God
Shinto has no single, omnipotent God. Instead, followers worship kami, which roughly translates as spirits. There are up to eight million kami in Japan.
Everyone is regarded as a child of the kami, which means everyone is treated as sacred.
Origins
Shinto is an ancient Japanese religion established around 500 BCE, possibly earlier. Its name comes from the Chinese words shin tao – the way of the gods. By the eighth century, it had established itself as Japan’s official religion, along with Buddhism.
Statistics
Shinto is most widely followed in Japan, where around three million people regard it as their religion. There are around one million followers elsewhere in the world.
Diversity
There are three, closely linked groups within the Shinto movement:
- Jinja Shinto (Shrine Shinto) Largest and oldest Shinto group, dating back into pre-history
- Sect Shinto (Kyoha Shinto) Started in the nineteenth century and includes 13 major independent sects which are officially recognised by the Japanese government
- Folk Shinto Traditional Shinto practised by ordinary Japanese people at their local shrines
Worship
Shinto emphasises ritual rather than doctrines and beliefs.
Followers worship at shrines, offering prayers and gifts of food and saké (rice wine) to the kami. Worship also takes place privately at home.
There are around 80,000 shrines around Japan, many in areas of outstanding natural beauty.
Beliefs
Shinto sees the presence of god in animals, plants, and even in things which have no life, such as stones and waterfalls.
Shintoists follow the will of the kami and are guided by four principles:
- Family is seen as the place where Shinto traditions are preserved. Its most important celebrations relate to birth and marriage.
- Nature is sacred. To be in contact with nature is to be close to kami. Natural objects are worshipped as sacred spirits.
- Cleanliness Followers of Shinto frequently take baths, wash their hands, and rinse out their mouth.
- Matsuri involves worshipping kami and ancestral spirits.
|
