2022/10/26

Shinto - Wikipedia kami

Shinto - Wikipedia

Shinto

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The torii gateway to the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, one of the most famous examples of torii in the country.[1] Torii mark the entrance to Shinto shrines and are recognizable symbols of the religion.

Shinto (Japanese神道romanizedShintō), or Shintoism, is a religion that started in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners Shintoists, although adherents rarely use that term themselves. Shinto has no central authority in control and much diversity exists among practitioners.

Shinto is polytheistic and revolves around the kami, supernatural entities believed to inhabit all things. The link between the kami and the natural world has led to Shinto being considered animistic. The kami are worshiped at kamidana household shrines, family shrines, and jinja public shrines. The latter are staffed by priests, known as kannushi, who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific kami enshrined at that location. This is done to cultivate harmony between humans and kami and to solicit the latter's blessing. Other common rituals include the kagura dances, rites of passage, and seasonal festivals. Public shrines facilitate forms of divination and supply religious objects, such as amulets, to the religion's adherents. Shinto places a major conceptual focus on ensuring purity, largely by cleaning practices such as ritual washing and bathing, especially before worship. Little emphasis is placed on specific moral codes or particular afterlife beliefs, although the dead are deemed capable of becoming kami. The religion has no single creator or specific doctrine, and instead exists in a diverse range of local and regional forms.

Although historians debate at what point it is suitable to refer to Shinto as a distinct religion, kami veneration has been traced back to Japan's Yayoi period (300 BCE to 300 CE), although it has been suggested that the concept may be older than that. Buddhism entered Japan at the end of the Kofun period (300 to 538 CE) and spread rapidly. Religious syncretization made kami worship and Buddhism functionally inseparable, a process called shinbutsu-shūgō. The kami came to be viewed as part of Buddhist cosmology and were increasingly depicted anthropomorphically. The earliest written tradition regarding kami worship was recorded in the 8th-century Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. In ensuing centuries, shinbutsu-shūgō was adopted by Japan's Imperial household. During the Meiji era (1868 to 1912), Japan's nationalist leadership expelled Buddhist influence from kami worship and formed State Shinto, which some historians regard as the origin of Shinto as a distinct religion. Shrines came under growing government influence, and citizens were encouraged to worship the emperor as a kami. With the formation of the Japanese Empire in the early 20th century, Shinto was exported to other areas of East Asia. Following Japan's defeat in World War II, Shinto was formally separated from the state.

Shinto is primarily found in Japan, where there are around 100,000 public shrines, although practitioners are also found abroad. Numerically, it is Japan's largest religion, the second being Buddhism. Most of the country's population takes part in both Shinto and Buddhist activities, especially festivals, reflecting a common view in Japanese culture that the beliefs and practices of different religions need not be exclusive. Aspects of Shinto have been incorporated into various Japanese new religious movements.

Definition[edit]

A torii gateway to the Yobito Shrine (Yobito-jinja) in Abashiri City, Hokkaido

There is no universally agreed definition of Shinto.[2] However, the authors Joseph Cali and John Dougill stated that if there was "one single, broad definition of Shinto" that could be put forward, it would be that "Shinto is a belief in kami", the supernatural entities at the centre of the religion.[3] The Japanologist Helen Hardacre stated that "Shinto encompasses doctrines, institutions, ritual, and communal life based on kami worship",[4] while the scholar of religion, Inoue Nobutaka, observed the term was "often used" in "reference to kami worship and related theologies, rituals and practices".[5] Various scholars have referred to practitioners of Shinto as Shintoists, although this term has no direct translation in the Japanese language.[6]

Scholars have debated at what point in history it is legitimate to start talking about Shinto as a specific phenomenon. The scholar of religion, Ninian Smart, suggested that one could "speak of the kami religion of Japan, which lived symbiotically with organized Buddhism, and only later was institutionalized as Shinto."[7] While various institutions and practices now associated with Shinto existed in Japan by the 8th century,[8] various scholars have argued that Shinto as a distinct religion was essentially "invented" during the 19th century, in Japan's Meiji era.[9] The scholar of religion, Brian Bocking, stressed that, especially when dealing with periods before the Meiji era, the term Shinto should "be approached with caution".[10] Inoue Nobutaka stated that "Shinto cannot be considered as a single religious system that existed from the ancient to the modern period",[11] while the historian, Kuroda Toshio, noted that "before modern times Shinto did not exist as an independent religion".[12]

Categorisation[edit]

Many scholars describe Shinto as a religion.[13] However, some practitioners prefer to view Shinto as a "way",[14] thus characterising it more as custom or tradition than religion,[15] partly as an attempt to circumvent the modern Japanese separation of religion and state while restoring Shinto's historical links with the Japanese state.[16] Moreover, religion as a concept arose in Europe and many of the connotations that the term has in Western culture "do not readily apply" to Shinto.[17] Unlike religions familiar in Western countries, such as Christianity and Islam, Shinto has no single founder,[18] nor any single canonical text.[19] Western religions tend to stress exclusivity, but in Japan, it has long been considered acceptable to practice different religious traditions simultaneously.[20] Japanese religion is therefore highly pluralistic.[21] Shinto is often cited alongside Buddhism as one of Japan's two main religions,[22] and the two often differ in focus, with Buddhism emphasising the idea of transcending the cosmos, which it regards as being replete with suffering, while Shinto focuses on adapting to the pragmatic requirements of life.[23] Shinto has integrated elements from religious traditions imported into Japan from mainland Asia, such as Buddhism, ConfucianismTaoism, and Chinese divination practices.[24] It bears many similarities with other East Asian religions, in particular through its belief in many deities.[25]

Some scholars suggest we talk about types of Shintō such as popular Shintō, folk Shintō, domestic Shintō, sectarian Shintō, imperial house Shintō, shrine Shintō, state Shintō, new Shintō religions, etc. rather than regard Shintō as a single entity. This approach can be helpful but begs the question of what is meant by 'Shintō' in each case, particularly since each category incorporates or has incorporated Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, folk religious and other elements.

— Scholar of religion Brian Bocking[26]

Scholars of religion have debated how to classify Shinto. Inoue considered it part of "the family of East-Asian religions".[27] The philosopher Stuart D. B. Picken suggested that Shinto be classed as a world religion,[28] while the historian H. Byron Earhart called it a "major religion".[29] In the early 21st century it became increasingly common for practitioners to call Shinto a nature religion.[30] It is also often described as an indigenous religion,[31] although this generates debates over the various different definitions of "indigenous" in the Japanese context.[32] The notion of Shinto as Japan's "indigenous religion" stemmed from the growth of modern nationalism in the Edo period to the Meiji era;[33] this view promoted the idea that Shinto's origins were prehistoric and that it represented something like the "underlying will of Japanese culture".[34] The prominent Shinto theologian Sokyo Ono, for instance, said kami worship was "an expression" of the Japanese "native racial faith which arose in the mystic days of remote antiquity" and that it was "as indigenous as the people that brought the Japanese nation into existence".[35] Many scholars regard this classification as inaccurate. Earhart noted that Shinto, in having absorbed much Chinese and Buddhist influence, was "too complex to be labelled simply [as an] indigenous religion".[29]

There is substantial local variation in how Shinto is practiced;[36] the anthropologist John K. Nelson noted it was "not a unified, monolithic entity that has a single center and system all its own".[32] Different types of Shinto have been identified. "Shrine Shinto" refers to the practices centred around shrines,[37] and "Domestic Shinto" to the ways in which kami are venerated in the home.[38] Some scholars have used the term "Folk Shinto" to designate localised Shinto practices,[39] or practices outside of an institutionalised setting.[32] In various eras of the past, there was also a "State Shinto", in which Shinto beliefs and practices were closely interlinked with the Japanese state.[37] In representing "a portmanteau term" for many varied traditions across Japan, the term "Shinto" is similar to the term "Hinduism", used to describe varied traditions across South Asia.[40]

Etymology[edit]

A torii gate at the Takachiho-gawara shrine near KirishimaKagoshima Prefecture, which is associated with the mythological tale of Ninigi-no-Mikoto's descent to earth.

The term Shinto is often translated into English as "the way of the kami",[41] although its meaning has varied throughout Japanese history.[42] Other terms are sometimes used synonymously with "Shinto"; these include kami no michi (神の道, "the way of the kami"), kannagara no michi (神ながらの道, also written 随神の道 or 惟神の道, "the way of the kami from time immemorial"), Kodō (古道, "the ancient way"), Daidō (大道, "the great way"), and Teidō (帝道, "the imperial way").[43]

The term Shinto derives from the combination of two Chinese characters: shen (), which means "spirit," and dao (), which means "way", "road" or "path".[44] "Shendao" (Chinese神道pinyinshéndàolit. 'the Way of the Gods') was a term already used in the Yijing referring to the divine order of nature.[45] Around the time of the spread of Buddhism in the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), it was used to distinguish indigenous Chinese religions from the imported religion. Ge Hong used it in his Baopuzi as a synonym for Taoism.[46]

The Chinese term Shendao was originally adopted into Japanese as Jindō;[47] this was possibly first used as a Buddhist term to refer to non-Buddhist deities.[48] Among the earliest known appearances of the term Shinto in Japan is in the 8th-century text, Nihon Shoki.[49] Here, it may be a generic term for popular belief,[50] or alternatively reference Taoism, as many Taoist practices had recently been imported from mainland Asia.[51] In these early Japanese uses, the word Shinto did not apply to a distinct religious tradition nor to anything uniquely Japanese;[52] the 11th century Konjaku monogatarishui for instance refers to a woman in China practicing Shinto, and also to people in India worshipping kami, indicating these terms were being used to describe religions outside Japan itself.[53]

In medieval Japan, kami-worship was generally seen as being part of Japanese Buddhism, with the kami themselves often interpreted as Buddhas.[54] At this point, the term Shinto increasingly referred to "the authority, power, or activity of a kami, being a kami, or, in short, the state or attributes of a kami."[55] It appears in this form in texts such as Nakatomi no harai kunge and Shintōshū tales.[55] In the Japanese Portuguese Dictionary of 1603, Shinto is defined as referring to "kami or matters pertaining to kami."[56] The term Shinto became common in the 15th century.[57] During the late Edo period, the kokugaku scholars began using the term Shinto to describe what they believed was an ancient, enduring and indigenous Japanese tradition that predated Buddhism; they argued that Shinto should be used to distinguish kami worship from traditions like Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.[58] This use of the term Shinto became increasingly popular from the 18th century.[10] The term Shinto has been commonly used only since the early 20th century, when it superseded the term taikyō ('great religion') as the name for the Japanese state religion.[40]

Beliefs[edit]

Kami[edit]

An artistic depiction by Utagawa Kuniyoshi of the kami Inari appearing to a man

Shinto is polytheistic, involving the veneration of many deities known as kami,[59] or sometimes as jingi.[60] As is often the case in Japanese, no distinction is made here between singular and plural, and hence the term kami refers both to individual kami and the collective group of kami.[61] 

  • Although lacking a direct English translation,[62] the term kami has sometimes been rendered as "god" or "spirit";[63] the historian of religion Joseph Kitagawa stated that these English translations were "quite unsatisfactory and misleading",[64] and various scholars urge against translating kami into English.[65] 
  • In Japanese, it is often said that there are eight million kami, a term which connotes an infinite number,[66] and Shinto practitioners believe that they are present everywhere.[4] They are not regarded as omnipotentomniscient, or necessarily immortal.[67]

  • The term kami is "conceptually fluid",[68] and "vague and imprecise".[69] In Japanese it is often applied to the power of phenomena that inspire a sense of wonder and awe in the beholder.[70] Kitagawa referred to this as "the kami nature", stating that he thought it "somewhat analogous" to the Western ideas of the numinous and the sacred.[64] 
  • Kami are seen to inhabit both the living and the dead, organic and inorganic matter, and natural disasters like earthquakes, droughts, and plagues;[3] their presence is seen in natural forces such as the wind, rain, fire, and sunshine.[39] 
  • Accordingly, Nelson commented that Shinto regards "the actual phenomena of the world itself" as being "divine".[71] 
  • The Shinto understanding of kami has also been characterised as being animistic.[72]

In Japan, kami have been venerated since prehistory,[4] and in the Yayoi period were regarded as being formless and invisible.[73] It was only under the influence of Buddhism that they were depicted anthropomorphically;[74] statues of the kami are known as shinzo.[75] Kami are usually associated with a specific place, often one that is noted as a prominent feature in the landscape such as a waterfall, mountain, large rock, or distinctive tree.[76] Physical objects or places in which the kami are believed to have a presence are termed shintai;[77] objects inhabited by the kami that are placed in the shrine are known as go-shintai.[78] Objects commonly chosen for this purpose include mirrors, swords, stones, beads, and inscribed tablets.[79] These go-shintai are concealed from the view of visitors,[80] and may be hidden inside boxes so that even the priests do not know what they look like.[77]

Kami are believed to be capable of both benevolent and destructive deeds;[81] if warnings about good conduct are ignored, the kami can mete out punishment called shinbatsu, often taking the form of illness or sudden death.[82] 

Some kami, referred to as the magatsuhi-no-kami or araburu kami, are regarded as being essentially malevolent and destructive.[83] Offerings and prayers are given to the kami to gain their blessings and to dissuade them from engaging in destructive actions.[3] Shinto seeks to cultivate and ensure a harmonious relationship between humans and the kami and thus with the natural world.[84] More localised kami may be subject to feelings of intimacy and familiarity from members of the local community that are not directed towards more widespread kami like Amaterasu.[85] The kami of a particular community is referred to it as their ujigami,[86] while that of a particular house is the yashikigami.[87]

Kami are not deemed metaphysically different from humanity,[68] with it being possible for humans to become kami.[62] Dead humans are sometimes venerated as kami, being regarded as protector or ancestral figures.[88] One of the most prominent examples is that of the Emperor Ōjin, who on his death was enshrined as the kami Hachiman, believed to be a protector of Japan and a kami of war.[89] In Japanese culture, ancestors can be viewed as a form of kami.[90] In Western Japan, the term jigami is used to describe the enshrined kami of a village founder.[91] In some cases, living human beings were also viewed as kami;[3] these were called akitsumi kami[92] or arahito-gami.[93] In the State Shinto system of the Meiji era, the emperor of Japan was declared to be a kami,[62] while several Shinto sects have also viewed their leaders as living kami.[62]

A 3000 year old sacred tree (shintai) of Takeo Shrine

Although some kami are venerated only in a single location, others have shrines devoted to them across many areas of Japan.[94] Hachiman for instance has around 25,000 shrines dedicated to him.[39] The act of establishing a new shrine to a kami who already has one is called bunrei ("dividing the spirit").[95] As part of this, the kami is invited to enter a new place, where it can be venerated, with the instalment ceremony known as a kanjo.[94] The new, subsidiary shrine is known as a bunsha.[96] Individual kami are not believed to have their power diminished by their residence in multiple locations, and there is no limit on the number of places a kami can be enshrined.[94] In some periods, fees were charged for the right to enshrine a particular kami in a new place.[94] Shrines are not necessarily always designed as permanent structures.[4]

