ceremonial
buildings in addition to the hall
enshrining the kami.
 THE FOLLOWING
STRUCTURES AND
OBJECTS CAN BE
TYPICALLY FOUND
AT A SHRINE:
Torii
One or more torii gates mark the
approach and entrance to a shrine.
They come in various colors and
are made of various materials.
Most torii, however are made of
wood, and many are painted
orange and black.
Komainu
Komainu are a pair of guardian dogs
or lions, often found on each side of
a shrine's entrance. In the case of
Inari Shrines, they are foxes rather
than dogs.
Main and offering hall
Depending on the shrine's
architecture style, the main hall
(honden) and offering hall
(haiden) are two separate
buildings or combined into one
building. The main hall's
innermost chamber contains the
shrine's sacred object, while
visitors make their prayers and
offerings at the offering hall
Purification trough
Found near the entrance,
the water of these
fountains is used for
purification. You are
supposed to clean your
hands and mouth before
approaching the main
hall (more details).
 THE FOLLOWING STRUCTURES AND OBJECTS CAN BE TYPICALLY FOUND AT A SHRINE:

Stage
Omikuji are fortune
Stages for telling paper slips. They
kagura dance contain predictions
or noh theater ranging from daikichi
performances ("great good luck") to
can be found daikyo ("great bad luck").
at some By tying the piece of paper
shrines. around a tree's branch, bad
fortune can be left behind.

Ema Shimenawa
Shrine visitors A shimenawa is a straw rope
write their with white zigzag paper
wishes on these strips (shide). It marks the
wooden plates boundary to something
and then leave sacred and can be found on
them at the torii gates, around sacred
shrine in the trees and stones, etc. Similar
hope that their rope is also worn by
wishes come yokozuna, the highest ranked
true. sumo wrestlers, during ritual
ceremonies.
 HINDUISM

• Hinduism is the world’s oldest

religion, according to many
scholars, with roots and customs
dating back more than 4,000
years.
• Today, with about 900 million
followers, Hinduism is the third-
largest religion behind
Christianity and Islam.
• Roughly 95 percent of the
world’s Hindus live in India.
• Because the religion has no • Many practitioners referred to the religion as Sanatana Dharma, which refers to
specific founder, it’s difficult to the idea that its origins lie beyond human history, as revealed in the Hindu texts.
trace its origins and history.
• Sanatana Dharma denotes duties (righteousness) performed according to one's
• Hinduism is unique in that it’s
not a single religion but a spiritual identity as Ātman. Sanatana Dharma is presently a large facet of the
compilation of many traditions collective synthesis of beliefs known as Hinduism. It often rejects previously
and philosophies. long-established socio-religious systems based on interpretations of sectarian
followers of an individual sant (saint).
 FEW ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS
• Hinduism is a diverse system of thought marked by a range of philosophies and shared THAT ARE TO BE
concepts, rituals, cosmological systems, pilgrimage sites and shared textual sources that UNDERSTOOD BEFORE
discuss theology, metaphysics, mythology, Vedic yajna, yoga, agamic rituals, and temple STUDYING A HINDU
building, among other topics.
TEMPLE
• Hindu beliefs include the four Puruṣārthas, the proper goals or aims of human life; namely,
dharma (ethics/duties), artha (prosperity/work), kama (desires/passions), moksha
(liberation/freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth/salvation), karma (action, intent
and consequences) and samsara (cycle of death and rebirth).

• Hinduism prescribes the eternal duties, such as honesty, refraining from injuring living
beings (Ahiṃsā), patience, forbearance, self-restraint, virtue, and compassion, among
others.

• Hindu practices include rituals such as puja (worship) and recitations, japa, meditation
(dhyāna), family-oriented rites of passage, annual festivals, and occasional pilgrimages.
Along with the practice of various yogas, some Hindus leave their social world and
material possessions and engage in lifelong Sannyasa (monasticism) in order to achieve
Moksha.

• Hinduism has no central doctrinal authority and many practicing Hindus do not claim to
belong to any denomination or tradition. Four major denominations are, however, used in
scholarly studies: Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism and Smarthism. These denominations
differ primarily in the central deity worshipped, the traditions and the soteriological
outlook.
• Hindu temple architecture reflects a synthesis of arts, the ideals of dharma,
beliefs, values and the way of life cherished under Hinduism.

• The temple is a place for Tirtha—pilgrimage.

• All the cosmic elements that create and celebrate life in Hinduism, are present in
a Hindu temple—from fire to water, from images of nature to deities, from the
feminine to the masculine, from kama to artha, from the fleeting sounds and
incense smells to Purusha—the eternal nothingness yet universality—is part of a
Hindu temple architecture.

