Shinotism : Shintoism, And Religions In Japan

Hinduism, Buddhism and Shinto, while vast in differences there is much to learn about these three religions similarities as well. Some facts and history of Hinduism include, Hinduism (being the oldest of the three) is dated back in pre-history before 10000 BC even believed to predate the Indus River Valley Civilization! The Vedas (the holy text of Hinduism) is the foundation for Indian culture and also the basic belief system of Hinduism. The basic belief structure of Hinduism is as follows, the three doctrines; Samsara (1) which means “successive rebirths” indicating the belief in reincarnation started by ATMA or the spark of life given by the god Brahma. This cycle continues until the soul collects enough good Karma (2) to break from the

Firstly, the traditions within Shintoism were important to help the Japanese people to connect with their ancestors and the nature around them. The word ‘Shinto’ itself means way of the gods. It is as old as the Japanese culture and was the only religion in Japan until the 6th century. According to the Shinto religion, there exists a basic life force called kami. Kami are close to human beings and respond to human prayers. They can influence the course of natural forces, and human events. Shinto tradition says that there are eight million kami in Japan. Due to their deep respect and love for nature and Japan itself, many shrines were set up in places of natural beauty. Followers went to pray here to receive good fortune and samurai would often go to the shrines to pray for victory before and after battle. Shinto’s traditions involved having a clean lifestyle. They washed and bathed everyday which made most of japan a fresh

The nobles of Japan claim that they are the descendants of the five gods which Susanoo-Wo created. In Japanese art Amaterasu is seated with her other brother Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, who is the moon god. The cocks from the myth are associated with her and the rising sun. In Japan the Ise Grand Shrine is the most important Shinto shrine. It is dedicated to Amaterasu, and represented with three of her symbols. The cocks, the mirror, and a raven (who is believed to be her messenger.) The mirror is called the Yata no Kagami, held in the center of Japan at the Great Shrine at Ise. The mirror has been hidden for over a thousand of years but it is said to have eight sides which is also Shinto’s number of perfection.

The supernatural powers and deities of Shinto are Kami. Kami are not Gods but spirits that intervene with humans that do not live in a separate dimension but in the same dimension as humans. Kami can take form of elements of nature such as rivers, mountains, storms and earthquakes but they were also the deities that created the universe as stated in their holy text. They can also be spirits that take the form of the living and the souls of humans that have demonstrated outstanding achievement (such as soldiers that gave up their lives for war, emperors and leaders) becoming Kami after their death. Kami are also the ancestors and protectors of human beings. Kami can also influence the course of nature and events of humans. They like the human

Shinto and Buddhism are two different traditions that have flourished in Japan for hundreds of years. Generally, followers from one of the traditions tend to follow the guidance of the other as well, which makes the relationship between Shinto and Buddhism very rare in world religions. At first, when these two traditions contacted each other in ancient Japan, there was a lot of confusion, but eventually they were able to coexist. However, even though Buddhism and Shinto share similarities regarding flexibility and independence, there are more differences between them proven by Buddhism’s spread to ancient Japan, their contrasting practices and beliefs and the different outlooks on the afterlife.

The Japanese culture has been greatly influenced by its religions, and one of the most influential religions has been Shintoism. Shintoism has been dated back to 500BC, when the descendants of the sun goddess, Amaterasu-OmiKami, worshiped the gods and goddesses of Japan. Shinto means "way of the gods" and that represents what people who practice Shintoism believe in. Shintoism is a religion based on Japanese mythology, which is centered on a male god, Izanagi, and a female goddess, Izanami. These two gods were believed to have created Japan, which was thought to be the only land in the whole word. The two gods had two children, the sun goddess Amaterasu, and the storm god, Susanowo. These two gods fought over control of the people of

Of the many religions in the world, none are quite as unique as Shintoism. Shinto, meaning “the way of the kami”, is the indigenous religion of Japan. It is believed to have existed since the 6th century B.C.E. However, there is no documented origin nor is there an established founder. At the center of the Shinto religion is devotion toward various kami and the rituals performed to please them. It does not attempt to explain existence or the afterlife. Instead, Shintoism focuses on interactions with kami and life presently. Unlike most Western religions, there is no all-powerful god/gods in Shintoism. All beings (kami or human) are complementary and harmonious with one another. This emphasis on harmony is found throughout Shinto culture,