Many kami are believed to have messengers, known as kami no tsukai or tsuka washime, and these are generally depicted as taking animal forms.[94] The messenger of Inari, for example, is depicted as a fox (kitsune),[97] while the messenger of Hachiman is a dove.[94] Shinto cosmology also includes bakemono, spirits who cause malevolent acts.[98] Bakemono include onitengukappamononoke, and yamanba.[98] Japanese folklore also incorporates belief in the goryō or onryō, unquiet or vengeful spirits, particularly of those who have died violently and without appropriate funerary rites.[99] These are believed to inflict suffering on the living, meaning that they must be pacified, usually through Buddhist rites but sometimes through enshrining them as a kami.[99] Other Japanese supernatural figures include the tanuki, animal like creatures who can take human form.[100]

Cosmogony[edit]

Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi-no-Mikoto, by Kobayashi Eitaku, late 19th century

The origin of the kami and of Japan itself are recounted in two eighth-century texts, Kojiki and Nihon Shoki,[101] although the accounts they provide differ in part.[102] Drawing heavily on Chinese influence,[103] these texts were commissioned by ruling elites to legitimize and consolidate their rule.[104] Although never of great importance to Japanese religious life,[105] in the early 20th century the government proclaimed that their accounts were factual.[106]

The Kojiki recounts that the universe started with ame-tsuchi, the separation of light and pure elements (ame, "heaven") from heavy elements (tsuchi, "earth").[107] Three kami then appeared: AmenominakanushiTakamimusuhi no Mikoto, and Kamimusuhi no Mikoto. Other kami followed, including a brother and sister, Izanagi and Izanami.[108] The kami instructed Izanagi and Izanami to create land on earth. To this end, the siblings stirred the briny sea with a jewelled spear, from which Onogoro Island was formed.[109] Izanagi and Izanami then descended to Earth, where the latter gave birth to further kami. One of these was a fire kami, whose birth killed Izanami.[110] Izanagi then descended to the netherworld (yomi) to retrieve his sister, but there he saw her body putrefying. Embarrassed to be seen in this state, she chased him out of yomi, and he closed its entrance with a boulder.[111]

Izanagi bathed in the sea to rid himself from the pollution brought about by witnessing Izanami's putrefaction. Through this act, further kami emerged from his body: Amaterasu (the sun kami) was born from his left eye, Tsukuyomi (the moon kami) from his right eye, and Susanoo (the storm kami) from his nose.[112] Susanoo behaved in a destructive manner, and to escape him Amaterasu hid herself within a cave, plunging the earth into darkness. The other kami eventually succeeded in coaxing her out.[113] Susanoo was then banished to earth, where he married and had children.[114] According to the Kojiki, Amaterasu then sent her grandson, Ninigi, to rule Japan, giving him curved beads, a mirror, and a sword: the symbols of Japanese imperial authority.[115] Amaterasu remains probably Japan's most venerated kami.[116]

Cosmology and afterlife[edit]

In Shinto, the creative principle permeating all life is known as musubi, and is associated with its own kami.[117] Within traditional Japanese thought, there is no concept of an overarching duality between good and evil.[118] The concept of aki encompasses misfortune, unhappiness, and disaster, although it does not correspond precisely with the Western concept of evil.[119] There is no eschatology in Shinto.[120] 

Texts such as the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki portray multiple realms in Shinto cosmology.[121] These present a universe divided into three parts: the Plain of High Heaven (Takama-no-hara), where the kami live; the Phenomenal or Manifested World (Utsushi-yo), where humans dwell; and the Nether World (Yomotsu-kuni), where unclean spirits reside.[122] The mythological texts nevertheless do not draw firm demarcations between these realms.[123]

Shinto includes belief in a human spirit or soul, called the mitama or tamashii, which contains four aspects.[124] Although indigenous ideas about an afterlife were probably well-developed prior to the arrival of Buddhism,[125] contemporary Japanese people often adopt Buddhist concepts about an afterlife.[126] Modern Shinto places greater emphasis on this life than on any afterlife.[127] Mythological stories like the Kojiki describe yomi or yomi-no-kuni as a realm of the dead,[128] although this plays no role in modern Shinto.[125]

 Modern Shinto ideas about the afterlife largely revolve around the idea that the spirit survives bodily death and continues to assist the living. After 33 years, it then becomes part of the family kami.[129] These ancestral spirits are sometimes thought to reside in the mountains,[130] from where they descend to take part in agricultural events.[131] Shinto's afterlife beliefs also include the obake, restless spirits who died in bad circumstances and often seek revenge.[132]

Purity and impurity[edit]

A key theme in Shinto is the avoidance of kegare ("pollution" or "impurity"),[133] while ensuring harae ("purity").[134] In Japanese thought, humans are seen as fundamentally pure.[135] Kegare is therefore seen as being a temporary condition that can be corrected through achieving harae.[136] Rites of purification are conducted so as to restore an individual to "spiritual" health and render them useful to society.[137]

Shinto purification rite after a ceremonial children's sumo tournament at the Kamigamo Jinja in Kyoto

This notion of purity is present in many facets of Japanese culture, such as the focus it places on bathing.[138] Purification is for instance regarded as important in preparation for the planting season,[139] while performers of noh theatre undergo a purification rite before they carry out their performances.[140] Among the things regarded as particular pollutants in Shinto are death, disease, witchcraft, the flaying alive of an animal, incest, bestiality, excrement, and blood associated with either menstruation or childbirth.[141] To avoid kegare, priests and other practitioners may engage in abstinence and avoid various activities prior to a festival or ritual.[136] Various words, termed imi-kotoba, are also regarded as taboo, and people avoid speaking them when at a shrine; these include shi (death), byō (illness), and shishi (meat).[142]

A purification ceremony known as misogi involves the use of fresh water, salt water, or salt to remove kegare.[143] Full immersion in the sea is often regarded as the most ancient and efficacious form of purification.[144] This act links with the mythological tale in which Izanagi immersed himself in the sea to purify himself after discovering his deceased wife; it was from this act that other kami sprang from his body.[145] An alternative is immersion beneath a waterfall.[146] Salt is often regarded as a purifying substance;[147] some Shinto practitioners will for instance sprinkle salt on themselves after a funeral,[148] while those running restaurants may put a small pile of salt outside before business commences each day.[149] Fire, also, is perceived as a source of purification.[150] The yaku-barai is a form of harae designed to prevent misfortune,[151] while the oharae, or "ceremony of great purification", is often used for end-of-year purification rites, and is conducted twice a year at many shrines.[152] Before the Meiji period, rites of purification were generally performed by onmyōji, a type of diviner whose practices derived from the Chinese yin and yang philosophy. [153]

Kannagara, morality, and ethics[edit]

In Shinto, kannagara ("way of the kami") describes the law of the natural order,[154] with wa ("benign harmony") being inherent in all things.[155] Disrupting wa is deemed bad, contributing to it is thought good;[156] as such, subordination of the individual to the larger social unit has long been a characteristic of the religion.[157] Shinto incorporates morality tales and myths but no overarching, codified ethical doctrine;[3] Offner noted that Shinto specified no "unified, systematized code of behaviour".[19] Its views of kannagara influence certain ethical views, focused on sincerity (makoto) and honesty (tadashii).[154] Makoto is regarded as a cardinal virtue in Japanese religion more broadly.[158] Shinto sometimes includes reference to four virtues known as the akaki kiyoki kokoro or sei-mei-shin, meaning "purity and cheerfulness of heart", which are linked to the state of harae.[159] Offner believed that in Shinto, ideas about goodness linked to "that which possesses, or relates to, beauty, brightness, excellence, good fortune, nobility, purity, suitability, harmony, conformity, [and] productivity."[160] 

Shojiki is regarded as a virtue, encompassing honesty, uprightness, veracity, and frankness.[161] Shinto's flexibility regarding morality and ethics has been a source of frequent criticism, especially from those arguing that the religion can readily become a pawn for those wishing to use it to legitimise their authority and power.[162]

Throughout Japanese history, the notion of saisei-itchi, or the union of religious authority and political authority, has long been prominent.[163] Cali and Dougill noted that Shinto had long been associated with "an insular and protective view" of Japanese society.[164] They added that in the modern world, Shinto tends toward conservatism and nationalism.[164] In the late 1990s, Bocking noted that "an apparently regressive nationalism still seems the natural ally of some central elements" of Shinto.[165] As a result of these associations, Shinto is still viewed suspiciously by various civil liberties groups in Japan and by many of Japan's neighbors.[165]

The actions of priests at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo have generated controversy across East Asia

Shinto priests may face various ethical conundrums. In the 1980s, for instance, the priests at the Suwa Shrine in Nagasaki debated whether to invite the crew of a U.S. Navy vessel docked at the port city to their festival celebrations given the sensitivities surrounding the 1945 U.S. use of the atomic bomb on the city.[166] In other cases, priests have opposed construction projects on shrine-owned land, sometimes putting them at odds with other interest groups.[167] At Kaminoseki in the early 2000s, a priest opposed the sale of shrine lands to build a nuclear power plant; he was eventually pressured to resign over the issue.[168] Another issue of considerable debate has been the activities of the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. The shrine is devoted to Japan's war dead, and in 1979 it enshrined 14 men, including Hideki Tojo, who had been declared Class-A defendants at the 1946 Tokyo War Crimes Trials. This generated both domestic and international condemnation, particularly from China and Korea.[169]

In the 21st century, Shinto has increasingly been portrayed as a nature-centred spirituality with environmentalist credentials.[170] Shinto shrines have increasingly emphasised the preservation of the forests surrounding many of them,[171] and several shrines have collaborated with local environmentalist campaigns.[172] In 2014, an international interreligious conference on environmental sustainability was held at the Ise shrine, attended by United Nations representatives and around 700 Shinto priests.[173] Critical commentators have characterised the presentation of Shinto as an environmentalist movement as a rhetorical ploy rather than a concerted effort by Shinto institutions to become environmentally sustainable.[174] The scholar Aike P. Rots suggested that the repositioning of Shinto as a "nature religion" may have grown in popularity as a means of disassociating the religion from controversial issues "related to war memory and imperial patronage."[30]

Practice[edit]

Shinto tends to focus on ritual behavior rather than doctrine.[175] The philosophers James W. Boyd and Ron G. Williams stated that Shinto is "first and foremost a ritual tradition",[176] while Picken observed that "Shinto is interested not in credenda but in agenda, not in things that should be believed but in things that should be done."[177] The scholar of religion Clark B. Offner stated that Shinto's focus was on "maintaining communal, ceremonial traditions for the purpose of human (communal) well-being".[160] It is often difficult to distinguish Shinto practices from Japanese customs more broadly,[178] with Picken observing that the "worldview of Shinto" provided the "principal source of self-understanding within the Japanese way of life".[177] Nelson stated that "Shinto-based orientations and values[…] lie at the core of Japanese culture, society, and character".[179]

Shrines[edit]

The main gate to Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto, one of the oldest shrines in Japan

Public spaces in which the kami are worshipped are often known under the generic term jinja ("kami-place");[180] this term applies to the location rather than to a specific building.[181] Jinja is usually translated as "shrine" in English,[182] although in earlier literature was sometimes translated as "temple",[6] a term now more commonly reserved for Japan's Buddhist structures.[183] There are around 100,000 public shrines in Japan;[184] about 80,000 are affiliated with the Association of Shinto Shrines,[185] with another 20,000 being unaffiliated.[186] They are found all over the country, from isolated rural areas to dense metropolitan ones.[187] More specific terms are sometimes used for certain shrines depending on their function; some of the grand shrines with imperial associations are termed jingū,[188] those devoted to the war dead are termed shokonsha,[161] and those linked to mountains deemed to be inhabited by kami are yama-miya.[189]

Jinja typically consist of complexes of multiple buildings,[190] with the architectural styles of shrines having largely developed by the Heian period.[191] The inner sanctuary in which the kami lives is the honden.[192] Inside the honden may be stored material belonging to the kami; known as shinpo, this can include artworks, clothing, weapons, musical instruments, bells, and mirrors.[193] Typically, worshippers carry out their acts outside of the honden.[22] Near the honden can sometimes be found a subsidiary shrine, the bekkū, to another kami; the kami inhabiting this shrine is not necessarily perceived as being inferior to that in the honden.[194] At some places, halls of worship have been erected, termed haiden.[195] On a lower level can be found the hall of offerings, known as a heiden.[196] Together, the building housing the honden, haiden, and heiden is called a hongū.[197] In some shrines, there is a separate building in which to conduct additional ceremonies, such as weddings, known as a gishikiden,[198] or a specific building in which the kagura dance is performed, known as the kagura-den.[199] Collectively, the central buildings of a shrine are known as the shaden,[200] while its precincts are known as the keidaichi[201] or shin'en.[202] This precinct is surrounded by the tamagaki fence,[203] with entry via a shinmon gate, which can be closed at night.[204]

Depictions of torii at the Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine in Kyoto

Shrine entrances are marked by a two-post gateway with either one or two crossbeams atop it, known as torii.[205] The exact details of these torii varies and there are at least twenty different styles.[206] These are regarded as demarcating the area where the kami resides;[22] passing under them is often viewed as a form of purification.[207] More broadly, torii are internationally recognised symbols of Japan.[22] Their architectural form is distinctly Japanese, although the decision to paint most of them in vermillion reflects a Chinese influence dating from the Nara period.[208] Also set at the entrances to many shrines are komainu, statues of lion or dog like animals perceived to scare off malevolent spirits;[209] typically these will come as a pair, one with its mouth open, the other with its mouth closed.[210]

Shrines are often set within gardens[211] or wooded groves called chinju no mori ("forest of the tutelary kami"),[212] which vary in size from just a few trees to sizeable areas of woodland.[213] Large lanterns, known as tōrō, are often found within these precincts.[214] Shrines often have an office, known as a shamusho,[215] a saikan where priests undergo forms of abstinence and purification prior to conducting rituals,[216] and other buildings such as a priests' quarters and a storehouse.[207] Various kiosks often sell amulets to visitors.[217] Since the late 1940s, shrines have had to be financially self-sufficient, relying on the donations of worshippers and visitors. These funds are used to pay the wages of the priests, to finance the upkeep of the buildings, to cover the shrine's membership fees of various regional and national Shinto groups, and to contribute to disaster relief funds.[218]

In Shinto, it is seen as important that the places in which kami are venerated be kept clean and not neglected.[219] Through to the Edo period, it was common for kami shrines to be demolished and rebuilt at a nearby location in order to remove any pollutants and ensure purity.[220] This has continued into recent times at certain sites, such as the Ise Grand Shrine, which is moved to an adjacent site every two decades.[221] Separate shrines can also be merged in a process known as jinja gappei,[222] while the act of transferring the kami from one building to another is called sengu.[223] Shrines may have legends about their foundation, which are known as en-gi. These sometimes also record miracles associated with the shrine.[224] From the Heian period on, the en-gi were often retold on picture scrolls known as emakimono.[225]

