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Shinto is the one religion that has been a part of Japanese culture since recorded history. Shinto is known to have existed in Japan as early as 500 BC. It could well have existed even earlier. It is not an easy religion to describe because its beliefs are so amorphous. Shinto comnines religious beliefs that must have existed in prehistory, especially nature worship. Shinto also includes strands of fertility cults, divination, hero worship, and shamanism. Essentially Shinto is the pre-historic Japanese animistic beliefs that have been gradually organized into an actual religion by the influence of more organized religious thought from China--both Buddhism and Confuscianism. Shinto has been called more of a collection of ancient rituals and customs than a sytemized modern religion. The term "Shinto" appears to date from the 8th century AD. It seems to have come from the Chinese words "shin tao" meaning the "The Way of the Gods". About this time the Yamato dynasty extended its control over much of the Japanese Home Islands. As is common in dynastic rule, the Yamato claimed devine origins and began to employ Shinto as well as Buddhism as a state religion. Buddhism had by this time become largely intertwined with Shinto. This close relationship between Shinto and the Japanese state continued for more than a millenia and was not broken until Japan's defeat in World War II. General MacArthur as part of the American occupation dew up a new constitution separating religion and state. Emperor Hirohito was required to renounce his divinity (1946) and promote a new constitutional monarchy. Shinto is unusual in world religions as it is a national religion and there is no historical founder. Individuals play key roles in the other great religious traditions. In addition there are no ancient scriptures or body of religious law. Shinto instead has a rather informally organized priesthood. Shinto has three important compilations of basic beliefs and cistoms. Two of them were completed at the time that the Yamato established Shinto as the state religion. The Kojiki was completed in 712 and the Nihongi in 720. Two centuries later the Yengishiki was completed in the 10th century, completing the Shinto triad. An important Shinto being arte the Kami, supernatuaral and largely benign beings. The center of Shinto gradually became the sun goddess. The Yamato claimed descent from the sun goddess. Shinto priests wear traditional robes, although we have no information about them. We notice boys in red robes.
Shinto is the one religion that has been a part of Japanese culture since recorded history. Shinto is known to have existed in Japan as early as 500 BC. It could well have existed even earlier.
Shinto is a 1.500 year old polythesistic religion. It is not an easy religion to describe because its beliefs are so amorphous. Shinto comnines religious beliefs that must have existed in pre-history, especially nature worship. Shinto also includes strands of fertility cults, divination, hero worship, and shamanism. Essentially Shinto is the pre-historic Japanese animistic beliefs that have been gradually organized into an actual religion by the influence of more organized religious thought from China--both Buddhism and Confuscianism. Shinto has been called more of a collection of ancient rituals and customs than a sytemized modern religion. Shinto has three important compilations of basic beliefs and customs. Two of them were completed at the time that the Yamato established Shinto as the state religion. The Kojiki was completed in 712 and the Nihongi in 720. Two centuries later the Yengishiki was completed in the 10th century, completing the Shinto triad. An important Shinto being arte the Kami, supernatuaral and largely benign beings. The center of Shinto gradually became the sun goddess. The Yamato claimed descent from the sun goddess.
The term "Shinto" appears to date from the 8th century AD. It seems to have come from the Chinese words "shin tao" meaning the "The Way of the Gods".