• The form and meanings of architectural elements in a Hindu temple are designed
to function as the place where it is the link between man and the divine, to help
his progress to spiritual knowledge and truth, his liberation it calls moksha.

• A Hindu temple is a symmetry-driven structure, with many variations, on a square

grid of padas, depicting perfect geometric shapes such as circles and squares.

• The underlying principle in a Hindu temple is built around the belief that all
things are one, everything is connected.

• The pilgrim is welcomed through mathematically structured spaces, a network of

art, pillars with carvings and statues that display and celebrate the four important
and necessary principles of human life—the pursuit of artha (prosperity, wealth),
the pursuit of kama (desire), the pursuit of dharma (virtues, ethical life) and the
pursuit of moksha (release, self-knowledge).
• The sanctuary as whole is known as the Vimana that
consists of two parts. The upper part of the Vimana is
called as the Sikhara and the lower portion inside the
Vimana is called as the Garbhagriha (cella or inner
chamber).
• ‘Sikhara’ meaning the tower or the spire. It is the
pyramidal or tapering portion of the temple which
represents the mythological ‘Meru’ or the highest
mountain peak.
• The shape and the size of the tower vary from region
to region.
• ‘Garbhagriha’ meaning the womb chamber. It is
nucleus and the innermost chamber of the temple
where the image or idol of the deity is placed. The
chamber is mostly square in plan and is entered by a
doorway on its eastern side. The visitors are not
allowed inside the garbhagriha in most of the
temples, only the priests perform the rituals and
worship.
• ‘Pradakshina patha’ meaning the ambulatory
passageway for circumambulation.
• It consists of enclosed corridor carried around the
outside of garbhagriha. The devotees walk around
the deity in clockwise direction as a worship ritual
and symbol of respect to the temple god or goddess.
• ‘Mandapa’, is the pillared hall in front of the garbhagriha, for the assembly of the devotees. It is used by the devotees to sit,
pray, chant, meditate and watch the priests performing the rituals. It is also known as ‘Natamandira’ meaning temple hall of
dancing, where in olden days ritual of music and dance was performed.
• In some of the earlier temples the mandapa was an isolated and separate structure from the sanctuary.
• ‘Antarala’ meaning the vestibule or the intermediate chamber. It unites the main sanctuary and the pillared hall of the temple.
• ‘Ardhamandapa’ meaning the front porch or the main entrance of the temple leading to the mandapa.
• ‘Gopurams’ meaning the monumental and ornate tower at the entrance of the temple complex, specially found in south India.
• ‘Pitha’ the plinth or the platform of the temple.
• ‘Toranas’ the typical gateway of the temple mostly found in north Indian temple and 2.10. The Amalaka the fluted disc like
stone placed at the apex of the sikhara.
 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
SHINTOISM AND HINDUISM
• Based on the idea that nature is God- ‘Kami’, and worship • Most forms of Hinduism are henotheistic, which means they
nature in various forms worship a single deity, known as “Brahman,” but still
recognize other gods and goddesses. Followers believe
• Has no sacred scriptures
there are multiple paths to reaching their god.
• Believes that Kami is a sacred spirit that takes the form of
• Has many sacred scriptures: The Vedas, Puranas,
concepts important to life: wind, space, fire, water, trees,
Upanishads, sutras.
mountains.
• Believes the concepts of Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha, and
• Believes that humans become Kami after death and are
Samsara: where Samsara is birth and rebirth, whereas
revered as ancestral Kami.
Moksha is the liberation of the soul after death and is
• A typical Shinto Shrine consists of the Torii, water basins hardest to achieve.
for purification, a stage for performances and dance, the
• The typical temple consists of Ardha mantapa, maha
Haiden or outer shrine, the Main Prayer hall or Honden.
mantapa, antarala, garbha griha, pradakshina patha,
• In contrast to many monotheistic religions, there are no trancept, jagati, subsidiary smaller temples.
absolutes in Shinto. There is no absolute right and wrong,
• Hinduism prescribes the eternal duties, such as honesty,
and nobody is perfect. Shinto is an optimistic faith, as
refraining from injuring living beings (Ahiṃsā), patience,
humans are thought to be fundamentally good, and evil is
forbearance, self-restraint, virtue, and compassion, among
believed to be caused by evil spirits. Consequently, the
others
purpose of most Shinto rituals is to keep away evil spirits
by purification, prayers and offerings to the kami.