Priesthood and miko[edit]

Yutateshinji ceremony performed by Shinto priests at the Miwa Shrine in Sakurai, Nara

Shrines may be cared for by priests, by local communities, or by families on whose property the shrine is found.[22] Shinto priests are known in Japanese as kannushi, meaning "proprietor of kami",[226] or alternatively as shinshoku or shinkan.[227] Many kannushi take on the role in a line of hereditary succession traced down specific families.[228] In contemporary Japan, there are two main training universities for those wishing to become kannushi, at Kokugakuin University in Tokyo and at Kogakkan University in Mie Prefecture.[229] Priests can rise through the ranks over the course of their careers.[230] The number of priests at a particular shrine can vary; some shrines can have dozens, and others have none, instead being administered by local lay volunteers.[231] Some priests administer to multiple small shrines, sometimes over ten.[232]

Priestly costume is largely based on the clothes worn at the imperial court during the Heian period.[233] It includes a tall, rounded hat known as an eboshi,[234] and black lacquered wooden clogs known as asagutsu.[235] The outer garment worn by a priest, usually colored black, red, or light blue, is the ,[236] or the ikan.[142] A white silk version of the ikan, used for formal occasions, is known as the saifuku.[237] Another priestly robe is the kariginu, which is modelled on Heian-style hunting garments.[238] Also part of standard priestly attire is a hiōgi fan,[239] while during rituals, priests carry a flat piece of wood known as a shaku.[240] This costume is generally more ornate than the sombre garments worn by Japanese Buddhist monks.[233]

Miko performing a Shinto ceremony near the Kamo River

The chief priest at a shrine is the gūji.[241] Larger shrines may also have an assistant head priest, the gon-gūji.[242] As with teachers, instructors, and Buddhist clergy, Shinto priests are often referred to as sensei by lay practitioners.[243] Historically, there were female priests although they were largely pushed out of their positions in 1868.[244] During the Second World War, women were again allowed to become priests to fill the void caused by large numbers of men being enlisted in the military.[245] By the late 1990s, around 90% of priests were male, 10% female.[116] Priests are free to marry and have children.[245] At smaller shrines, priests often have other full-time jobs, and serve only as priests during special occasions.[242] Before certain major festivals, priests may undergo a period of abstinence from sexual relations.[246] Some of those involved in festivals also abstain from a range of other things, such as consuming tea, coffee, or alcohol, immediately prior to the events.[247]

The priests are assisted by jinja miko, sometimes referred to as "shrine-maidens" in English.[248] These miko are typically unmarried,[249] although not necessarily virgins.[250] In many cases they are the daughters of a priest or a practitioner.[248] They are subordinate to the priests in the shrine hierarchy.[251] Their most important role is in the kagura dance, known as otome-mai.[252] Miko receive only a small salary but gain respect from members of the local community and learn skills such as cooking, calligraphy, painting, and etiquette which can benefit them when later searching for employment or a marriage partner.[252] They generally do not live at the shrines.[252] Sometimes they fill other roles, such as being secretaries in the shrine offices or clerks at the information desks, or as waitresses at the naorai feasts. They also assist kannushi in ceremonial rites.[252]

Visits to shrines[edit]

A priest purifies the area in front of the residence of a kami.

Visits to the shrine are termed sankei,[253] or jinja mairi.[254] Some individuals visit the shrines daily, often on their morning route to work;[254] they typically take only a few minutes.[254] Usually, a worshipper will approach the honden, placing a monetary offering in a box and then ringing a bell to call the kami's attention.[255] Then, they bow, clap, and stand while silently offering a prayer.[256] The clapping is known as kashiwade or hakushu;[257] the prayers or supplications as kigan.[258] This individual worship is known as hairei.[259] More broadly, ritual prayers to the kami are called norito,[260] while the coins offered are saisen.[261] At the shrine, individuals offering prayers are not necessarily praying to a specific kami.[254] A worshipper may not know the name of a kami residing at the shrine nor how many kami are believed to dwell there.[262] Unlike in certain other religions, Shinto shrines do not have weekly services that practitioners are expected to attend.[263]

Some Shinto practitioners do not offer their prayers to the kami directly, but rather request that a priest offer them on their behalf; these prayers are known as kitō.[264] Many individuals approach the kami asking for pragmatic requests.[265] Requests for rain, known as amagoi ("rain-soliciting") have been found across Japan, with Inari a popular choice for such requests.[266] Other prayers reflect more contemporary concerns. For instance, people may ask that the priest approaches the kami so as to purify their car in the hope that this will prevent it from being involved in an accident.[267] Similarly, transport companies often request purification rites for new buses or airplanes which are about to go into service.[268] Before a building is constructed, it is common for either private individuals or the construction company to employ a Shinto priest to come to the land being developed and perform the jichinsai, or earth sanctification ritual. This purifies the site and asks the kami to bless it.[269]

Toyota Estima being blessed at the Hokkaidō Shrine

People often ask the kami to help offset inauspicious events that may affect them. For instance, in Japanese culture, the age 33 is seen as being unlucky for women and the age 42 for men, and thus people can ask the kami to offset any ill-fortune associated with being this age.[270] Certain directions can also be seen as being inauspicious for certain people at certain times and thus people can approach the kami asking them to offset this problem if they have to travel in one of these unlucky directions.[270]

Pilgrimage has long been important in Japanese religion,[271] with pilgrimages to Shinto shrines called junrei.[272] A round of pilgrimages, whereby individuals visit a series of shrines and other sacred sites that are part of an established circuit, is known as a junpai.[272] An individual leading these pilgrims, is sometimes termed a sendatsu.[223] For many centuries, people have also visited the shrines for primarily cultural and recreational reasons, as opposed to spiritual ones.[254] Many of the shrines are recognised as sites of historical importance and some are classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[254] Shrines such as Shimogamo Jinja and Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, Meiji Jingū in Tokyo, and Atsuta Jingū in Nagoya are among Japan's most popular tourist sites.[168] Many shrines have a unique rubber-stamp seal which visitors can get printed into their sutanpu bukku or stamp book, demonstrating the different shrines they have visited.[273]

Harae and hōbei[edit]

Shinto rituals begin with a process of purification, often involving the washing of the hands and mouth at the temizu basin; this example is at Itsukushima Jinja.

Shinto rituals begin with a process of purification, or harae.[274] Using fresh water or salt water, this is known as misogi.[143] At shrines, this entails sprinkling this water onto the face and hands, a procedure known as temizu,[275] using a font known as a temizuya.[276] Another form of purification at the start of a Shinto rite entails waving a white paper streamer or wand known as the haraigushi.[277] When not in use, the haraigushi is usually kept in a stand.[275] The priest waves the haraigushi horizontally over a person or object being purified in a movement known as sa-yu-sa ("left-right-left").[275] Sometimes, instead of a haraigushi, the purification is carried out with an o-nusa, a branch of evergreen to which strips of paper have been attached.[275] The waving of the haraigushi is often followed by an additional act of purification, the shubatsu, in which the priest sprinkles water, salt, or brine over those assembled from a wooden box called the 'en-to-oke or magemono.[278]

The acts of purification accomplished, petitions known as norito are spoken to the kami.[279] This is followed by an appearance by the miko, who commence in a slow circular motion before the main altar.[279] Offerings are then presented to the kami by being placed on a table.[279] This act is known as hōbei;[236] the offerings themselves as saimotsu[216] or sonae-mono.[280] Historically, the offerings given the kami included food, cloth, swords, and horses.[281] In the contemporary period, lay worshippers usually give gifts of money to the kami while priests generally offer them food, drink, and sprigs of the sacred sakaki tree.[39] Animal sacrifices are not considered appropriate offerings, as the shedding of blood is seen as a polluting act that necessitates purification.[282] The offerings presented are sometimes simple and sometimes more elaborate; at the Grand Shrine of Ise, for instance, 100 styles of food are laid out as offerings.[279] The choice of offerings will often be tailored to the specific kami and occasion.[193]

Offerings of food and drink are specifically termed shinsen.[193] Sake, or rice wine, is a very common offering to the kami.[283] After the offerings have been given, people often sip rice wine known as o-miki.[279] Drinking the o-miki wine is seen as a form of communion with the kami.[284] On important occasions, a feast is then held, known as naorai, inside a banquet hall attached to the shrine complex.[285]

The kami are believed to enjoy music.[286] One style of music performed at shrines is gagaku.[287] Instruments used include three reeds (fuesho, and hichiriki), the yamato-koto, and the "three drums" (taikokakko, and shōko).[288] Other musical styles performed at shrines can have a more limited focus. At shrines such as Ōharano Shrine in Kyoto, azuma-asobi ("eastern entertainment") music is performed on April 8.[98] Also in Kyoto, various festivals make use of the dengaku style of music and dance, which originated from rice-planting songs.[289] During rituals, people visiting the shrine are expected to sit in the seiza style, with their legs tucked beneath their bottom.[290] To avoid cramps, individuals who hold this position for a lengthy period of time may periodically move their legs and flex their heels.[291]

Home shrines[edit]

kamidana displaying a shimenawa and shide

Having seen their popularity increase in the Meiji era,[292] many Shinto practitioners also have a family shrine, or kamidana ("kami shelf"), in their home.[293] These usually consist of shelves placed at an elevated position in the living room.[294] Kamidana can also be found in workplaces, restaurants, shops, and ocean-going ships.[295] Some public shrines sell entire kamidana.[296]

Along with the kamidana, many Japanese households also have butsudan, Buddhist altars enshrining the ancestors of the family;[297] ancestral reverence remains an important aspect of Japanese religious tradition.[131] In the rare instances where Japanese individuals are given a Shinto funeral rather than a Buddhist one, a tama-yamitama-ya, or sorei-sha shrine may be erected in the home in place of a butsudan. This will be typically placed below the kamidana and include symbols of the resident ancestral spirit, for instance a mirror or a scroll.[298]

Kamidana often enshrine the kami of a nearby public shrine as well as a tutelary kami associated with the house's occupants or their profession.[292] They can be decorated with miniature torii and shimenawa and include amulets obtained from public shrines.[292] They often contain a stand on which to place offerings;[207] daily offerings of rice, salt, and water are placed there, with sake and other items also offered on special days.[299] These domestic rituals often take place early in the morning,[300] and prior to conducting them, practitioners often bathe, rinse their mouth, or wash their hands as a form of purification.[301]

Household Shinto can focus attention on the dōzoku-shinkami who are perceived to be ancestral to the dōzoku or extended kinship group.[302] A small shrine for the ancestors of a household are known as soreisha.[280] Small village shrines containing the tutelary kami of an extended family are known as iwai-den.[303] In addition to the temple shrines and the household shrines, Shinto also features small wayside shrines known as hokora.[197] Other open spaces used for the worship of kami are iwasaka, an area surrounded by sacred rocks.[304]

Ema, divination, and amulets[edit]

A selection of wooden ema hanging up at a Shinto shrine

A common feature of Shinto shrines is the provision of ema, small wooden plaques onto which practitioners will write a wish or desire that they would like to see fulfilled. The practitioner's message is written on one side of the plaque, while on the other is usually a printed picture or pattern related to the shrine itself.[305] Ema are provided both at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan;[234] unlike most amulets, which are taken away from the shrine, the ema are typically left there as a message for the resident kami.[224] Those administering the shrine will then often burn all of the collected ema at new year.[224]

Divination is the focus of many Shinto rituals,[306] with various forms of divination used by its practitioners, some introduced from China.[307] Among the ancient forms of divination found in Japan are rokuboku and kiboku.[308] Several forms of divination entailing archery are also practiced in Shintō, known as yabusameomato-shinji, and mato-i.[309] Kitagawa stated that there could be "no doubt" that various types of "shamanic diviners" played a role in early Japanese religion.[310] A form of divination previously common in Japan was bokusen or uranai, which often used tortoise shells; it is still used in some places.[311]

A form of divination that is popular at Shinto shrines are the omikuji.[312] These are small slips of paper which are obtained from the shrine (for a donation) and which are then read to reveal a prediction for the future.[313] Those who receive a bad prediction often then tie the omikuji to a nearby tree or frame set up for the purpose. This act is seen as rejecting the prediction, a process called sute-mikuji, and thus avoiding the misfortune it predicted.[314]

A frame at a shrine where omikuji are tied

The use of amulets are widely sanctioned and popular in Japan.[263] These may be made of paper, wood, cloth, metal, or plastic.[263] Ofuda act as amulets to keep off misfortune and also serve as talismans to bring benefits and good luck.[260] They typically comprise a tapering piece of wood onto which the name of the shrine and its enshrined kami are written or printed. The ofuda is then wrapped inside white paper and tied up with a colored thread.[315] Ofuda are provided both at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.[260] Another type of amulet provided at shrines and temples are the omamori, which are traditionally small, brightly colored drawstring bags with the name of the shrine written on it.[316] Omamori and ofuda are sometimes placed within a charm bag known as a kinchaku, typically worn by small children.[258]

At new year, many shrines sell hamaya (an "evil-destroying arrows"), which people can purchase and keep in their home over the coming year to bring good luck.[317] A daruma is a round, paper doll of the Indian monk, Bodhidharma. The recipient makes a wish and paints one eye; when the goal is accomplished, the recipient paints the other eye. While this is a Buddhist practice, darumas can be found at shrines, as well. These dolls are very common.[318] Other protective items include dorei, which are earthenware bells that are used to pray for good fortune. These bells are usually in the shapes of the zodiacal animals.[318] Inuhariko are paper dogs that are used to induce and to bless good births.[318] Collectively, these talismans through which home to manipulate events and influence spirits, as well as related mantras and rites for the same purpose, are known as majinai.[319]

Kagura[edit]

kagura traditional dance performed at the Yamanashi-oka shrine

Kagura describes the music and dance performed for the kami;[320] the term may have originally derived from kami no kura ("seat of the kami").[321] Throughout Japanese history, dance has played an important culture role and in Shinto it is regarded as having the capacity to pacify kami.[322] There is a mythological tale of how kagura dance came into existence. According to the Kojiki and the Nihon ShokiAme-no-Uzume performed a dance to entice Amaterasu out of the cave in which she had hidden herself.[323]

There are two broad types of kagura.[324] One is Imperial kagura, also known as mikagura. This style was developed in the imperial court and is still performed on imperial grounds every December.[325] It is also performed at the Imperial harvest festival and at major shrines such as Ise, Kamo, and Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū. It is performed by singers and musicians using shakubyoshi wooden clappers, a hichiriki, a kagura-bue flute, and a six-stringed zither.[199] The other main type is sato-kagura, descended from mikagura and performed at shrines across Japan. Depending on the style, it is performed by miko or by actors wearing masks to portray various mythological figures.[326] These actors are accompanied by a hayashi band using flutes and drums.[199] There are also other, regional types of kagura.[199]

