SHINTOISM

1. Introduction

Shintoism is considered as the very essence of Japanese devotion to unseen spiritual beings and powers.
It is a very local kind of religion in that it is focused on the land of Japan, hence an “ethnic religion”.
Shintoism espouses the belief that “human beings are basically good and has no concept of original sin.”
Unlike other religions, it has no known founder nor god, and it may be practiced with other religions such as
Buddhism and Daoism.

The picture shows the Itsukushima shrine,

one of the most visited places in Japan.
Shrines are an important aspect in Shintoism,
considered as the main religion in Japan
which is more closely associated to the
Japanese way of life and traditions.
Shinto belief in kami or spirits is reflected in
the numerous shrines they have built to honor
the spirits which they believe can be found in nature, and which still guide their everyday lives by giving
them good fortune and prosperity.
In return, the Japanese people have to perform the necessary rituals to appease the spirits surrounding
them.

Purification is a key concept in Shintoism, that is why much of their rituals make use of water for cleansing
purposes.
Ancestor worship is also an important aspect of Shintoism, as well as showing reverence to forces of nature,
and because Shintoism is considered more as way of life than a religion, it has co-existed with other
religions in Japan, such as Buddhism and Confucianism.
In fact, Shintoism has become so entrenched with the way of life of the Japanese people that most of them
would perform Shinto rituals like worshipping at the shrines while not identifying themselves as Shintoists.

2. Symbol
The Torii Gate is the most common symbol for Shintoism.
It marks the entrance to a sacred space which is the Shinto shrine.
It represents the transition between the world of humans and the world
of the gods and goddesses. It is believed to help prepare the visitor for
their interaction with the spirits by signifying the sacredness of the
location.

3. Sacred Scriptures
The Kojiki and Nihongi are considered as sacred scriptures on Shinto, although they are not exclusively
about Shinto; they also contain extensive information on Buddhism and Confucianism.
These books, which are compilations of ancient myths and traditional teachings, are considered to have a
dual purpose: a political as well as a moral purpose.
Its political purpose is to establish the supremacy of Japan over all countries in the world by legitimizing the
divine authority of the ruling families and to establish the political supremacy of the Yamato.

Its moral purpose is to explain the relationship between the kami and human beings by establishing that the
Japanese are a special people chosen by the kami, who have many human-like characteristics.
It also emphasizes purification as both a creative and cleansing act.
Death is considered as the ultimate impurity.
Kojiki

As one of the most important texts on Shintoism, Kojiki is composed of three books:
the first is the age of kami, which narrates the mythology,
the second and third books discuss the imperial lineage, narrating the events concerning the imperial family
up to the death of the thirty-third ruler, Empress Suiko.
The third book is concerned mainly with revolts and love stories of successive rulers intertwined in a song-
story format.
After providing rich information about what transpired up to the reign of Emperor Kenzo, genealogy of each
imperial family was discussed.

Nihon shoki/Nihongi

Meanwhile, the Nihon shoki or Nihongi records the descent of the Yamato rulers of Japan from the gods.
It represents a combination of a political purpose with folklores and myths. It is significant in the restructuring
of Japan by the Yamato rulers, even in the naming of the country as Nippon. It is considered as Japan’s first
official history which was completed after 39 years and compiled by Jimmu Tenno’s third son, Prince Toneri,
along with numerous bureaucrats and historians. It is composed of 30 books, the first two of which discuss
the “age of the kami” while the remaining books chronicle the events pertaining to the rulers up to the 41st
emperor.

The stories in the Kojiki and Nihongi provide the Japanese people with a sense of pride, for these scriptures
narrate how their rulers were descended from the gods, and how their race was descended from the gods
as well.
Some would even interpret that the whole of humanity descended from the two deities (Izanagi and
Izanami), thereby creating a sense of superiority among the Japanese people. We can also see in the
creation story the concept of dualism in Shinto, as shown by Izanagi as the sky god, and Izanami as the
earth mother, as well as with Amaterasu as the benevolent child and her brother Susa-no-Wo-no-Mikoto as
performing evil acts. The political legitimacy this myth provides the ruling families of Japan as well as the
sense of pride it provides the Japanese people have made the Japanese people develop a strong sense of
nationalism.

4. Worship and Observances

Unlike other religions, Shintoism has no weekly service; instead, people visit shrines at their own
convenience.
They hold most of their rituals at the shrines, which they believe are the abode of the kami or spirits.
At first, shrines were normal things that can be found in nature such as mountains, rivers, trees, rocks, etc.,
but later on they built shrines dedicated to their deities.
For Shintoists, the performance of rituals will give them the blessings they expect from the kami. Below are
some of the rituals performed by the Shintoists.

Shinto Rites of Passage

Below are the rites of passage observed by the Shintoists from birth to death:

a. Hatsumiyamairi (First Shrine Visit). Newborn children are taken to the shrine to seek protection from the
kami; traditionally, the newborn is taken by the grandmother because the mother is deemed impure from
childbirth; the ritual takes place on the second day after birth for a boy, and third day for a girl;
b. Shichi-go-san (Seven-Five-Three). Festival observed every 15th of November by boys of five years and girls
of three and seven years of age, who visit the shrine to give thanks for the protection provided by the kami
and to ask for their healthy growth;
c. Adult’s Day (Seijin Shiki). Observed every 15th of January by the Japanese who had their 20th birthday the
previous year by visiting the shrine to express gratitude to the kami (20 being the legal age of adulthood in
Japan)
d. Wedding Rites. Patterned after the wedding of Crown Prince Yoshihito and Princess Sado in 1900;
e. Funeral rites. Since death is considered impure, most Japanese funerals are Buddhist in nature; Shintoism’s
funeral practices are called sosai.

