The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-07-27
Religious State in Japan.
BY A JAPANESE STUDENT IN FOREST GROVE
COLLEGE, OREGON.

COLbEuh, OREGON.
There were in Japan various creed,
and sects Of religion, amongst which The
most prominent ones were the religions ol
Sinto and Buddha.
Sinto, which means the way of the gods
is the original natural religion of ,Janan
The Sinto mythology and cosmogony are
as doubtful and as absurd as those Of
most oriental nations. From primeva chaos
according to the Japanese, arose self.
created god who fashionhed the universe
out Of chaos. The universe was then oov.
erned for some myriads of years by seven
successive celestial gods. Then there came
the daughter Of the last of the seven pods
who was called Tensbo Dim, and BEGAN
a new epoch of sovereignty on the earth
She ST was followed by four other gods
These were the five terrestrial gods, and
the last OF them having married mortal
vile, left mortal son upon earth, named
Alnm Tenwa, the ancestor of the reionino
Mikado (emperor.)
Although all these high gods essential.
ly belong to the Sinto mythology, vet
only Tensho Dim was made the object & ot
worship, and regarded as the mother NJ
the nation. Thus, since the NIikados
were the immediate descendants of the
Kamis (gods), though they were regarded
during their lives as mere men, vet at
their death they underwent as in the case
OF the Roman Caesars, a regular apotbco.
sis, by which they were added to the
number oi the kamis. The Kamis again
are divided into superior and inferior
The superior gods arc those that were
born gods, or perhaps spirits, and the in.
ferior gods are those that were dei6ed os
gods, by its doctrine of the apotheosis Of
all Mikados, all great saints, and all great
heroes; they were, as in the old pagan
religion, added to the number of the gods
to which the temples are consecrated'
But with such numerous gods. the Sin.
tolsts are no idolatcrs. Their temples,
called Meias, are unpollutod by idols and
are only incentives to devotion. They
contain only mirror, the emblem of the
souls perfect purity, and fringes of white
paper called gahei, which is merely an
emblem Of purity. But really the TEN.
Piles possess images Of the Kamis to whom
they are especially dedicated, but they
are not set up to be worshiped, being
kept IN some secret receptacles, aud only
exhibited upon particular festivals The
Slntoists study mythology and antiquity,
ana prefer the manners and customs OF
the anclents, so they build the temples Of
the kamis according to the ancient. sim.
pie style, and most of them are built af.
ter ono model-that of the famous TEN.
pie OF lsye, OF which | shall speak here.
after. The temples were originally built
npon eminences in retired spots, at a dis.
tance from noise and business, surrounded
by groves and hedges, having gate oil
stone or wood called Frye, bearing tab.
let or door-plate OF about foot square
or So which announces in gilded letters
the name Of the Kami to whom the tenn.
pie is consecrated, and just before the tenn.
Pile, on either side of the walk, stands wa.
ter IN a basin made Of stone or brass, by
washing the mouth and hands in which
the Torshippers may purify themselves,
and before the mirror there is a great
chest FOR the reception of money, which
every worshiper deposits before he
begins to pray the worship consists
IN prayers and prostraton before the
mirror. In the days of festivals almost
every one Of those who profess the faith,
In his dress of ceremony, performs his
duty Of prostration and prayer together
with a sacrifice Of rice. fruit. tea and
wine, or the like, and sometimes they of.
fer theatrical exhibition in front of a
temple to entertain the Kami. This ex.
hlbltlon consist Of music and dancing,
which are generally performed by Sinto
priests, their wives and daughters. The
Sinto priests are called Kaminusi mean.
ing landlord OF the gods, and in conform.
lty with their mes,they reside in houses
built within the grounds OF their respec.
tive temples where they receive strangers
very Hospitality. The money contriou.
tlon deposited by the worshipers is de.
signed for the support of the Kaminusi
who belong to the temple The Sintoists
have an indefinite notiol Of the souls i'm.
mortality of an eternal future state OF
happiness and misery as the reward re.
spectively of virtue and vice. The ad.
herents Of Sinto, contrary to the doctrine
of Bud1ha (Which teaches that sorrow is
inseparable from cxiStonce), are disposed
to look upon the other side Of things max.
ing their religious festivals as holidays,
and regarding people in sorrow and dis.
tress as unfit for the worship of the Kami.
whose felicity ough. not to be disturbed
by the sight Of pain and misery.
The most prominent principle of Sinto
doctrine is internal and external purity
that is, the preservation of the purity Of
soul, heart and body, by obedience to the
dictates of reason and natural law; and
the preservation Of pure fire and water
as the emblems Of purity and instruments
of publication, The impurity to be avoid.
ed is contracted in various ways; by u.s.
sociating with the impure, by eating Ger.
tain kinds Of meats, and also by contact
with blood and death. The death of a
near relation is considered as the heaviest
impurity, so that man, when his near.
est relatives die, is not allowed to wor.
ship the Kami for some fixed length of
time. must add the going on pilgrim
ages, to which, indeed, all the religions of
Japan are greatly addicted. To make
this pilgrimage to Isye, the name of a
central province on the south coast of
Nipan, in which Tensho Dim was re.
ported to have been born and 20 have
died, and which contains a Meia (temple)
exceedingly venerated, and already men.
toned as the model after which all tho
others are built men, women, and child.
dren OF every rank are bound to make
once year, or at least one in their life
And it might almost be said of every re.
ligion, since even among professed Bud.
dhists, only the priests of that religion
exempt themselves from this duty.