Music plays a very important role in the kagura performance. Everything from the setup of the instruments to the most subtle sounds and the arrangement of the music is crucial to encouraging the kami to come down and dance. The songs are used as magical devices to summon the kami and as prayers for blessings. Rhythm patterns of five and seven are common, possibly relating to the Shinto belief of the twelve generations of heavenly and earthly deities. There is also vocal accompaniment called kami uta in which the drummer sings sacred songs to the kami. Often the vocal accompaniment is overshadowed by the drumming and instruments, reinforcing that the vocal aspect of the music is more for incantation rather than aesthetics.[327]

Festivals[edit]

Participants in a procession for Aoi Matsuri in Kyoto

Public festivals are commonly termed matsuri,[328] although this term has varied meanings—"festival," "worship," "celebration," "rite," or "prayer"—and no direct translation into English.[329] Picken suggested that the festival was "the central act of Shinto worship" because Shinto was a "community- and family-based" religion.[330] Most mark the seasons of the agricultural year and involve offerings being directed to the kami in thanks.[331] According to a traditional lunar calendar, Shinto shrines should hold their festival celebrations on hare-no-hi or "clear" days", the days of the new, full, and half moons.[332] Other days, known as ke-no-hi, were generally avoided for festivities.[332] However, since the late 20th century, many shrines have held their festival celebrations on the Saturday or Sunday closest to the date so that fewer individuals will be working and will be able to attend.[333] Each town or village often has its own festival, centred on a local shrine.[300] For instance, the Aoi Matsuri festival, held on 15 May to pray for an abundant grain harvest, takes place at shrines in Kyoto,[334] while the Chichibu Yo-Matsuri takes place on 2–3 December in Chichibu.[335]

Spring festivals are called haru-matsuri and often incorporate prayers for a good harvest.[332] They sometimes involve ta-asobi ceremonies, in which rice is ritually planted.[332] Summer festivals are termed natsu-matsuri and are usually focused on protecting the crops against pests and other threats.[336] Autumn festivals are known as aki-matsuri and primarily focus on thanking the kami for the rice or other harvest.[337] The Niiname-sai, or festival of new rice, is held across many Shinto shrines on 23 November.[338] The emperor also conducts a ceremony to mark this festival, at which he presents the first fruits of the harvest to the kami at midnight.[339] Winter festivals, called fuyu no matsuri often feature on welcoming in the spring, expelling evil, and calling in good influences for the future.[340] There is little difference between winter festivals and specific new year festivals.[340]

Procession of the kami as part of the Fukagawa Matsuri festival in Tokyo

The season of the new year is called shogatsu.[341] On the last day of the year (31 December), omisoka, practitioners usually clean their household shrines in preparation for New Year's Day (1 January), ganjitsu.[342] Many people visit public shrines to celebrate new year;[343] this "first visit" of the year is known as hatsumōde or hatsumairi.[344] There, they buy amulets and talismans to bring them good fortune over the coming year.[345] To celebrate this festival, many Japanese put up rope known as shimenawa on their homes and places of business.[346] Some also put up kadomatsu ("gateway pine"), an arrangement of pine branches, plum tree, and bamboo sticks.[347] Also displayed are kazari, which are smaller and more colourful; their purpose is to keep away misfortune and attract good fortune.[136] In many places, new year celebrations incorporate hadaka matsuri ("naked festivals") in which men dressed only in a fundoshi loincloth engage in a particular activity, such as fighting over a specific object or immersing themselves in a river.[348]

A common feature of festivals are processions or parades known as gyōretsu.[349] These can be raucous, with many participants being drunk;[350] Breen and Teeuwen characterised them as having a "carnivalesque atmosphere".[351] They are often understood as having a regenerative effect on both the participants and the community.[352] During these processions, the kami travel in portable shrines known as mikoshi.[353] In various cases the mikoshi undergo hamaori ("going down to the beach"), a process by which they are carried to the sea shore and sometimes into the sea, either by bearers or a boat.[354] For instance, in the Okunchi festival held in the southwestern city of Nagasaki, the kami of the Suwa Shrine are paraded down to Ohato, where they are placed in a shrine there for several days before being paraded back to Suwa.[355] These sort of celebrations are often organized largely by members of the local community rather than by the priests themselves.[351]

Rites of passage[edit]

The formal recognition of events is given great importance in Japanese culture.[356] A common ritual, the hatsumiyamairi, entails a child's first visit to a Shinto shrine.[357] A tradition holds that, if a boy he should be brought to the shrine on the thirty-second day after birth, and if a girl she should be brought on the thirty-third day.[358] Historically, the child was commonly brought to the shrine not by the mother, who was considered impure after birth, but by another female relative; since the late 20th century it has been more common for the mother to do so.[358] Another rite of passage, the saiten-sai or seijin shiki, is a coming of age ritual marking the transition to adulthood and occurs when an individual is around twenty.[359] Wedding ceremonies are often carried out at Shinto shrines.[360] These are called shinzen kekkon ("a wedding before the kami") and were popularised in the Meiji period; prior to this, weddings were commonly performed in the home.[361]

In Japan, funerals tend to take place at Buddhist temples and involve cremation,[362] with Shinto funerals being rare.[131] Bocking noted that most Japanese people are "still 'born Shinto' yet 'die Buddhist'."[165] In Shinto thought, contact with death is seen as imparting impurity (kegare); the period following this contact is known as kibuku and is associated with various taboos.[363] In cases when dead humans are enshrined as kami, the physical remains of the dead are not stored at the shrine.[364] Although not common, there have been examples of funerals conducted through Shinto rites. The earliest examples are known from the mid-17th century; these occurred in certain areas of Japan and had the support of the local authorities.[365] Following the Meiji Restoration, in 1868 the government recognised specifically Shinto funerals for Shinto priests.[366] Five years later, this was extended to cover the entire Japanese population.[367] Despite this Meiji promotion of Shinto funerals, the majority of the population continued to have Buddhist funeral rites.[365] In recent decades, Shinto funerals have usually been reserved for Shinto priests and for members of certain Shinto sects.[368] After cremation, the normal funerary process in Japan, the ashes of a priest may be interred near to the shrine, but not inside its precincts.[120]

Ancestral reverence remains an important part of Japanese religious custom.[131] The invocation of the dead, and especially the war dead, is known as shо̄kon.[161] Various rites reference this. For instance, at the largely Buddhist festival of Bon, the souls of the ancestors are believed to visit the living, and are then sent away in a ritual called shо̄rо̄ nagashi, by which lanterns are inserted into small boats, often made of paper, and placed in a river to float downstream.[369]

Spirit mediumship and healing[edit]

An itako at the autumn Inako Taisai festival at Mount Osore, Aomori Prefecture, Japan

Shinto practitioners believe that the kami can possess a human being and then speak through them, a process known as kami-gakari.[370] Several new religious movements drawing upon Shinto, such as Tenrikyo and Oomoto, were founded by individuals claiming to be guided by a possessing kami.[371] The takusen is an oracle that is passed from the kami via the medium.[203]

The itako and ichiko are blind women who train to become spiritual mediums, traditionally in Japan's northern Tohoku region.[372] Itako train under other itako from childhood, memorialising sacred texts and prayers, fasting, and undertaking acts of severe asceticism, through which they are believed to cultivate supernatural powers.[372] In an initiation ceremony, a kami is believed to possess the young woman, and the two are then ritually "married". After this, the kami becomes her tutelary spirit and she will henceforth be able to call upon it, and a range of other spirits, in the future. Through contacting these spirits, she is able to convey their messages to the living.[372] Itako usually carry out their rituals independent of the shrine system.[373] Japanese culture also includes spiritual healers known as ogamiya-san whose work involves invoking both kami and Buddhas.[152]

History[edit]

Early development[edit]

A Yayoi period dotaku bell; these probably played a key role in kami rites at the time.[73]

Earhart commented that Shinto ultimately "emerged from the beliefs and practices of prehistoric Japan",[374] although Kitagawa noted that it was questionable whether prehistoric Japanese religions could be accurately termed "early Shinto".[310] It was the Yayoi period of Japanese prehistory which first left traces of material and iconography prefiguring that later included in Shinto.[375] Kami were worshipped at various landscape features during this period; at this point, their worship consisted largely of beseeching and placating them, with little evidence that they were viewed as compassionate entities.[73] Archaeological evidence suggests that dotaku bronze bells, bronze weapons, and metal mirrors played an important role in kami-based ritual during the Yayoi period.[376]

In this early period, Japan was not a unified state; by the Kofun period it was divided among Uji (clans), each with their own tutelary kami, the ujigami.[377] Korean migration during the Kofun period brought Confucianism and Buddhism to Japan.[378] Buddhism had a particular impact on the kami cults.[379] Migrant groups and Japanese who increasingly aligned with these foreign influences built Buddhist temples in various parts of the Japanese islands.[379] Several rival clans who were more hostile to these foreign influences began adapting the shrines of their kami to more closely resemble the new Buddhist structures.[379] In the late 5th century, the Yamato clan leader Yūryaku declared himself daiō ("great king") and established hegemony over much of Japan.[380] From the early 6th century CE, the style of ritual favored by the Yamato began spreading to other kami shrines around Japan as the Yamato extended their territorial influence.[381] Buddhism was also growing. According to the Nihon Shoki, in 587 Emperor Yōmei converted to Buddhism and under his sponsorship Buddhism spread.[382]

A page from the 14th-century Shinpukuji manuscript of the Kojiki, itself written in the 8th century

In the mid-7th century, a legal code called Ritsuryō was adopted to establish a Chinese-style centralised government.[383] As part of this, the Jingikan ("Council of Kami") was created to conduct rites of state and coordinate provincial ritual with that in the capital.[384] This was done according to a code of kami law called the Jingiryō,[384] itself modelled on the Chinese Book of Rites.[385] The Jingikan was located in the palace precincts and maintained a register of shrines and priests.[386] An annual calendar of state rites were introduced to help unify Japan through kami worship.[8] These legally mandated rites were outlined in the Yōrō Code of 718,[385] and expanded in the Jogan Gishiki of circa 872 and the Engi Shiki of 927.[385] Under the Jingikan, some shrines were designated as kansha ("official shrines") and given specific privileges and responsibilities.[387] Hardacre saw the Jingikan as "the institutional origin of Shinto".[8]

In the early 8th century, the Emperor Tenmu commissioned a compilation of the legends and genealogies of Japan's clans, resulting in the completion of the Kojiki in 712. Designed to legitimate the ruling dynasty, this text created a fixed version of various stories previously circulating in oral tradition.[388] The Kojiki omits any reference to Buddhism,[389] in part because it sought to ignore foreign influences and emphasise a narrative stressing indigenous elements of Japanese culture.[390] Several years later, the Nihon shoki was written. Unlike the Kojiki, this made various references to Buddhism,[389] and was aimed at a foreign audience.[391] Both of these texts sought to establish the imperial clan's descent from the sun kami Amaterasu,[389] although there were many differences in the cosmogonic narrative they provided.[392] Quickly, the Nihon shoki eclipsed the Kojiki in terms of its influence.[391] Other texts written at this time also drew on oral traditions regarding the kami. The Sendari kuji hongi for example was probably composed by the Mononobe clan while the Kogoshui was probably put together for the Imbe clan, and in both cases they were designed to highlight the divine origins of these respective lineages.[393] A government order in 713 called on each region to produce fudoki, records of local geography, products, and stories, with the latter revealing more traditions about the kami which were present at this time.[394]

From the 8th century, kami worship and Buddhism were thoroughly intertwined in Japanese society.[178] While the emperor and court performed Buddhist rites, they also performed others to honor the kami.[395] Tenmu for example appointed a virginal imperial princess to serve as the saiō, a form of priestess, at the Ise Shrine on his behalf, a tradition continued by subsequent emperors.[396] From the 8th century onward up until the Meiji era, the kami were incorporated into a Buddhist cosmology in various ways.[397] One view is that the kami realised that like all other life-forms, they too were trapped in the cycle of samsara (rebirth) and that to escape this they had to follow Buddhist teachings.[397] Alternative approaches viewed the kami as benevolent entities who protected Buddhism, or that the kami were themselves Buddhas, or beings who had achieved enlightenment. In this, they could be either hongaku, the pure spirits of the Buddhas, or honji suijaku, transformations of the Buddhas in their attempt to help all sentient beings.[397]

Nara period[edit]

This period hosted many changes to the country, government, and religion. The capital is moved again to Heijō-kyō (modern-day Nara), in AD 710 by Empress Genmei due to the death of the emperor. This practice was necessary due to the Shinto belief in the impurity of death and the need to avoid this pollution. However, this practice of moving the capital due to "death impurity" is then abolished by the Taihō Code and rise in Buddhist influence.[398] The establishment of the imperial city in partnership with Taihō Code is important to Shinto as the office of the Shinto rites becomes more powerful in assimilating local clan shrines into the imperial fold. New shrines are built and assimilated each time the city is moved. All of the grand shrines are regulated under Taihō and are required to account for incomes, priests, and practices due to their national contributions.[398]

Meiji era and the Empire of Japan[edit]

The Chōsen Jingū in Seoul, Korea, established during the Japanese occupation of the peninsula

Breen and Teeuwen characterise the period between 1868 and 1915, during the Meiji era, as being the "formative years" of modern Shinto.[9] It is in this period that various scholars have argued that Shinto was essentially "invented".[9] Fridell argues that scholars call the period from 1868 to 1945 the "State Shinto period" because, "during these decades, Shinto elements came under a great deal of overt state influence and control as the Japanese government systematically utilized shrine worship as a major force for mobilizing imperial loyalties on behalf of modern nation-building."[399] However, the government had already been treating shrines as an extension of government before Meiji; see for example the Tenpō Reforms. Moreover, according to the scholar Jason Ānanda Josephson, It is inaccurate to describe shrines as constituting a "state religion" or a "theocracy" during this period since they had neither organization, nor doctrine, and were uninterested in conversion.[400]

The Meiji Restoration of 1868 was fuelled by a renewal of Confucian ethics and imperial patriotism among Japan's ruling class.[401] Among these reformers, Buddhism was seen as a corrupting influence that had undermined what they envisioned as Japan's original purity and greatness.[401] They wanted to place a renewed emphasis on kami worship as an indigenous form of ritual, an attitude that was also fuelled by anxieties about Western expansionism and fear that Christianity would take hold in Japan.[401]

1868, all shrine priests were placed under the authority of the new Jingikan, or Council of Kami Affairs.[402] A project of forcible separating kami worship from Buddhism as implemented, with Buddhist monks, deities, buildings, and rituals being banned from kami shrines.[401] Buddhist imagery, scriptures, and ritual equipment were burnt, covered in excrement, or otherwise destroyed.[401] In 1871, a new hierarchy of shrines was introduced, with imperial and national shrines at the top.[403] Hereditary priesthoods were abolished and a new state-sanctioned system for appointing priests was introduced.[403] In 1872, the Jingikan was closed and replaced with the Kyobusho, or Ministry of Edification.[404] This coordinated a campaign whereby kyodoshoku ("national evangelists") were sent through the country to promote Japan's "Great Teaching," which included respect for the kami and obedience to the emperor.[404] This campaign was discontinued in 1884.[404] In 1906, thousands of village shrines were merged so that most small communities had only a single shrine, where rites in honor of the emperor could be held.[405] Shinto effectively became the state cult, one promoted with growing zeal in the build-up to the Second World War.[405]

In 1882, the Meiji government designated 13 religious movements that were neither Buddhist nor Christian to be forms of "Sect Shinto".[36] The number and name of the sects given this formal designation varied;[406] often they merged ideas with Shinto from Buddhism, Christian, Confucian, Daoist, and Western esoteric traditions.[407] In the Meiji period, many local traditions died out and were replaced by nationally standardised practices encouraged from Tokyo.[153]

Although the government sponsorship of shrines declined, Japanese nationalism remained closely linked to the legends of foundation and emperors, as developed by the kokugaku scholars. In 1890, the Imperial Rescript on Education was issued, and students were required to ritually recite its oath to "offer yourselves courageously to the State" as well as to protect the Imperial family. Such processes continued to deepen throughout the early Shōwa era, coming to an abrupt end in August 1945 when Japan lost the war in the Pacific. On 1 January 1946, Emperor Shōwa issued the Ningen-sengen, in which he quoted the Five Charter Oath of Emperor Meiji and declared that he was not an akitsumikami (a deity in human form).[408]

Post-war[edit]

The headquarters of the Association of Shinto Shrines in ShibuyaTokyo.

