Where is shintoism found today

Shinto "the way of the gods" is the indigenous faith of the Japanese people and as old as Japan itself. It remains Japan's major religion alongside Buddhism. Shinto does not have a founder nor does it have sacred scriptures like the sutras or the Bible. Propaganda and preaching are not common either, because Shinto is deeply rooted in the Japanese people and traditions. They are sacred spirits which take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility.

Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as ancestral kami. The kami of extraordinary people are even enshrined at some shrines. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu is considered Shinto's most important kami. In contrast to many monotheistic religions, there are no absolutes in Shinto. Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled.

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This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. In the new religion, Buddhism dominated Shinto, and elements were adopted from Confucianism. The ancient practice of Shinto proper virtually disappeared and was maintained only at a few great shrines and in the imperial palace, although the emperors themselves had become Buddhists.

The distinctively Shinto priests became fortune-tellers and magicians. Beginning in the 18th century, Shinto was revived as an important national religion through the writings and teachings of a succession of notable scholars, including Mabuchi, Motoori Norinaga, and Hirata Atsutane.

Motivated by nationalistic sentiments that took the form of reverence for Japanese antiquity and hatred for ideas and practices of foreign origin, these men prepared the way for the disestablishment of Buddhism and the adoption of Shinto as the state religion.

In the shogunate was overthrown, and the emperor was restored to the head of the government. According to revived Shinto doctrine, the sovereignty of the emperor was exercised by divine right through his reputed descent from the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami, who is considered the founder of the Japanese nation. Related beliefs included the doctrines that the Japanese were superior to other peoples because of their descent from the gods, and that the emperor was destined to rule over the entire world.

Until the defeat of Japan in World War II, these beliefs were of the utmost importance in assuring popular support for the military expansion of the Japanese Empire.

Contemporary Shinto. Before Shinto took two forms: State, or Shrine, Shinto, a patriotic nationalistic cult, identified with and financially supported by the imperial Government; and Sectarian Shinto, a general term for a number of sects founded by private persons and based on various interpretations of traditional Shinto.

State Shinto, as the official government cult, theoretically embodied the religious beliefs of the entire Japanese people, and the number of its adherents was counted as the total population of the empire. The cult centered on a great profusion of shrines in all parts of the country, ranging from small wayside chapels commemorating local spirits and families to great national sanctuaries, such as the Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo, dedicated to the spirits of soldiers who had died in battle for Japan.

In , during the American occupation of Japan following World War II, the cult was completely separated from the state by order of General Douglas MacArthur, supreme commander for the Allied powers. Government financial support of State Shinto was eliminated, the former practice of teaching cult doctrines in the schools was abolished, and the use of Shinto symbols for nationalistic purposes was forbidden. At the same time the emperor issued a statement renouncing all claims to divinity.

Shinto involves the worship of kami. Kami can take the form of animals or natural objects such plants, mountains, or rivers. They are said to be responsive of human prayer and have the ability to influence the course of natural forces.

Once a human dies, they are said to become a kami themselves and are memorialized by their living descendants. Not all Kami are thought to be good, however, and the goal is to ward off evil kami.

Both men and women are allowed to become priests and they may choose to marry and have children as well. Photo by Nikita via Flickr. Shinto priests are often called on to bless objects such as cars, planes, and new buildings. These are known as Jichinsai. Although many wedding ceremonies are considered to be Shinto in Japan , the religion is not associated with funerals or cemetery rituals. Shinto believers can worship in shared public shrines although many choose to do so in the privacy of their own homes where they may have their own shrine set up.

Japanese people may set up what is known as a kami-dana, or shelf, in which they place offerings to the kami. Unlike some religions, there is no specific day of the week in which believers of Shinto worship kami. People simply choose when they wish to call on kami or attend festivals.

During festivals, purification is followed by offerings to kami, prayers, music and dance, and a ceremonial meal consisting of sake. Today Shinto is one of the most widely practiced religions in Japan.