“Shinto practices include shrine visits; blessings done by priests at the shrines and in the community; participation in festivals and seasonal holidays, especially New Years; water purifications; and offerings and prayer at home shrines. Perhaps because of a lack of organizational structure, Shinto has generated an amazing variety of sects that often borrow from Confucianism, Buddhism, and even Christianity”. (Molloy 2008 p. 274-275)

As an ancient religion of Japan, Shinto was originally a combination of nature worship, divination techniques, and shamanism. Meaning "the way of the Gods", the origins of Shinto are not apparent in comparison to other religions, especially other Asian religions and beliefs. With no obvious founder, as well as original written scriptures and authentic laws, a number of theories exist about the origination of Shinto as a religion and its development across the Japanese lands. However, the significance of the religion has shifted the importance of discovering its origins to the religious influences that Shinto has embarked upon Japanese

Red Data Girl is a Japanese animated series that tells the story of Izumiko Suzuhara, a young girl who has been raised at the Tamakura Shinto shrine. Growing up in near-seclusion, Izumiko is a shy and timid girl. She is a miko, or Shinto shrine maiden, and the Tamakura shrine is based on the real-life Tamaki mountain shrine. Alienating her from the others even further is that whenever she comes into contact with electronic devices such as phones or computers, the equipment malfunctions or is destroyed, making her unable to use these forms of communication. However, this problem is merely a side-effect of her apparent latent spiritual powers which are revealed later in the story.

Princess Mononoke was released in 1997, and became the highest grossing film in Japan until Titanic came out later that year. It was meant to be director Hayao Miyazaki’s last film before he went into retirement, and is praised as one of his absolute masterpieces. Today, I will be critiquing two articles that discuss aspects of Princess Mononoke’s themes and influences, one that relates Shintoism to Miyazaki’s narratives by Oscar Garza, and another that focuses on the icons found throughout his filmography by Mohammad Amzad Hossain and Wei-Hsin Fu.

Many religions are popular within the Japanese culture. Two of the most influential religions, Shinto and Buddhism that help shaped a lot of Japanese values are Shinto and Buddhism, played a large role in shaping Japanese values. Numerous similarities and differences run between these two religions; nonetheless, the Japanese often believe in more than one religion at the same time. This is possible due to the polytheistic nature of most popular religions in Japan. It is not hard to say that religion is a big part of Japanese culture because a lot of religious beliefs can still be seen in their everyday lives.

Shinto is the religion of Japan. Historically, it was first used in the 6th century C.E., although the roots of the religion go back to the 6th century B.C.E. It is incredibly difficult to trace back Shintoism because most of the beliefs were passed down orally. Shinto has no founder, no official sacred texts, and no formalized system of doctrine. Shinto is seldom practiced outside of its origin country, Japan. Because of this, followers have no need for mission work. In Japan, 83.9% of the population practices Shintoism. There are over 110,000 Shinto shrines and temples in Japan. The name Shinto comes from the Chinese characters introduced in Japan that translate to Shen meaning “divine being”, and Tao meaning “way”, together meaning “Way of the Spirits”. The main belief of Shinto is in the “kami” or spirits who preside in nature. The kami are not gods, they are simply concerned with humans, resulting in a symbiotic relationship between humans and kami. If you treat the spirits well, they will treat you well in return.

All around the world, religion is a dominant idea for many cultures; exemplifying a certain way of life, serving as a basis for faith, and bringing charity to the world, religion is a extensive concept. For several cultures and countries religion may vary according to demographics, socio-economical class, and ethnicity. Main concepts of religion in Japan are natural and superstitious based. The leading religion in Japan remains Shinto, while other religions have come and go, interweaving themselves among the Japanese society.

One of the key aspects of Shinto, and an aspect that made it somewhat difficult for me to study in a more isolated context, is the flexibility of it. Unlike the Abrahamic religions, there is no strict religious doctrine or meticulous set of rules that governs the practitioners. Instead, it's much more a conceptual idea that carries with it various commonalities, specifically in terms of practices and a very nature-based system of deities (Religions of the World). Although, despite Japan's more isolated society, they did share certain ideas with other Eastern religions, such as a focus on the cosmos and harmony with nature and others (Return of the Gods).