During the U.S. occupation, a new Japanese constitution was drawn up. This enshrined freedom of religion and separated religion from the state, a measure designed to eradicate State Shinto.[409] As part of this, the emperor formally declared that he was not a kami;[410] any Shinto rituals performed by the imperial family became their own private affair.[411] This disestablishment ended government subsidies to shrines and gave them renewed freedom to organise their own affairs.[410] In 1946 many shrines formed a voluntary organisation, the Association of Shinto Shrines (Jinja Honchō).[412] In 1956 the association issued a creedal statement, the keishin seikatsu no kōryō ("general characteristics of a life lived in reverence of the kami"), to summarise what they regarded as Shinto's principles.[201] By the late 1990s around 80% of Japan's Shinto shrines were part of this association.[413]

In the post-war decades, many Japanese blamed Shinto for encouraging the militarism which had led to defeat and occupation.[410] Others remained nostalgic for State Shinto,[414] and concerns were repeatedly expressed that sectors of Japanese society were conspiring to restore it.[415] Various legal debates revolved around the involvement of public officials in Shinto.[416] In 1965, for instance, the city of Tsu, Mie Prefecture paid four Shinto priests to purify the site where the municipal athletic hall was to be built. Critics brought the case to court, claiming it contravened the constitutional separation of religion and state; in 1971 the high court ruled that the city administration's act had been unconstitutional, although this was overturned by the Supreme Court in 1977.[417]

During the post-war period, Shinto themes often blended into Japanese new religious movements;[418] of the Sect Shinto groups, Tenrikyo was probably the most successful in the post-war decades,[414] although in 1970 it repudiated its Shinto identity.[419] Shinto perspectives also influenced Japanese popular culture. The film director Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli for instance acknowledged Shinto influences on his films such as Spirited Away.[420] Shinto also spread abroad through both Japanese migrants and conversion by non-Japanese.[421] The Tsubaki Grand Shrine in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, was the first to establish a branch abroad: the Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America, initially located in California and then moved to Granite Falls, Washington.[232]

During the 20th century, most academic research on Shinto was conducted by Shinto theologians, often priests,[422] bringing accusations that it often blurred theology with historical analysis.[423] From the 1980s onward, there was a renewed academic interest in Shinto both in Japan and abroad.[424]

Demographics[edit]

A Shinto rite carried out at a jinja in San Marino, Southern Europe

Most Japanese participate in several religious traditions,[425] with Breen and Teeuwen noting that, "with few exceptions", it is not possible to differentiate between Shintoists and Buddhists in Japan.[426] The main exceptions are members of minority religious groups, including Christianity, which promote exclusivist worldviews.[427] Determining the proportions of the country's population who engage in Shinto activity is hindered by the fact that, if asked, Japanese people will often say "I have no religion".[427] Many Japanese avoid the term "religion", in part because they dislike the connotations of the word which most closely matches it in the Japanese language, shūkyō. The latter term derives from shū ("sect") and kyō ("doctrine").[428]

Official statistics show Shinto to be Japan's largest religion, with over 80 percent of the country's population identified as engaging in Shinto activities.[184][429] Conversely, in questionnaires only a small minority of Japanese describe themselves as "Shintoists."[184] This indicates that a far larger number of people engage in Shinto activities than cite Shinto as their religious identity.[184] There are no formal rituals to become a practitioner of "folk Shinto". Thus, "Shinto membership" is often estimated counting only those who do join organised Shinto sects.[430] Shinto has about 81,000 shrines and about 85,000 priests in the country.[429] According to surveys carried out in 2006[431] and 2008,[432] less than 40% of the population of Japan identifies with an organised religion: around 35% are Buddhists, 30% to 40% are members of Shinto sects and derived religions. In 2008, 26% of the participants reported often visiting Shinto shrines, while only 16.2% expressed belief in the existence of kami in general.[432]

Outside Japan[edit]

A fox statue guarding the Inari shrine at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū in Kamakura

Shinto is primarily found in Japan, although the period of the empire it was introduced to various Japanese colonies and in the present is also practiced by members of the Japanese diaspora.[29] Jinja outside Japan are termed kaigai jinja ("overseas shrines"), a term coined by Ogasawara Shōzō.[433] These were established both in territories conquered by the Japanese and in areas where Japanese migrants settled.[433] When the Japanese Empire collapsed in the 1940s, there were over 600 public shrines, and over 1,000 smaller shrines, within Japan's conquered territories. Many of these were then disbanded.[433] Shinto has attracted interest outside of Japan, in part because it lacks the doctrinal focus of major religions found in other parts of the world.[434] Shinto was introduced to United States largely by interested European Americans rather than by Japanese migrants.[434] Japanese migrants established several shrines in Brazil.[435]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

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Aspects of Shinto in Japanese Communication

Aspects of Shinto in Japanese Communication

Aspects of Shinto in Japanese Communication
January 2003
Kazuya Hara
Research Interest Score
5.5

Abstract
A person's religious view is one of the elements that strongly influences his or her guiding principle in daily communication. In this essay, the author focuses on Shinto and attempts to conceptualize its influence on aspects of Japanese daily life and communication. First, the author reviews Shinto's definitions, types of modern Shinto, the concept of kami (gods), the-other- world-views, reverence of nature, worship of ancestors, musubi (the mystical power of becoming or creation), and purity. Then, the author proposes two communication models based on a Shinto perspective: 
(1) kan'no (responding to nature as a deity) as intrapersonal communication; and
(2) the sense of oneness with kami achieved by carrying mikoshi (a portable Shinto shrine) in matsuri festival.

===
Aspects of Shinto in Japanese Communication* 
 
Kazuya Hara 
 
 
Meikai University, Japan 
 
 
Introduction 
 
Sound human communication is being confronted with crises because of environmental disruption, superficial human relationships in society, or inhumane crimes. In such a time, it seems meaningful to rethink what we live by, and to what we owe our appreciation for our existence in this world. A person’s religious view is one of the elements that strongly influences his or her guiding principle in daily communication. For example, Wakimoto (1990) states that religious worldview not only inspires a person’s way of life, but also sways his or her value judgment and decision making. Among various religious and cultural views held, for most Japanese people, Shinto1 has had the greatest influence on their communication as the nucleus of their mental and behavioral culture with its simplicity (e.g., Irwin, 1996; Tsujimura, 1987). In the multiplex structure of Japanese culture and communication, Ishii (1997) argues that the sense of awe to the souls of the deceased and worshiping nature come first and then based on them, Shinto comes. 
Since Shinto does not have any doctrine written in words and is so taken for granted in life, it is difficult for Japanese people to explain clearly what Shinto is. Shinto, however, has been a faith ingrained in most Japanese people. For example, in the rice-growing society in ancient Japan, Shinto was a faith that every member in the community had when they prayed for the success of the harvest. Modern Japanese people also give thanks to kami for their rich rice crops, and pray at the Shinto shrine for their desires to be met or their sickness to be cured. In this sense, Shinto might be “this-life-oriented.” Its fundamental faith is simple: to appreciate deities as a consolation of mind and feel honest delight to feel oneness with deities. 
   In many Japanese peoples’ minds, Shinto also lives in harmony with other religions. For example, many Japanese go to the Shinto shrine on New Year’s Day, celebrate Christmas, and attend Buddhist style funerals, and believe in fortune-telling stemming from the philosophy of Yin and Yang. In this regard, Yanagawa (1991) points out that the Japanese are not particular about the doctrine of a religion and do not take it seriously as a system for which to argue. Therefore, a Japanese person can be both ujiko (local residents worshipping the same guardian deity) of a Shinto shrine and a supporter of a Buddhist temple. Furthermore, Earhart (1984) contends that “[f]or Japanese, religion is not a mathematical addition of individual components, it is a way of life that is constructed and supported by most of the individual components. A Japanese person does not have to ‘join’one religious tradition and thereby reject all others” (p. 23). 
 With the image of State Shinto, however, Shinto has a tragic history of being seen as radical. Especially during World War II, Shinto was used to support militarism. In this regard, Earhart (1982) claims, “[t]he emphatically national character of Shinto was overexaggerated by Western scholars who have studied Shinto during its nationalistic phase from about 1867 to 1945. It is now time for reevaluation of Shinto in more balanced terms” (p. 36). In contrast with the image of State Shinto, Shinto’s worldview is essentially quite simple. According to Honda (1985), Shinto is a home of the spirit for most of Japanese, and is a religion to sense as it is. Shinto purely worships kami (gods), nature, and ancestors. Shinto additionally regards us as children of kami, and assumes that anything that is thought to have a spirit in this universe could be kami. 
 In this essay, the author will attempt to conceptualize Shinto’s influence on the aspects of Japanese daily life and communication of which Japanese people are “somehow” conscious. First, the author will review Shinto’s definitions, types of modern Shinto, the concept of kami, the-other-world-views, reverence of nature, worship of ancestors, concepts of musubi (the mystical power of becoming or creation) and purity. Then, the author will propose two communication models based on a Shinto perspective: (1) kan’no (responding to nature as a deity) as intrapersonal communication; and (2) the sense of oneness with kami achieved by carrying mikoshi (a portable Shinto shrine) in matsuri festival. 
 
 
Shinto 
 
Shinto, written in two Chinese characters shin (kami or gods) and to (way), literally means the way of kami. In other words, Shinto means “to live following the mind of kami as a way,” which is called kannagara. The ancient Japanese did not originally have a name for their own native religion. Kamata (2000) points out that the awareness of something like Shinto already existed in the Paleolithic era, and its trace began to be seen in the Jomon period (13,000300 B.C.). For example, clay figures shaped like a wild boar, a snake, or a deer stood for the sense of awe and gratitude to kami. Additionally, the design of a whirl of thunder on the earthenware stood for the cycle or power of nature. In these works, the traces of faiths of animism and shamanism can been seen. 
The origin of Shinto’s prototype seems to have been developed in the Yayoi period (300 B.C.-300 A.D.). For example, Anzu (1971) interprets the origin of today’s Shinto prototype as being from the Yayoi period, when the custom of rice growing, which needed the harmonious cooperation between human beings and nature, was widespread. Additionally, from the viewpoint of matsuri development in a rice-growing community, Asoya (1994) contends that it is appropriate to see the Yayoi period as the origin of Shinto since it is thought that people began to offer rice to kami to pray for abundant rice crops. 
Historically, one of the important events for Shinto was the introduction of Buddhism from Paeche to the Yamato Imperial Court in the sixth century (538 A.D.). Since then, the word “Shinto” has been used to distinguish the native and traditional Japanese belief from Buddhism. After the late years of the Nara period, the tendency of amalgamation of Shinto and Buddhism (ShintoBuddhist synthesis) came to be seen. Because Shinto was principally based on nature worship and Buddhism was not a theistic doctrine, there was no contradiction in synthesizing them. After the late Nara period, the Buddhist theory of honji-suijaku (the theory that gods in Shinto are Japanese incarnations of Buddhist deities) was pervasive. Honji-suijaku was based on the relationship between Buddha’s noumenal (honji) aspects and kami’s phenomenal (suijaku) aspects, and considered kami as manifest traces (suijaku) of the original substance (honji) of Buddha and bodhisattvas. For example, Hachiman was considered both kami for Shinto and bodhisattva for Buddhism. Later on, almost every Shinto shrine considered its enshrined kami as the counterpart of some Buddhist divinity. Furthermore, it became customary to enshrine statues of such Buddhist counterparts in Shinto shrines. 
 
 
 
 
Shinto Defined 
Shinto can be said to be, in one sense, Japan’s indigenous, traditional, and folk religion. However, since Shinto does not have any founder or dogma and does not propagate, it is not a “religion” in the same way as Buddhism or Christianity is. For most Japanese people, it is a part of one’s life rather than a religion. Hirai’s (2001) definition will be helpful to make it clear:  
 
Shinto is primarily a traditional religious practice which was born based on the concept of kami by ancient Japanese people and has been developed among Japanese people, and a person’s attitude toward life and philosophy to support such a practice. Except in some schools of Sect Shinto, Shinto is a faith or belief spontaneously generated without any founder, and a folk religion born and grown on the soil of Japan. The concept of kami in Shinto is basically polytheism and includes the practices of prayer, festivals, asceticism, and social activities. (p. 674; Translated by Hara) 
 
Hirai (2001) further states that Shinto is deeply interrelated with Japanese people’s life as an essential value system and a way of thinking rather than established theology or philosophy. 
Additionally, Hirano’s (1997) definition contributes to Japanese people’s image and awareness of their religious practices with regard to kami:  
 
Shinto is the comprehensive term which describes the system of      traditionally transmitted social behavior and its products which the      Japanese people developed in the course of their communal life, as a means for expressing thanks to the kami for their blessings, while      attempting to submit themselves to the will of the kami, as demonstrated through the celebration of matsuri (festival), folk performance, and in the ordinary activities of everyday life. (p. 57) 
 
The point suggested in this definition is that Shinto can be seen as religious awareness and practices that naturally stay with modern Japanese people in their daily lives, rather than as a religion strictly to believe in and follow. To put it more concretely, Shinto refers to a religious awareness that puts the highest value on oneness with deities such as kami, nature, or ancestors’ souls in order to live sincerely and to maintain our life energy. 
 
Types of Shinto in Modern Times 
Shinto is mainly classified into three types: Shrine Shinto, Sect Shinto, and Folk Shinto.  
 
