Why Does Shintoism Need To Compete With Christianity

Shinto is an ancient indigenous religion of Japan that is often considered Japan’s national religion. It certainly plays an important role in the lives of many, if not most, Japanese people, and it is closely tied to Japan’s national identity. Shinto has no known founder and no sacred texts or formal written doctrine, which makes it stand out from most of the other religions that we have studied about this semester. Central to the Shinto religion is the belief in the kami, which are considered spirits or gods; in fact, Shinto literally means “the way of the kami”. According to Shinto beliefs the kami permeate every area of nature and every human also contains a kami. In this sense the kami that each person has within them can be considered

This research paper answers the following question: How have Shintoism, Buddhism and Christianity affected Japanese society and culture along with how they contributed to what can be observed in Japan today. Through this paper, the impact of syncretism observed throughout the three main religions on the society and culture of modern Japan will be discussed. The three religions analyzed in this

The role of tradition within religion in medieval Japanese society was of great significance. Shinto and Zen Buddhism were two of the major religions practiced in medieval Japan. Shinto was mainly concerned with daily life, while Zen Buddhism prepared the people for the life to come. The samurai also followed an important code called Bushido, a form of warrior philosophy. The ancient Japanese religions helped people understand the universe and also provided a connection between the physical world on earth and the spiritual world.

There are many aspects of this world such as culture, technology, or art that have been influenced by other things. The way that things influence each other has allowed for new possibilities and ideals to be formed. Religion is no exception; there have been many instances where religions have influenced each other and blossomed due to new ideas being presented. A good example of this the relationship between the two religions: Buddhism and Shinto. Buddhism was brought into Japan during the early 6th century from Korea, and was later institutionalized as the state religion in the late 6th century by Prince Shōtoku. The Prince was a great patron of Buddhism and by having made it the state religion, it would help Buddhism spread. However, Japan was not without its own religion—Shinto—which had been there for many years prior to the arrival of Buddhism. With Buddhism gaining traction in Japan with the help of Prince Shōtoku, what then does it mean for the Shinto religion? However, Shinto was not long forgotten, which leads to the question: how did the two religions, Buddhism and Shinto, interact with each other when Buddhism arrived in Japan? In this essay, I will discuss how both Buddhism and Shinto were closely tied to each other in Japan, and how they would influence each other in different ways that allowed them to grow into new directions.

The two religions that are located in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism. The two religions in japan are extraordinarily unalike, while Shintoism believes that every living thing including rocks and sounds contain some type of god in them, and Buddhism is concerned with the soul and afterlife that happens in Buddhism. The religions differ very much from each other with little similarities. Buddhism and Shintoism differ in one using shrines while the other has temples, the two both have religious ceremonies, and one believes in the afterlife while the other does not.

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

Shinto has no orthodox cannon of sacred literature and has no explicit code of ethical requirements. It varies very differently from most religions in that aspect, however the Japanese people still believe in it as strongly as they have in ancient times. Shinto managed to survived even though it was disestablished in 1946, when the Emperor lost his divine status as part of the allied reformation of Japan (Shinto History 2009). It goes to show the true strength of faith that people had to continue with the religion even though everything was against

The principal Japanese institution was the uji, or clan. Each clan controlled their own territory, and was composed of both commoners and aristocrats. It also had its own mythology centered on a divine ancestor. The imperial family, the Yamato clan, gained domination over the other clans, and became the primary focus of Japanese myth. Jimmu-tenno was said to be the founder of the imperial family, although he did have an older brother who was killed in battle during their quest to move east to find the best place to rule and for new territories.

Kanetomo’s description of Honjaku-engi reveals that this type of Shinto was heavily influenced by the shrine traditions during that time. Based on Kanetomo’s definition of Honjaku-engi, I believe that this type of Shinto connects people with their spirituality through shrine rituals. By passing down the stories, secrets, and rituals of the Kami worshipped at the shrine, worshippers are able to connect the physical world with the spiritual world (Debary 352).

Since Japan's earliest days, Shinto has been the code of honor and action for the Japanese. It is also a polytheistic religion, they believe there is a God for everything.(brittanica)

Shintoism is known as their first and official religion. No one really knows where the origin of Shinto came from but it impacted the development of historical Japan. A tradition that involves the Shinto shrine is after the birth of a baby, it is named after three days, then after about a month old, and the baby is brought to the Shinto shrine to officially become the member of the community. Shinto was also known as the way of the gods and those who worshipped Shintoism seldom asked about existing with the nature or who the world was formed. In Shinto, there was something known as kami, or god(s); though in some cases kami can also be translated into appearance- where it can be human, nature, or an unmovable object.

Shinto is the oldest religion in Japan. In this religion, members worship deceased family and various gods that represent nature. Shinto differs from most of the other major religions since it does not have founder, prophets, nor does it have a “major text which outlines its principal beliefs.” Shinto’s longevity is due to its flexibility to adapt and become interwoven with the Japanese culture. In fact, much of what the Japanese people highly value in a person’s character comes from Shinto’s key concepts. Some of the Shinto’s key concepts are the importance of purity, physical well-being, harmony, procreation and fertility, family and ancestral solidarity, subordination of the individual to the group, and the reverence of nature. They also believe that all things have the “potential for both good and bad,” and that the soul of the deceased can have a huge influence on the living.

Nature, spirits, and life’s existence are important to the Shinto religion. The way in which spirits existed towards humans can be seen as follows: “In their world myriad spirits shone like fireflies and every tree and bush could speak”. Religion had manifested itself into the Shinto religion. Nature was the main religious symbol of the religion. The kami, or religious Gods and spirits could be found everywhere in the Shinto life and religion.

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).