The Japanese Imperial Family is strongly associated with the Shinto religion. Shinto is a highly nationalistic Japanese religion developing from the animist beliefs of the early Japanese people. It was strongly influenced by Buddhist beliefs arriving from China. About the time that Shinto ritual and beliefs began go be formalized, the Yamato dynasty extended its control over much of the Japanese Home Islands. As is common in dynastic rule, the Yamato claimed devine origins and began to employ Shinto as well as Buddhism as a state religion. This close relationship between Shinto and the Japanese state continued for more than a millenia. Shinto taught that the Emperor was divine, but over much of subsequent Japanese history, the country was governed by warring nobels or in more recent history, the powerful Shogun who never dared replace the emperor. The Emperor Meiji overthrew the Shogunate (1860s) and launched the modernization of Japan. This included constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion. The Japanese military after World War I used Shinto to teach that the Japan were a chosen people destined to rule the world and promoted the emperor cult to unheard of extremes as part of an effort to expand the Japanese Empire. Here we are unsure to what extent Emperor Hirohito was involved in this process. There is no indication he objected. To what extent he promoted it, we do not know, Nor do we know if he really believed it. This eventually led to the horrendous Pacific War. Nationalist attempted to purse Shino of Buddhist elements. All Japanese including Buddhists and Christians had to attend services at Shinto shrines. After the War, as part of the democritization of Japan, the Emperor denined his devinity and freedom of religion was reinstituted. There continues, however, to be a close assocuation between the Royal Family and Shinto. Here we are not sure about the details, but suspect it is rather like the relationship between the British monarchy and the Anglican Church. Hopefully our Japanese readers will provide more details.
Buddhism had, by the ime the the Royal Family began to incorporate Shintoism, become largely intertwined with Shinto.
The relation between the Emperor and Shinto continued for a milenia. Shinto came to be a tool for perpetuating militarism. The government under military influence came to actually write church rituals. The move the dogma to a miltaristic, ultra-nationalist view. Students were required to stufy Shinto as part of their school curicula. The Goverment helped support 50,000 Shino shrines around the country. The E,peror made a point of traveling around the country to visit important shrines so as to discuss state affairs with his ancestors, including long dead ones.
In World War II Japanese soldiers commonly fought to the death, in part out of a widely-felt oligation to defend the Emperor who was seen as synonanous with the country itself. This attitude was not broken until Japan's defeat in the War. General MacArthur as part of the American occupation drew up a new constitution separating religion and state. Emperor Hirohito was required to renounce his divinity (1946) and promote a new constitutional monarchy. Special attention was given to Shinyto my MacArthur's staff. The religion was destanlished. The Emperor and Shinto leaders also had to renounce the Shinto doctrine that the Japanese people were superior to other people. The American Military Government allowed the Shinto religion to continue, but stripped of its ultra nationalism. Private worship was untouched.
Shinto is unusual in world religions as it is a national religion and there is no historical founder. Individuals play key roles in the other great religious traditions. In addition there are no ancient scriptures or body of religious law.
Shinto has a rather informally organized priesthood.
Animism is the worship of spirits present in nature, both living creatures and innimate objcts. Shinto is probably the most prominant and organized of the animist faiths that have survived into the modern world. Animism survives in India today. It has also had a najor impact on Hinduism in India.
Sumo is the indigenous Japanese style of wrestling. It is refeered to as the national sport. This is interesting. Americans call baseball the national sport, in part because everyone played it. But sumo is a sport for only a small group of highly trained and very heavy atheletes. The association with the Shinto religion probably explain why it came to be called the natinal sport. Summo is an ancient, highly ruitulized sport. Its origins seem as anient as Shino itself. The earliest known sumo wrestling was organized as performances to entertain the Shinto gods. The rituals associated with Shinto todsay are founded in these early Shinto performances. The ritual and decorum of sumo can be complicated, but the rules for the matches are quite simple. Thereare two ways to in. You either make your opponent touch the floor with something else than th sole of his feet or force him to leave the ring. The matches are generally very short, often only a few seconds. Only rarely do matches exceed one minute. Most elite wrestlers are highly trained and conditioned athletes, usually between 20 to 35 years old. It is especially important to gain bulk. Sumo wrestlers live in special sumo stables under very strict conditins. We notice boys engaging in sumo. I don't think this is a school activity. Perhaps it is a club acivity or organized by local temples.
Shinto priests wear traditional robes, although we have no information about them. We notice both whire an red robes and elongted black caps. We also see boys during festivals wearing what looks to be thecsame white and red robes. This is the case for many of the Shinto images we have arhived from Japan. We also note, however, note men with their sons wearing Western suits participatng in a Shinto religious ceremony. We are not sure just what is involved here.
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