Shrine Shinto. Shrine Shinto, based particularly on worship of the kami at local shrines (jinja), is the oldest type of Shinto and has played an important role in the unification and solidarity of the nation and rural society. While the Shinto shrine has no founder, it possesses an organization by its parishioners, believers, and others. It also has festivals and other religious practices which are rooted in Shinto traditions and Japanese myth, all centered on the spiritual unification of the shrines (Eliade, 1987). In this sense, as Picken (1994) explains, “Shinto is indeed a religion that is ‘caught’ rather than ‘taught,’ its insights ‘perceived’ before they are ‘believed,’ its basic concepts ‘felt’ rather than ‘thought’” (p. xxxii). According to Asoya (1996), there are two types of roles in Shrine Shinto. The first type refers to the shrine as a community with village, town, or nation, which is called ujigami, ubusuna-gami, or chinshu-no-yashiro. The second type is individual or family-based, and called the Shrine of kanjo, such as the Shrine of hachiman (the word hachiman originally means absolute) or the Shrine of inari (a tutelary deity of rice cultivation and the five grains), where kami and hotoke are worshiped. 
 
Sect Shinto. Sect Shinto can be classified into two categories: Sect Shinto and New Sect Shinto. Sect Shinto is the term for the Shinto movement centering upon 13 sects, each with its own leader, formed during the 19th century. These are classified into five types based on their characteristics (e.g., Eliade, 1987; Hirai, 2001). The first is the mountain-worship sects such as Jikkokyo, Fusokyo, and Ontakekyo, which grew out of the cult of Mount Fuji or Mount Ontake. The second is faith-healing sects, which are groups formed around a founder and his religious experience and activities: Kurozumikyo, Konkokyo, and Tenrikyo. The third is purification sects, which are groups that perpetuate the traditional purification with water to cultivate body and mind: Shinshukyo and Misogikyo. The fourth is Confucian sects, which are groups arising from the combination of Confucianism and Revival Shinto: Shinto Shuseiha and Shinto Taiseikyo. The fifth is Revival Shinto sects, those which grew out of Restoration Shinto or in which its influence is strong: Izumo Oyashirokyo, Shinrikyo, and Shinto Taikyo. 
Sect Shintos’ membership was based on an individual’s religious experience     or on Revival Shinto. These groups generally do not have shrines, but use    churches as the center of religious activities instead. Since the end of World War II and the dissolution of government control over the sects, these groups and their churches experienced repeated schisms combined with the appearance of new, Shinto-derived religions, producing a complicated picture (Eliade, 1987). In the case of New Sect Shinto, they are characterized by shamanistic leadership, syncretism of religious and philosophical beliefs, closely knit social organization, and individualism. Some groups even show characteristics of monotheism, in the extreme case making a compromise among Buddhism, Confucianism, and folk faiths such as the Yin -Yang school. 
 
Folk Shinto. Folk Shinto is a Shinto faith that was customarily practiced by common people without being systematized. It does not have any official teaching or social organization, nor does it have a doctrine or dogma. Thus, Folk Shinto is also connected to other types of Shinto. Folk Shinto is based on the aspects of Japanese folk beliefs, and derives mainly from three sources (Eliade, 1987). First are the survived ancient traditions such as divination, magical shamanic rituals, and folk medicines. The second aspects are basic elements of Shinto, such as customs of abstinence and purification rites as well as worship of house and field deities. In particular, the second aspects are believed in by many Japanese people. The third are syncretism of Shinto, with beliefs from foreign religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, and medieval Catholicism. Among these three types of Folk Shinto, the second is the most common among ordinary people. 
These three varieties of Shinto are mutually interrelated. The main difference between Shrine Shinto and Folk Shinto is a matter of scale and strength or weakness of organization. Festivals and the intent of their practices are indistinguishable in many cases. Furthermore, most Sect Shinto believers are also ujiko (parishioners) of Shrine Shinto, as well as practitioners of Folk Shinto. 
 
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The Concept of Kami 

In ancient times, people seemed to stand in awe of the profound and mysterious supernaturalsim, and worshiped such supernatural powers as kami. For example, ancient Japanese people thought that good rice crops were given by the blessing of nature, and they gradually felt that there was some kind of deity as kami in nature. When thunder was rumbling, they thought kami was angry. In addition, they felt that there was some kind of spirit in natural objects such as the sun, mountains, rivers, trees, and even rocks which gives human beings a source of life or a place to pray for good harvest. Such animistic beliefs created a sense of kami in their mind. 
Kami, which is often translated as “god” in English, does not have the sense of “God” in the Judeo-Christian use. Kami in Shinto is polytheistic, and has been perceived by the Japanese as “something thankful and a merciful being” who bestows blessings on one’s life (Bunce, 1955, p. 100). Ono (1962) defines the term kami as “an honorific for noble, sacred spirits, which implies a sense of adoration for their virtues and authority” (p. 6). In Shinto, varieties of kami are classified into three types. The first is kami of nature, such as kami of mountain, kami of water, and kami of fire. The second is kami in myths, such as Amaterasu Omikami or Ohkuni Nushinokami. The third is kami of holy persons, such as the Meiji Emperor, Ieyasu Tokugawa, or those who had made great contributions to our society. However, for ordinary people, as Earhart (1984) argues, “[t]he notion of kami is very flexible, including whatever within and beyond the world, that is extraordinary, in the sense of being sacred and providing the abundance of life. The term kami can be either singular or plural and may be translated as ‘gods,’ ‘spirits,’ or ‘the sacred’ in general” (p. 50). 
The Japanese concept of kami has three unique characteristics. One unique point is that there is no almighty Kami; each kami has its specialized field. Mainly, kami could be categorized into two types, nature kami and human kami (Abe, 1990). For example, the former has been essential for an agricultural life and the latter includes worshiped ancestors or historical heroes. From the viewpoint of each kami’s profession, kami can be categorized into kami of function and kami of protection. The former includes kami of agriculture, kami of fishery, or kami of commerce or industry that protect human life. The latter includes kami of uji (lineage of a family) or kami of a village, that support human beings’ prosperity and well-being. 
Another point is that kami of different backgrounds polytheistically coexist in this universe. Additionally, kami could even make a group. One interesting example is the Seven Kami of Good Fortune, organized from the middle period to modern times in Japan. At first, there was only one fortune kami. Later on, however, it became Ebisu and Daikoku. Then Bishamonten and Benzaiten were added, Hotei followed, and finally Jurojin and Fukurokuju completed the group. Ebisu was the only Japanese kami that came from the sea; Daikoku was a kami of the kitchen in the Tendai Temple. Bishamonten and Benzaiten also belonged in the heaven of Buddhism. Hotei was a Chinese monk and an incarnation of maitreya. Jurojin and Fukurokuju were kami of a star in Taoism. These kami are prayed to together in some places, and individually in other places. 
The third point is that Japanese people have created kami for themselves, and even added or changed its function depending on their needs. For example, Japanese people worship a holy or influential person as kami, besides worshipping their ancestors. Sugawara-no-Michizane (845-903) is deified as kami of studies in Kitano Tenmangu. On the other hand, in the case of the Seven Kami of Good Fortune, although Ebisu, Daikoku, and Benzaiten were originally violent kami, Japanese people came to see them as guardian deities (e.g., Miyata, 1996). Furthermore, kami is born from the feeling of appreciation that people have in their daily life. For example, Japanese people see kami of the kitchen, kami of fire, and kami of water in their house to guard them from dangers (e.g. Uryu & Shibuya, 1996). 
In conclusion, in the sense of Shinto kami, kami is close to human beings. 
Kami is not an object to strictly believe in and follow, but is based on something supernatural and superhuman that human beings perceive to be around them. While Japanese people have a proverb, “Humans turn to kami in times of distress,” they also have a proverb, “The kami left alone do not curse” (Let sleeping dogs lie). Based on their intuitive awareness, Japanese people feel that kami is everywhere, and traditionally, the Japanese assume the presence of kami as naturally as they see beauty and fertility in nature; no conscious act of faith is needed. They have, however, expressed their appreciation by prayer and matsuri offered to kami. Furthermore, ancestors are worshipped as kami from folklore viewpoints. This will be argued in a later section. 
 
Shinto’s The-Other-Worldviews after Death  
Shinto’s time worldview is based on one’s previous life, this world, and the afterlife. These worlds are not seen as being strictly separated. It is thought that people in this world can communicate with their ancestors’ souls (spirits) via a shaman. However, Shinto’s space worldview has two types. The first is the folklore view that the ancestors’ souls are in the mountain. The second was developed in ancient times and its cosmology is divided into this world and the other worlds. Seeing the worldview of ancient Shinto (Shinto in the period before it came to be influenced by Buddhism), two types of cosmological worldviews existed in regard to life and death. The first type was based on a vertical and three-dimensional idea consisting of Takama-ga (no)-hara (the plain of high heaven), Nakatsu-kuni (middle land, the world of human kind), and Yomi (under-world of pollution, the land of the dead). The second type saw the universe as horizontal and two-tiered with Tokoyo (the world where the purified spirits of the dead reside) and the world of human kind. Tokoyo was believed to be far beyond the sea. However, in common views of Shinto by modern people, it is though that we could always face the soul of an ancestor at one’s family Buddhist altar. In such a sense, the position between a human and the soul of an ancestor is by land. Additionally, some people even think the ancestors are watching us somewhere in this world (Anzu, 1986). The third is the view that the world of Tokoyo is far away beyond the sea. This view is especially believed in Okinawa, and is called niraikanai. 
 
Reverence of Nature 
In an island country and also a mountainous country like Japan, ancient people lived in agricultural life in a village community staying in one place. Natural phenomena were crucial for harvest, and people felt a supernatural power in changeable weather. When they had a rich harvest, they felt that it was kami’s blessing. However, when they were faced with the supernatural power of nature such as a heavy rain, an earthquake, a drought, a flood, a heavy snowfall, or a landslide, they felt kami was angry. In such a sense, kami did not necessarily have to be invisible. Sometimes, they felt the supernatural power stayed even in trees or stones. For example, such as in Nihonshoki (“Historical Record of Japan” written in 720 A.D.), there was a statement that the trees and weeds uttered, and in Hitachi-no-kuni-fudoki (“A record of Everyday Life in the Hitachi District” written in 713 A.D.), grasses, stones, and trees talked (Mitsuhashi, 1995). As people defied nature and felt the existence of kami with them, the concept of musubi (the spirit of birth and becoming) came to be realized (Minamoto, 1985). In regard to whether nature itself is kami or not, it is commonly thought that in ancient times, nature itself was seen as kami, but gradually, it came to be seen that kami is in nature and later, that kami has the power to control nature (Ueda, 1991). 

From the viewpoint of Shinto, nature itself is seen to have a spirit and life. For example, Japanese people have looked upon even a tree, a rock, or a river in nature as a figure of life. Kamata (2000) argues that the Japanese word inochi connotes the dynamic motion, flow, and circulation of all the universe. Likewise, people also felt respect toward the mountains and worshipped the mountains as a sacred place where kami stays. The consistent underlying assumption to such a view of nature among Japanese people is that Japanese people feel that they do not live in nature, but live under nature and its divine protection. 
 
Worship of Ancestors 
 Ancient Japanese people believed that the soul of the deceased would not go far away from their world. They believed that the soul of ancestors stayed in the mountain, watching over the lives of its descendants, and would come back to his or her house during the New Year’s Festival (Shogatsu). With such a view, they were conscious of interaction with ancestors’ feeling as if the soul of ancestors had been close to them (e.g., Jinja Honcho, 2000). In this way, they worshiped their ancestors as kami. When the souls of ancestors came back, they made a fire or had the Festivals for the Souls (Mitama-Matsuri) to treat the ancestors’ souls. Especially, such a feeling of worshipping their ancestors as kami stemmed from the appreciation for the ancestors who left rice fields as an invaluable gift for ancestors to take care of their rice harvest (Honda, 1985). This is the origin of the worship of ancestors. 
 Folklore studies such as those done by Yanagita (1975) argue that the substance of the soul of ancestors will be the kami of the mountain (yama-nokami ). Some ancient people believed that the soul of the deceased would go into the mountain, and would be the kami of the mountain. In an agricultural community, the souls of ancestors were believed to come to Earth as the kami of the rice field (ta-no-kami)in order to watch the growth of the rice plants, and then go back to the mountain as the kami of the mountain. As the community became like a country, they began to offer prayers for ujigami (a tutelary guardian), kami of the clan of the families. Uji refers to a group consisting of blood-related families, and ujigami was originally believed to be their ancestors (Iwai, 2002). 
There are two types of ancestors in their worshipping style. One is the souls of ancestors (sorei), which refers to the souls of departed ancestors that were purified after a fixed period years. It is generally believed that it takes 33 years after a person’s death, but some prefectures or areas believe it takes 17, 49, or even 55 years (Sonoda, 1995). Such a soul of ancestors will lose the person’s own characteristics and will be absorbed in the body of souls of ancestors called mitamasama (Honda, 1985). They are prayed to at a household Shinto altar (Uryu & Shibuya, 1996). The souls of ancestors who passed away less than 33 years ago are also often called hotoke in Buddhist terms, and are prayed to at a Buddhist altar.2 Family members talk and pray to ancestors in front of a Buddhist altar, imagining the ancestor’s figures of his or her lifetime. On the days of Bon festival (in many areas, from August 13 to 15) and Higan (a sevenday period with the spring or autumn equinox falling on the middle day) as well as New Year’s Festival, all of the souls of ancestors are believed to come back to this world. On such days, there are ceremonies and events to communicate with ancestors, and ancestors’ descendants will receive providence. 
Although there is no common view in regard to where the souls of ancestors are, according to Anzu (1986), Japanese people have a sense that the souls of ancestors stay with them, and are always accessible to them, and it such a sense is an emotional support. The Shinto or Buddhist altar is not only the place to pray but also the place where Japanese can share the sense of staying together with the souls of ancestors. They are engaged in intrapersonal communication with the souls of ancestors in front of the Buddhist altar. There, people are conscious of the existence and blessing of ancestors and talk to them, praying for their desires or reporting what they experienced. In daily communication, ancestor worship in such a sense also plays an important role in regulating morals. This is represented in expressions such as “gosenzosama ni moushiwake nai” (I am sorry for my faults, my ancestors) as well as in expressions appreciating ancestors such as“gosenzosama no okagede” (thanks to the ancestor’s providence). Additionally, by praying and offering foods to the altar, people not only show their feeling of appreciation but also support the ancestor so that the soul’s power and rank will be higher in the other world. Therefore, Japanese people have both ancestor memorialism and ancestor worship (Smith, 1996). It is concluded that communicative consciousness of the providence of ancestors not only let us feel the relationship by blood by ancestors but also gave us relief from providence in our daily life. 
 
