Shinto - tell me more
Facts and information
The name, Shinto, comes from the Chinese words, shin tao, which means the way of the gods.
The Shinto faith believes that there are gods in everything around us, like animals, plants, stones or water.
Shintoists are guided by four main things –
- Family. It is believed the family keeps Shinto traditions safe. The most important celebrations are for birth and marriage.
- Nature is sacred. To be close to nature is to be close to kami. Natural objects are worshipped as sacred spirits.
- Being clean. Followers of Shinto frequently take baths, wash their hands, and rinse out their mouth.
Matsuri. This is about worshipping kami and very old spirits.
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Their understanding of god
The Shinto faith does not have 1 god, instead Shintoists worship kami (which can be gods, goddesses or spirits). There are nearly 8 million kami in Japan.
Everyone is believed to be a child of the kami, which means everyone is treated as sacred.
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How it began
Shinto is a very old Japanese religion, which began around 500 BCE, or before.
By the 8th century, Shinto became Japan’s own religion, like Buddhism.
The Shinto faith was not started by a person, and has not grown from any old writings. It is believed that Shinto is the Japanese way of understanding the world.
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About worship
Shintoists believe in worshipping the natural world with prayers, so they can have harmony and peace with its spirits.
Shintoists worship at shrines, they offer prayers and gifts of food and saké (or rice wine) to the kami. Worship also takes place privately at home.
There are around 80,000 shrines around Japan, many in places of great natural beauty.
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How many people believe in this faith?
There are around 3 million Shintoists in Japan. There are around 1 million followers in the rest of the world.
There are 3 groups in the Shinto faith, they are –
- Jinja Shinto (or Shrine Shinto). This is the biggest and oldest Shinto group.
- Sect Shinto (or Kyoha Shinto). This group began in the 19th century.
Folk Shinto (or Traditional Shinto). This group is mainly ordinary Japanese people at their local shrines
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