Ritual Purification (Meditative Practices)

The Japanese observe the misogi, or ablutions (the act of washing one’s
body part or part of it, usually for religious purposes) which are considered
as very ancient ceremonies performed after funeral ceremonies, when all
members of the family go into the water together to cleanse themselves in
a purification bath.
Today, this can be done privately with water and salt, or ith water alone. Its
purpose is to cleanse the body of minor contaminations associated with the dead.
Worship and Observances: Ritual Purification (Meditative Practices)
Another form of purification rites is the harai or exorcism (the
expulsion of an evil spirit from a person or place), performed
usually by a priest by swinging a purification wand over the
people and the objects to be exorcised.
Another is the imi or abstentions (the act of restraining oneself
from indulging in something), which are practices performed
against impurity.

5. BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES

KAMI WORSHIP
Shintoism is a religion which revolves around the belief in and worship of kami or spirits. Scholars agree that
the concept of kami is difficult to explain, and that even the Japanese themselves who are Shinto believers
cannot provide a definite definition of kami.
According to the Japanese scholar, Motoori Norinaga:
“I do not yet understand the meaning of the term, kami. Speaking in general, however, it may be said that
kami signifies, in the first place, the deities of heaven and earth that appear in the ancient records and also
the spirits of the shrines where they are worshipped. It is hardly necessary to say that it includes human
beings. It also includes such objects as birds, beasts, trees, plants, seas, mountains, and so forth. In ancient
usage, anything whatsoever which was outside the ordinary, which possessed superior power or which was
awe-inspiring was called kami. Eminence here does not refer merely to the superiority of nobility, goodness
or meritorious deeds. Evil and mysterious things, if they are extraordinary and dreadful, are called kami.”

To Norinaga, even the successive generations of emperors can be called kami since for the ordinary people,
they are far-separated, majestic, and worthy of reverence. However, the kami is not exclusive to the nobility
alone; for in every village and even in every family, there are human beings who can be considered as kami.
Even things such as thunder and echo can also be considered as kami, as well as animals such as tigers
and wolves. Among the deities considered as kami, were Izanagi, the sky father, and Izanami, the earth
mother.

In Shintoism, people are regarded as superior beings and everyone is considered a potential kami whose
life on earth is destined to be filled with blessings. In that sense, Shintoism can be considered to have an
optimistic view of human nature (“people are basically good and have no concept of original sin”), hence it
motivates people to accept life as it is and expect that life will be filled with blessings if only they will practice
the necessary rituals and possess the right attitude.
 As for the nature of kami, they are not all-powerful but believed to possess human traits, hence they may
behave badly. Like human beings, they enjoy entertainment such as dance, music, etc.
Kami can also refer to beings or to qualities which beings possess, hence kami may possess good or evil
characteristics.
Kami is roughly translated to English as “spirits,” but they are more than invisible beings, and they are best
understood by Shinto followers through faith. Kami are numerous and can appear anywhere, and believed to
have existed even before the Japanese islands were created.

In general, kami may be classified into three types: the ujigami or clan ancestors; kami who reside in
elements and forces of nature; and the souls of exceptional human beings who died.

CONCEPT OF PURE AND IMPURE

Shintoism does not have a clear distinction between what is right and what is wrong.
It is very important in Shintoism to maintain physical, external, and material purity. For example, blood is
regarded as impure. Shintoism strongly disapproved of the pollution of blood. Women who menstruate are
considered impure, as well as women after child-birth, and have to be isolated for a definite period of time.
Even at present, in some remote areas of Japan, the aforementioned women are prohibited from living
together with their family and sharing meals with them. They built houses where women who have their
period or who have recently given birth are expected to live alone and cook their own food. In these so-
called “menstruation houses” (called Taya), visitations by men were prohibited.

CONCEPT OF DEATH

Death is considered as the worst form of impurity in Shintoism. When a person dies, his or her body is
considered as the most impure thing. That is why they perform ritual bathing after a funeral ceremony
wherein all family members do a ritual bathing in the river. Also, it is believed that the Shinto kami greatly
dislike death, that those who have been in contact with the dead are prohibited from participating in the rites
performed at the shrines. They are considered as impure and cannot participate in the rites for 30 days after
contact with a dead body; seven days after child-birth; and five days after contact with the death of certain
domestic animals

Furthermore, those who paid a visit to the dead or participated in memorial services cannot visit the Imperial
Palace, and even those who miscarried after more than a four-month pregnancy cannot participate in the rite
for a certain number of days. Even the mere mention of the term “death” was taboo at the Great Shrine of
Ise and the Kamo Shrine in Kyoto.

Although death is considered as the ultimate manifestation of impurity, death is not to be feared of according
to Shintoism; Shintoists believe that death is but the continuation of life, and that even if one dies he or she
will continue to receive the blessings of the kami. However, the dead live in the world of darkness while the
living live in the world of light. But they believe that even the dead are allowed to visit the world of the living
and this happens during Shinto festivals.

DE/VIRTUE

The way to appease the kami or the spirits, according to Shinto, is through purification.
Proper observance of rituals is necessary in order to purify oneself and be deserving of the blessings from
the deities. Living in harmony with nature, which is inhabited by the kami or spirits, is encouraged.
In line with this, Shintoists value the virtues of beauty, truth, goodness, and morality. Sincerity in everything
that we do is also valued, for it implies a pure heart. To achieve this, purity rituals often involve cleansing
with water, such as rinsing the mouth, washing the hands, taking a bath, standing under waterfalls, and it is
better if these activities are performed at the shrine. Hence, cleanliness is also valued by the Shintoists for it
is through cleansing that purity can be achieved.