Admired Concepts in Shinto 
 
Musubi. Shinto originated from an agricultural society that had attached great importance on producing life, and felt an enormous power and energy to produce life in nature. This concept is called musubi. According to Yamakage (2000), musubi means the birth and growth of life and spirituality. Musubi comprehensively covers concepts such as creation of energy, reproductive power, unity with people, fertility, and prosperity (Honda, 1985). There are Japanese words whose origin is from musubi. For example, we call a son and daughter musuko and musume, who are born as a result of musubi between male and female. Another example is a triangular rice ball, which is called omusubi. The reason why Japanese people make triangular rice balls stems from the shape of the mountain. Ancient people tried to put the power of musubi in the mountain into their bodies by eating mountain-like omusubi (Yamagishi, 1995). Yamakage (2000) states that, in order to intensify the power of musubi, a person should be engaged in health management, growth of mind, and purification of spirituality. 
 
Misogi and Harai for Purity. In Shinto, purity is given great emphasis, and impurity is seen as taboo. The purity in Shinto refers to the purity of mind rather than cleanliness of the body. Behind such faith, there is a view that any life in this universe is born from water, and the view of purification that water washes away any evil and sin and purifies us (Honda, 1985). An activity with a prayer to purify oneself is called harai (its verb form is harau). Also, to purify with water is called misogi. The undesirable state of not being purified is called kegare (impurity). Harai is also performed with norito (a Shinto prayer), the words of which are seen to have a power called kotodama (the soul of a word which has supernatural power). A unique point in Shinto’s purification is that impurity or sin of a person is seen like a material which could be removed by misogi or harai (Yamakage, 2000). 
As we have seen, the essential characteristic of Shinto is to produce life energy based on the concept of musubi, under the divine providence deities such as kami, nature, and the souls of ancestors. The following sections will argue the implications of Shinto’s worldview for Japanese communication practices, taking into consideration the aspects of worldview that have been argued by Shinto. 
 
 
 
 
Kan’no (Responding to Nature as a Deity) as Intrapersonal Communication Views of Nature by Japanese People 
 
The sense of Shinto arises from responding to nature. This kind of response, which is called kan’no in Japanese, means responding to nature feeling in awe of it in one’s mind. In his book Fudo (Climate and Culture), Watsuji (1979) argued that Japanese people who have been confronted with severe monsoon climates that have both torrid and frigid zones have cultivated a passive and patient personality. Such a personality has been created through kan’no to nature. 
When Japanese people feel the blessing of nature, they feel they are at one with kami. One of the places where the sense of deities of nature is strongly sensed is in the forest of the Shinto shrine, which is called chinju no mori (village shrine). In the forest, the existence of kami is felt, although there is no idolized figure or shape of kami there. Kubota (1997) views such a sense as follows: 
 
Nature in the woods or forest produces life energy, and if there is a tall and large tree of a deity, we feel that kami comes down to earth, and we feel the existence of kami as a sense. This sense makes Japanese people’s view of nature equal to their religious views (pp. 27-28; Translated by Hara).  
 
How this sense is blessed is seen in the Buddhist priest Saigyo’s (1118-90) famous waka poem read in Ise Shrine: “I don’t know what resides here, but tears fall in appreciation for it.” Another example is that when Arnold Joseph Toynbee (1889-1975), a historian, went and worshiped at the Ise Shrine, he wrote, “Here in this holy place I feel the underlying unity of all religions.” 
 
Constructing Kan’no (Response to Deities) Communication Model 
In order to visually consolidate the image of kan’no, the author attempts to conceptualize the process of kan’no, which leads to the creation of the sense of the worship of nature as dignity. This model is based on message processing at the intrapersonal communication level. The dotted line in the center stands for a human being who is in the process of kan’no communication. The dotted line used to represent a person means that a person is originally a part of nature. In contrast to a monotheistic religious worldview, Shinto’s polytheistic worldview does not have a boundary between ecological communication and spiritual communication. 
First, curved arrows around Person A stand for the process of sensing the existence of supernatural powers by deities. After feeling the blessings of supernatural deities, Person A will be engaged in message processing by feeling the pleasure of living in nature, and will think of some issues in his or her daily life and have some ideas of soul-searching. Sometimes, internal self-feedback is repeated to make his or her mind clear. After being refreshed and recomposed, Person A feels and recognizes himself or herself as being a part of nature, and feeling at one with nature. Then Person A realizes a sense of relief feeling at one with nature. Such a sense of appreciation for nature will make Person A realize the weight of life, and produces modest moral sense to consider other people, animals, plants and so on, all of which have life. This will lead to Person A’s ethical behavior with reverence of nature, sympathy to all creatures, strong work ethics, etc. Although the author describes the process of kan’no with each component such as nature or Person A to clarify it from the viewpoint of intrapersonal communication, the ultimate state of kan’no is that each component will turn into “oneness,”which is beyond description with words. 
                         
                           
      
  
 Figure 1. “Kan’no ” (Responding to Nature as a Deity) Communication  Model 
 
 
 
 
Matsuri (Festival) as a Communication Event:  
To Have a Sense of Oneness with Kami 
 
 Japanese life is enriched with a variety of matsuri every year. Matsuri can be classified into three types. One is related to a traditional Japanese life cycle, which has been viewed based on the changes of seasons related to rice cultivation. The origin of this type of matsuri was to humbly serve and entertain kami, praying for enriched harvest. Even today, Japanese people celebrate Kinensai (a festival praying for the year’s harvest) in spring, and Niinamesai (a festival to appreciate kami for good harvest in fall). Another type of matsuri is seen as a community event. For example, matsuri to pray to ubusuna kami (a kami in the local community where a person is born) is included this type. The last type of matsuri is related to a person’s life ceremony in phases of life. A child is born protected by ubugami (kami to protect a newborn baby) until seven days pass, and after that, the baby will be named. Thirty-one days after a boy’s birth and 33 days after a girl’s, the baby is brought to a Shinto shrine to be admitted as a son or daughter of the local shrine. After that, the child celebrates hinamatsuri (for girls) or tango no sekku (for boys) every year, shichigosan (taking a child of seven, five, and three years of age to the Shinto shrine to thank kami for their health and pray for their happiness), and seijinshiki (Coming-of-Age Day) when they are 20 years old. Furthermore, they celebrate a person’s long life (for example, 60 years old is called kanreki), and receive harai (purification) at the ages of 25, 42, and 60 years old for men, and 19, 33, and 49 years old for women. In such ways, a personal level of events is seen as an individual matsuri (see Jinjahoncho, 1997, for details). 
                              
Kami Matsuri 
Kami Matsuri is in a sense, the most sacred communication with kami. Customarily, matsuri begins with the Shinto priest’s imigomori (to live in sacred Seclusion for several days) when he will serve the kami. After that, he is most purified, and he calls kami with the sacred vocalization “oh” and opens the doors of the shrine. Then, he offers food such as rice, sake, fish, vegetables, and fruit, along with symbolic offerings of pine branches with white paper strips attached. He also shows his gratitude to the kami by dedicating norito prayer. Then the priest who has received the highest spiritual power from kami prays for kami by offering tamagushi (a branch of sacred tree with zigzag strips of paper called shide. After festival events finish, with the sacred vocalization again, he closes the doors of the shrine and has a ceremony so that kami will go back to heaven (see Honda, 1985, for details). 
 
 
 The Meaning and Function of Matsuri in a Community 
The word origin of matsuru (verb form of matsuri) includes two meanings: matsu, to wait for the coming of kami, and matsurau, to serve the kami. Originally, it meant to wait for kami’s coming, wait on kami, and welcome kami (Sonoda, 1988). For modern Japanese, however, Sonoda (1988) states that matsuri does not require to strictly believe in kami; its sense is “matsuri comes before its belief.” Rather, through jubilant matsuri in a community, people come to be awakened to the world of kami. 
For those who share the atmosphere of matsuri, matsuri is not simply a religious event. Rather, as Oguchi and Hori’s (1973) definition illustrates, Japanese people’s sense of matsuri is: 
 
We call events matsuri of something, in which people flock together expecting some kind of non-daily refreshment. Everyone participates in it in some way, enjoying the sense of excitement and freedom from 
daily life and one another. (p. 684; Translated by Hara) 
 
Through matsuri, the daily communication style of the participants is dissolved and forgotten, and daily social relationships will be set free, mingled, and purified, to feel the sense of unity among them (Sugiyama, 1988). It is thought that the more exciting, the better it is. 
  Matsuri also has spiritual meaning. Through matsuri festival, people activate their life energy which has been decreased in their daily life. In daily life, the state when people’s energy is used up is called kegare. The word kegare has two meaning; impurity and the drying up of ke (life energy). In Shinto, the state of kegare is disliked the most because it could be associated with the troubles of evils, or even death. In matsuri festival, people hold a ceremony and eat a meal with kami (called shinjin kyoushoku). As a result, they restore, replenish, and refresh the energy in their soul; this is matsuri. Such a state of context is called hare (grand occasion) in contrast with ke (the state of daily life of the individual or community, or the energy which supports this daily life). 
 
A Sense of Oneness with Kami Achieved By Carrying Mikoshi in Matsuri  

In Shinto, maintenance of the soul is essential. Behind such a belief, there is an ancient people’s view that life was maintained when tama (soul) was inside a body; death meant that the soul had left from the body. The soul of kami is also seen to divide into pieces and increase (called tamafuyu), attaching the soul of a person to be unified into one (called tamafure), and to come down to us to possess us (Honda, 1985). 
One of the events to increase the power of the soul is carrying mikoshi (a 
port able Shinto shrine) in a matsuri in local Shrine community. For the members in a community, the parade of carrying mikoshi is, in one sense, a most exciting event, whether each member actually carries it or not. Carrying mikoshi is for tamafuri, which means to wave up and down, right and left the soul of kami so as to enhance its dignified power. By carrying mikoshi aggressively, it is thought that the power of kami is increased, and as a result, the power of life of any creature is strengthened and we can expect good health and a rich harvest. Shinto respects and puts high value on the intense energy of life with the thought of musubi (the mystical power of becoming or creation of life energy). 
The spiritual meaning of carrying mikoshi as tamafuri means to eventually feel a sense of oneness with kami. This is the process of “re-recognizing” the sense of oneness with kami and receiving life energy from kami. As was mentioned in the section on kan’no, the sense of oneness with a deity is an ideal state. The whole process of communication between people and kami through carrying mikoshi could be described with the following model constructed by the author. In the terms of matsuri, participants of a community purify themselves and share the same meal with kami. Under such prepared conditions, they began to carry mikoshi. 
Stage I in Figure 2 explains the activity of carrying mikoshi for the purpose of tamafuri by those who carry it. The darkest circle in the square represents the soul of kami, and each pair of wavy arrows represents tamafuri stimulating the soul of kami. The square enclosing the soul of kami is the mikoshi. The carriers of mikoshi are expressed with dotted circles to indicate that they are children of kami. The number of carriers of mikoshi depends on the size of mikoshi. The soul of each person is represented with white, which stands for the energy of the soul that is drying in a state of kegare. The activity of carrying mikoshi as tamafuri with respect to kami is described with arrows up to mikoshi. The large dotted line encircling the whole figure shows that the sense of oneness with kami is being weakened because of kegare by human beings in daily life. In Stage II, the process that kami will come down to the carriers of mikoshi is illustrated with outlined arrows pointing down to the carriers. At this stage, the relationship of oneness between kami and people is becoming strengthened. Finally, in Stage III, when people participating in matsuri feel the peak of excitement, they are unified with kami, sharing the power of kami’s soul. The state of Stage III stands for people’s sense of oneness with kami, which is described with a solid line encircling kami and human beings. Each person’s soul has recovered the energy of life with the providence of kami, in contrast with the state of Stage I. After the festival, kami will go back to the kam’s world. People might still enjoy the afterglow of matsuri, human relationships in a community are strengthened, and energetic daily life begins again. 
       
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 2. A Model of A Sense of Oneness with Kami Achieved                   by Carrying Mikoshi 
 
Conclusion 
       
This essay has outlined the essence of Shinto, and argued both the reverence of nature as kan’no (responding to nature as a deity) and sense of oneness with kami achieved by carrying mikoshi in matsuri with the author’s own conceptualized models. As seen in this essay, Shinto’s hope is as Miyazaki (1999) states:  

In Shinto, which has been passed from our ancestors as a faith of the Japanese people, it is hoped that 
  1. we live with nature, 
  2. treasure ancestors’ spirits, and 
  3. live in harmony with others. 

  1. There is a peace of mind in harmony with nature, and 
  2. a spiritual support in respecting the traditions from our ancestors. 
  3. Additionally, we have believed that we can have a better life by developing a relationship with others. (p. 64; Translated by Hara) 

Before concluding this essay, the author would like to present three points that Shinto’s perspectives could contribute to the quality of our daily communication. 

First, we should always appreciate the blessing of nature in our daily life, and should suppress desires which could result in environmental disruption. Our sound communication environment is not ensured without the natural resources, and once nature is disrupted, it is difficult to regain what has been lost. If we, however, try to keep nature enriched, we can have opportunities of refreshing communication everywhere, not to mention in Shinto shrines. In modern society with lots of stress, to feel the sense of oneness with nature deities will help us set our stress free and heal ourselves. 

Secondly, we should rethink the function of a community for our human relationships. To share oneness with others in a community will be essential in a sound human relationship. For example, in matsuri festivals, every member has to cooperate and work with one another in some way to succeed, even with those whom they do not like. In matsuri, however, people cannot perform and enjoy matsuri without frank communication with others. By carrying mikoshi, people could reduce uncertainty with those whom they are not familiar with or who they disliked. Through events, people recognize we live by supporting each other and one another, and in such a sense matsuri helps contribute to the harmony in a community (Jinja Honcho, 1998). 

Thirdly, we should always have a sense of transmitting communication from our ancestors to our descendants. In Shinto, ancestors’ souls are looking after us, and their precepts inherited from them will be at work in our future descendants for generations. Especially in a relationship with close ancestors whom we always keep in mind, Heise (1997) points out the importance that children learn to be modest so as not make the souls of their parents feel sad. In Shinto, there is a kamidana (a household Shinto altar) or butsudan (a family Buddhist altar) where we can declare to live seriously so that we would not be ashamed to communicate with the souls of ancestors. Such a sense of oneness with ancestors has an educational meaning, making us realize that we have to live an honest life thinking of the succeeding generations. 

In conclusion, the essence of Shinto is to feel appreciation for the fact that we are protected by deities such as kami, nature, and ancestors, and as a result, we can enhance our life energy. With a sense of gratitude, we should have this feeling of oneness with them in our daily life. For that, we must live honestly and modestly with purity and appreciate the blessings of deities. As Yamakage (2000) states, Shinto is a very simple faith that everyone can accept and practice. The author sincerely hopes that this essay has contributed to clarify aspects of Shinto in spiritual, mental and behavioral culture influencing Japanese communication. 
 
* The author wishes to thank Professor Kunihiko Tasaki, a lecturer of intercultural communication at Meikai University, for his inestimable advice on this essay, and Professor Yoshitaka Miike at Denison University for his constructive comments as a respondent at the IAICS Conference 2003. 
 
