Iwrbs Shintoism

LESSON 10:
SHINTOISM
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGION AND BELIEF SYSTEMS
BRIEF HISTORY:
Shinto
- the first recognized religion practiced in Japan
- worshipped divine ancestors and communicated with the spirit world via shamans
- which began during the period of the Yayoi culture
- certain natural phenomena and geographical features were
- given an attribution of divinity. Most obvious amongst these are the sun goddess Amaterasu and the
wind god Susanoo. Rivers and mountains were especially important, none more so than Mt. Fuji, whose
name derives from the Ainu name ‘Fuchi’, the god of the volcano.
- gods, spirits, supernatural forces and essences are known as kami, and governing nature in all its forms
- evil spirits or demons (oni) are mostly invisible with some envisioned as giants with horns and three
eyes.
- Ghosts are known as obake and require certain rituals to send away before they cause harm.
- the shrines in Japan operate independently from the state, to ensure the separation of religion and state.
SYMBOL:
◦Torii mark the entrance

to Shinto shrines and
are recognizable
symbols of the religion
Sacred Scriptures
1. Kojiki
- it is composed of three books: the first is the age of kami, which narrates the
mythology, while the second and third books discuss the imperial lineage,
narrating the events concerning the imperial family up to the death of the thirty-
third ruler, Empress Suiko. The third book is concerned mainly with revolts and
love stories of successive rulers intertwined in a song-story format.
2. Nihongi
- Nihon shoki or Nihongi records the descent of the Yamato rulers of Japan from the
gods. It represents a combination of a political purpose with folklores and myths. It
is believed to have been completed around 720 C.E. and have become significant
in the restructuring of Japan by the Yamato rulers, even in the naming of the
country as Nippon.
FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS
1. Worship and Observances
- Shintoism has no weekly service; instead, people
visit shrines at their own convenience. Proper
performances of rites and ceremonies are an
important aspect of Shintoism. They hold most of
their rituals at the shrines, which they believe are
the abode of the kami or spirits.
FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS
2. Shinto Rite of Passage
A. Hatsumiyamairi (First Shrine Visit).
B. Shichi-go-san (Seven-Five-Three).
C. Adult’s Day (Seijin Shiki).
D. Wedding Rites.
E. Funeral rites. Since death is considered impure.
Shintoism’s funeral practices are called sosai.
FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS
3. Ritual Purification
- The Japanese observe the misogi, or ablutions (the act of
washing one’s body part or part of it, usually for religious
purposes) which are considered as very ancient ceremonies
performed after funeral ceremonies, when all members of the
family go into the water together to cleanse themselves in a
purification bath. Today, this can be done privately with water
and salt, or with water alone.
FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS
4. Seasonal Festivals:
Matsuri – known as festivals.
• Great Purification Festival - which is celebrated in shrines all over
Japan every June and December, with priests waving a cleansing wand
over the people, who rub paper dolls on their bodies to symbolize the
transfer of impurities from their bodies to the dolls, then these dolls are
thrown away by the priest.
• New Year Festiva - considered the most extravagant festival in Japan,
which begins on the first day of January and just like other festivals in
Japan, lasts for several days.
PRACTICES AND RITUALS
Kami Worship
- Shintoism is a religion which revolves around the belief
in and worship of kami or spirits.
- “people are basically good and have no concept of
original sin”
- kami may be classified into three types: the ujigami or
clan ancestors; kami who reside in elements and forces
of nature; and the souls of exceptional human beings
who died.
PRACTICES AND RITUALS
Concept of Death
- Death is considered as the worst form of impurity in Shintoism. When a
person dies, his or her body is considered as the most impure thing. That is
why they perform ritual bathing after a funeral ceremony wherein all family
members do a ritual bathing in the river.
- it is believed that the Shinto kami greatly dislike death, that those who have
been in contact with the dead are prohibited from participating in the rites
performed at the shrines.
- They are considered as impure and cannot participate in the rites for 30 days
after contact with a dead body; seven days after child-birth; and five days after
contact with the death of certain domestic animals.
ISSUES OF SHINTOISM
No moral absolutes
Shinto has no moral absolutes and assesses the good or bad of an action or thought in the context in which it
occurs: circumstances, intention, purpose, time, location, are all relevant in assessing whether an action is bad.
Good is the default condition
Shinto ethics start from the basic idea that human beings are good, and that the world is good. Evil enters the
world from outside, brought by evil spirits. These affect human beings in a similar way to disease, and reduce
their ability to resist temptation. When human beings act wrongly, they bring pollution and sin upon themselves,
which obstructs the flow of life and blessing from the kami.
Things which are usually regarded as bad in Shinto are:

• things which disturb kami
• things which disturb the worship of kami
• things which disrupt the harmony of the world
• things which disrupt the natural world
• things which disrupt the social order
• things which disrupt the group of which one is a member

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LESSON 10:

◦Torii mark the entrance

Things which are usually regarded as bad in Shinto are:

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