Shinto: The Way of Kami Photo from

Shinto basics Shinto is the worship of kami, spirits which inhabit particular natural places. Shinto followers visit shrines on an as-needed basis to pray for help. Shimenawa prayer ropes are decorated with paper and hung near altars and shrines to help purify them. org/wiki/File:Kamidana.jpg

Shinto history Shinto is the ancient religion of the Japanese people. It has existed since at least 400 B.C.E. The center of worship is the shrine at Ise for Amaterasu. wiki/File:Priest_at_Dazaifu_Te nmagu_shrine_1.JPG

Shinto scriptures There is no definitive Shinto scripture, but two of my sources pointed to collected ancient tales of the Japanese, including the creation story The Kojiki, featuring Amaterasu, the sun goddess. The Emergence of Amaterasu (public domain image from Sacred Text Archive, sacred- texts.com/shi/kj/ index.htm

Shinto history Izanagi and Izanami, two kami, are believed to have created the islands of Japan and all of the kami. The Japanese emperor is believed to be descended from Amaterasu, and other kami were associated with ruling clans. shi/kj/index.htm

Shinto history When Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the 5th century, the Japanese realized they had a native religion and Shinto became more organized. Many Buddhist and Shinto temples and shrines combined. mmons/thumb/e/e9/A_scene_of_a_shinto _shrine_dance,_kagura.jpg/800px

Shinto history In the 1800’s, the Meiji government decided to make all shrines into Shinto shrines. Buddhist priests had to grow their hair long and become Shinto priests.

Shinto history State Shinto became a vehicle to promote obedience to the emperor in the decades leading up to World War II, and preaching at shrines was not allowed. /en

Shinto misperceptions After World War II, State Shinto was dismantled, and Shrine Shinto was established. Although the emperor still practices Shinto privately, the religion is otherwise separate from the government. reviews-b50100-Tokyo-Meiji_Jingu_ Shrine.html

Shinto shrines (Right) A Shinto priest poses by a set of Torii gates at the entrance to a shrine. /wiki/File:Shinto_shrine.PNG (Left) Here is a small Shinto shrine near Mt. Fuji.

Shinto shrines Mikoshi boxes believed to contain the local kami are housed at the shrine. These are the mikoshi at the Yasaka shrine in Kyoto. YasakaShrine3.jpg

Shinto rituals Purification rituals are very important in Shinto. In this photo from 1906, a family cleans house to prepare for the New Year celebration.

Shinto rituals A household altar is prepared for the New Year celebration with gifts of sake and food for the kami. Some Japanese homes have a Buddhist altar and a Shinto altar. Shinto altars are placed near the front door to keep away evil spirits. /imgres?imgurl= me.att.ne.jp/wind/marcy/ vicky/gallery/sh

Shinto rituals Visitors wash their hands and mouths to purify themselves before entering a shrine. Basin7406.jpg

Shinto rituals Visitors may purchase omijuki, fortunes written on slips of paper. If the fortune is bad luck, it is tied to a rope or branch at the shrine to send the bad luck away. go/RikdzKaxR9I/AAAAAAAAAgE/lj Bq34a9nRk/s1600-h/DSC06295.JPG

Shinto rituals Ema (prayer boards) are hung up at the shrine for the kami. wikimedia.org/

Shinto rituals This hyakudo-ishi (hundred times stone) stands in front of the entrance to a Shinto shrine. ShintoShrineHyakudoIshiM0872.jpg

Shinto observances This is a Shinto wedding. Some Japanese couples choose to get married in more than one religious tradition. s?imgurl= ner.com/blog/2008/Mar08/Toky o_ShintoWedding.JPG

Shinto observances This is a funeral from the 1890s. During the Meiji period, Buddhist funerals were mandated, although there previously had been Shinto funerals. 9/meiji-funeral

Shinto festivals Shinto followers carry a mikoshi believed to house their local kami during a festival. Mikoshi are kept at the local shrine. This is from the Houjidou Godai Matsuri in Odawara, Japan. images3/devotees2.jpg

Shinto festivals During the Gion Matsuri, held each July in Kyoto, men pull 12-ton floats and musicians on the floats entertain the crowd. The festival is for the moon kami, Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, and commemorates the praying to the kami in Kyoto during a plague in 869 C.E. photos/424/gion-matsuri

Shinto festivals Yoshino Kurashige and her family celebrated her festival, although they are Christian. Children pray for protection and healthy growth from the kami.

Shinto today Hayao Miyazaki films feature Shinto kami. In “Spirited Away,” for example, a river spirit takes the form of a boy and a fox/dragon. thecia. com.au/ reviews/s/ spirited- away. shtml

Sources Chamberlain, Basil, trans. The Kojiki Internet Sacred Texts Archive. Accessed Oct. 5, 2009 from Holtom, Daniel C., “A New Interpretation of Japanese Mythology and its Bearing on the Ancestral Theory of Shinto.” The Journal of Religion, 6:1 (Jan., 1926), pp Accessed Oct. 1, 2009 via Rebecca Crown Library, Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois from JSTOR. Kenji, Ueda. “Contemporary Social Change and Shinto Tradition.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. Accessed Oct. 3, 2009, from u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/jjrs/pdf/101.pdf via the Directory of Open Access Journals. u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/jjrs/pdf/101.pdf Kitagawa, Joseph M. “Some Remarks on Shinto.” History of Religions. 27:3 (Feb. 1988), p Accessed Oct. 1, 2009 via Rebecca Crown Library, Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois from JSTOR. Old Photos of Japan website. Accessed Oct. 7, 2009 from “Shintoism.” The Encyclopedia of Religion. Lindsey Jones, ed. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. New York: Thomson Gale, p “Shinto.” Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, p