 
Notes  
 
1. Since Shinto implies spontaneous following of the “way of kami” and does not have any particular political belief or preaching, the author does not use the term Shintonism in this essay. As we know, -ism is the suffix to refer to “a political belief or religion based on a particular principle or the teachings of a particular person” (Summers, 1978, p. 984).  
2. Hotoke originally referred to a Buddha who had become enlightened. 
Japanese people however call the deceased hotoke (with–sama)  
 
 
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Connecting With Shinto Kami Overseas | Megan Manson

Connecting With Shinto Kami Overseas | Megan Manson



Connecting With Shinto Kami Overseas
JUNE 12, 2018 BY MEGAN MANSON
1 COMMENT



You do not need to live in Japan in order to follow Shinto. Shintoists around the world have found many different ways of honouring the kami from within their own country. Some simply spend time in nature and use the opportunity to express gratitude to the kami.

But it’s still the case that Japan is the heartland of the Shinto religion. What’s more, kami tend to have a greater connection to a specific place than deities usually encountered in Neopaganism. Shintoists therefore place a high emphasis on ritual items that originate from a specific shrine dedicated to a specific kami, as items such as ofuda are believed to literally contain the kami’s essence.




That’s why many Shintoists will still prefer to have some sort of connection to a Shinto shrine, even though for those living overseas this presents obvious challenges.

Fortunately, as worldwide interest in Shinto grows and better technology means that communication between countries gets faster and more efficient, more and more ways have appeared to enable Shintoists around the world to connect with kami in Japan.

Let’s explore some of the options now available for international Shintoists.
#1 Private third-partyYappari-Japan will not only ship Shinto charms internationally; they’ll also get them ritually cremated for you at the New Year.

One of the simplest ways of acquiring items like ofuda, kamidana (household shrines) and omamori (protective charms) is to buy them from an international private trader. There are a few traders who specialise and selling and shipping Shinto items to customers overseas. One I regularly use is the ebay seller Yappari-Japan, who offers a wide variety of items from some of Japan’s most important shrines. Yappari-Japan will even take your old ofuda and omamori to be ritually cremated each new year at no extra cost.



This is a particularly easy route for international Shintoists because there’s no language barrier, and because Ebay’s payment system makes the whole process very smooth. However, this method isn’t considered ideal. Some Shintoists think it’s wrong to buy sacred items like ofuda from a third party rather than directly from the shrine itself. It is certainly true that while this method will deliver the goods, it won’t necessarily give you that real sense of belonging to a shrine community and really connecting with the kami.
#2 Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America and Shusse Inari Shrine of America

Another way to connect with the kami without the issues of the language barriers is to connect with a shrine based overseas. Recognised Shinto shrines in other countries will be connected to a parent shrine back in Japan.

There are a handful of Shinto shrines outside Japan, but the one that’s probably the most well-known and most accessible to most reader is Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America. Based near Seattle, this shrine is a direct branch of Tsubaki O Kami Yashiro in Japan’s Mie Prefecture, one of the oldest shrines in Japan. Its principle enshrined kami are Sarutahiki no Ōkami, kami of justice and guidance and the head of all Earthly Kami, and Ame no Uzume no Mikoto, the kami of mirth who plays an important part in the Shinto myth of the rock cave. Established in 2001 via the merger of two shrines, Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America performs many of the functions one would expect of a shrine in Japan: Shinto ceremonies, wedding ceremonies, and selling items such as ofuda. It’s also possible to join Tsubaki Grand Shrine as a member of their kō (worship group).



I have not become a member of Tsubaki Grand Shrine’s kō, but I have donated to a fund to build a new torii gate outside the small hokora (sub-shrine) for Uga Mitama no Ōkami within the shrine precinct. This is because Uga Mitama no Ōkami is strongly identified with Inari Ōkami, the main kami I venerate.

I did however become a kō member of a new shrine that opened in Los Angeles in 2017: Shusse Inari Shrine of America. This shrine’s parent is in Matsue in Japan, dating back to the 12th century. Unlike Tsubaki Grand Shrine, Shusse Inari Shrine doesn’t really have a precinct (yet), so I thought it would be good to join them to give them some support in their early days. Additionally, Uka no Mitama no Kami, the Inari kami, is the principle deity of this shrine.

Joining Shusse Inari Shrine’s kō from overseas (I’m in the UK) is a simple process; communication in English is fine, and they can accept PayPal. When I joined up, this is what I received:





They sent a welcome letter, leaflets for the shrine and its upcoming events, an illustrated booklet produced by Ise Grand Shrine about Shinto, a membership card and a fox charm (the fox is the symbol of Inari). The membership card is rather special as it doubles up as an omamori:



The shrine will also send members various communications and items throughout the year, including a special birthday message and gift!



The only problem is, membership of Shusse Inari Shrine is rather pricey – and overseas members such as myself are charged more. Despite this, overseas members cannot easily participate in all the shrine activities, so they will not get their full money’s worth. This could, however, be a worthwhile option for Shintoists based in LA.


#3 Other International Shrines

There are are shrines outside of Japan that may be better equipped for serving the needs of overseas Shintoists than the majority of shrines in Japan. I haven’t personally engaged with them but it might be worth a try as an alternative option. You can find a list of overseas shrines at the Green Shinto blog here; they are located in Hawaii, Holland, France, San Marino, Canada, and Brazil.
#4 Fushimi Inari Faith International Group

The newest and perhaps most exciting option out there is the Fushimi Inari Faith International Group, which enables overseas Shintoists to join the kō of Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine in Japan.

This is particularly exciting for Shintoists like myself who place a special emphasis on Inari Ōkami, because Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine is the kami’s principle shrine.

Fushimi Inari Faith International Group was set up by Ema Matsubara, who holds a rank and teaching qualification from Fushimi Inari, and Gary Cox, a long-time devotee of Inari who also tends an enshrined wakemitama (essentially, the divided “soul” of Inari Herself). You can read an interview with Gary here.



Thanks to the combined teamwork of these two founders, people from all over the world can now join the Fushimi Inari kō without any barriers in language or international transactions. The membership fee is also very reasonable. This is what I received in my membership pack:



Gary has taken a great deal of time to put together English translations to go with the Japanese documents and booklets from the shrine, including the shrine calendar of important dates. The pack also includes a membership card and a very special omamori designed to last for life (most omamori need to be renewed every year).

For those who do not wish to pay for full membership of the Fushimi Inari kō, you can still join the Facebook group where you can get advice and information directly from the founders as well as access to materials such as norito (Shinto prayers).

Gary Cox has plenty of big plans for the Fushimi Inari Faith International Group, including getting officially established as a non-profit, so there’s a lot to look forward to for international Shintoists!

Seek Nothing, Just Sit - NHK WORLD PRIME | NHK WORLD-JAPAN On Demand

Seek Nothing, Just Sit - NHK WORLD PRIME | NHK WORLD-JAPAN On Demand

Seek Nothing, Just Sit

NHK WORLD PRIME

 
49m 00s
Broadcast on July 17, 2021 Available until July 17, 2024

Seek nothing, just sit. This is the zen practice pursued at Antaiji, a Soto school zen temple hidden deep in the mountains of northern Hyogo Prefecture. Residents, including several non-Japanese from abroad, engage in 1,800 hours of zazen sitting meditation per year and lead the self-sufficient lifestyle that is the zen ideal. Growing their own food, engaging in other hard physical labor, and sitting long hours in meditation to clear their minds of idle thoughts, they follow a rigorous practice focused on self-understanding. 

Among them are young men who question the meaning of life and experience deep distress. What answers will they find? This program follows daily temple practice over the course of a year.

Joe Rogan - Neil deGrasse Tyson "I'm Not an Atheist!!"



Joe Rogan - Neil deGrasse Tyson "I'm Not an Atheist!!"

법륜스님 ‘네가 행복하고 다른 사람에게 조금 도움이 돼라.’

 ‘네가 행복하고 다른 사람에게 조금 도움이 돼라.’


법륜스님은 한 사람으로서 어떤 가치관을 가지고 있나요?

“법륜스님께서는 스님으로서가 아니라 한 사람으로서 어떤 가치관을 가지고 계십니까? 어떤 기준으로 생각하고 말하고 행동하면서 사시는지 궁금합니다.”

“저는 제가 스님이라는 생각이 별로 없습니다. 그래서 가능하면 사람들과 대화할 때 불교 용어보다 일상용어를 더 많이 사용해요. 만나는 사람도 일반인이 더 많습니다. 코로나 사태가 시작된 3년 전부터는 시골에서 농사를 짓고 있습니다. 종교적인 활동은 거의 하지 않고 있어요. 저는 승려로서 하는 일과 한 인간으로서 하는 일이 나뉘어 있지 않습니다. 저는 제가 자유롭고 진실하게 살기 위해서 승려가 됐어요. 승려라는 이름에 갇혀서 위선적으로 살고 싶지는 않습니다.

제가 생각하는 삶의 기준은 첫째, ‘내가 얼마나 행복한가’입니다. 저 자신에게도 이렇게 하고 다른 사람에게도 이렇게 말합니다. 부모님을 위해 나를 희생하겠다고 하면 세상 사람들은 칭찬을 할 겁니다. 그러나 저는 그런 인생관을 갖고 있지 않습니다. 내가 행복한 것이 가장 중요하다고 생각해요. 부모가 아이를 어떻게 키워야 하냐고 질문하면 저는 이렇게 키워야 한다고 말하지 않습니다. ‘부모가 행복하면 아이는 저절로 잘 자란다. 아이 키운다고 힘들어하면 아이는 그걸 본받아서 불행해진다.’라고 말해요. 내가 행복한 것이 가장 중요합니다.

둘째, ‘다른 사람에게 조금이라도 도움이 되고 있는가’입니다. 그러려면 먼저 자립을 해야겠죠. 개나 토끼, 심지어 메뚜기도 스스로 살지 남에게 도움을 요청하지 않습니다. 어릴 때만 어미의 도움을 받지요. 저는 성인이 되면 자립해야 한다고 말합니다. 여러분은 자꾸 다른 사람에게 의지하고 도움을 받으려고 하잖아요. 도움을 받으려는 마음, 의지하는 마음이 괴로움의 원인입니다. 따라서 어떻게 살든 경제적, 정신적으로 자립해야 합니다. 그런데 사람이니까 짐승보다 나아야 하겠지요? 자립하는 건 기본이고 다른 사람에게도 도움이 되는 삶을 살아야 합니다. 인생은 원래 상부상조하며 사는 거지만, 그래도 내가 주는 게 51이고 받는 게 49 정도 되어야 합니다. 주는 게 적고 받는 게 많으면 다 빚이 돼요. 그래서 저는 조금이라도 도움이 되는 인생을 살려고 합니다. 이렇게 대화를 해서 도움을 주든지, 경제적으로 도움을 주든지, 일을 거들어 주든지 해서 조금이라도 남에게 도움이 되려고 해요. 이게 제 인생관이자 설법의 요체입니다.

‘네가 행복하고 다른 사람에게 조금 도움이 돼라.’

도움이 많이 되려고 하는 것도 욕심입니다. 내가 원한다고 해서 다 이루어지지는 않잖아요. 이루어진다고 꼭 좋다는 보장도 없어요. 이루어지기도 하고, 이루어지지 않기도 하는 게 정상입니다. 이루어지지 않는다고 괴로워할 필요도 없어요. 그처럼 남이 원하는 일도 내가 다 해줄 수 없습니다. 남이 원하는 걸 내가 다 해줄 수 없으니 해줄 수 있는 것은 해주고, 해줄 수 없으면 ‘죄송합니다!’하면 돼요.

부처님의 가르침도 이와 같습니다. ‘남을 때리거나 죽이지 마라. 손해를 끼치지 말라, 성적으로 괴롭히지 마라, 말로 괴롭히지 말라. 술 마시고 괴롭히지 마라,’ 이것이 다섯 계율입니다. 사람답게 살려면 적어도 남을 해치지 말아야 합니다. 무엇 때문에 남을 해치거나 손해를 끼치면서까지 살려고 합니까? 무엇 때문에 남을 괴롭히면서까지 살려고 해요? 누구나 살아갈 권리는 있지만 남을 해칠 권리는 없습니다. 누구나 이익 볼 권리는 있지만, 남에게 손해 끼칠 권리는 없습니다. 누구나 즐거움을 추구할 권리는 있지만 남을 괴롭힐 권리는 없습니다. 누구나 자유롭게 말할 수 있지만, 사기를 쳐서 남에게 손해를 끼치거나 욕설 등으로 남을 괴롭힐 권리는 없습니다. 술을 마셔도 되지만, 취해서 남을 괴롭히는 것은 안 됩니다. 기분 좋게 술 마시고 왜 남을 괴롭히고 가족을 괴롭히나요? 누구도 그럴 권리는 없습니다. 사람답게 살기 위한 기본 원칙은 지키되 가능하면 내 인생도 간섭받지 않고 남의 인생도 간섭하지 말라는 것이 부처님의 가르침입니다.

사람이라면 스스로 결정하고, 그 결정에 따른 손해도 스스로 책임져야 합니다. 어떤 선택이 절대적으로 좋다고 정해져 있지 않습니다. 그런데 대부분 선택을 하고 그 결과를 책임지지 않으려고 해요. 주식을 살 때 망설이는 이유는 손해 보지 않으려고 하기 때문입니다. 이익을 크게 보려고 하면 손해가 클 가능성도 있겠지요? 1년 전만 해도 주식투자를 안 하고 집을 사지 않는 사람들을 바보 취급했습니다. 그런데 지금 어떻게 됐어요? 만약 제가 일 년 전에 그것은 거품이니까 하지 말라고 했으면 제가 세상을 잘 모른다고 했겠지요? 그런데 지금 돌이켜 보면 그때 제 말이 맞았다고 하겠지요.

우리는 항상 지금에 사로잡혀 있습니다. 지금 맛있다고 건강에 좋다는 보장도 없고, 지금 이익이 된다고 미래에도 이익이라는 보장도 없습니다. 나부터 행복해지라는 말은 하고 싶은 대로 다 하라는 게 아니에요. 현재와 미래를 내다보면서 자기 삶을 살아가면 좋겠다는 겁니다. 권력이 있어야 좋고, 부자가 되어야 좋다고 생각하진 않습니다. 어떤 사람이 되던 스스로 만족하는 사람이 되는 게 좋아요. 제 자화상은 훌륭한 사람이 되는 게 아닙니다. 나이 들어 은퇴하면 한 사람의 농사꾼으로 살고 싶어요. 어릴 때부터 그렇게 생각했습니다. 어떤 위대한 승려가 되기보다 세상에 내가 도와야 할 일이 끝나면 농사꾼으로 살고 싶었어요. 낮에는 농사짓고 저녁에 고단하면 자고 얼마나 편합니까? 저는 이런 가치관을 가지고 있습니다.”