The Yellowstone journal., 1894-11-15
RELIGION OF JAPAN.
msNToisM RESPONSIBLE FOR JApA-
NeSe LIBeRAlITv.


visited a drug store ON tho Third avenue,
h this city, and asked for postage
scamp. The stamp was duly supplied by
the head of the drug store, who, wish.
ing to be pleasant and agreeable to the
foreigner, said, "Well, sir, which dc
you like better, America or China?'
The japanese gentleman Indignantly
replied. May I suggest, sir, iiIat al is
your business to sell drugs and stamps,
and that you should confine yourself to
these duties? am not Chinaman, but
native of Japan, and it is a mark of
your ignorance of geography that you
do not know the difference.
Without apologizing for the rudeness
OF the gentleman of Japan, we venture
30 remark that western peoples, even
ne most educated among u.s. do not
Japan and China
The japanese have always regarded
themselves as far in advance in civiliza-
tion, and there is nothing which offends
the native of the island of Japan more
than to b5 taken fur a Chinaman.
Very much Of the liberal attitude of
the people Of japan toward western
thought and custom arises from the fact
that its national religion is Shintoism.
Most people imagine that Buddhism
is tho religion Of Japan, and conse
Quently the national cult of Shintoism
is a religions belief which until the last
30 years had never been heard Cs il tie
western world
For centuries Japan was a terra in
oognita 10 Tic rcs: e humanity, ;!tl1..-l
its history dates from go Z. c., when
Jimmer TeDnO was king, and Shintoism
was his crcca buddhism was not in
troduced into Japan until $50 of the
Christian era, when IL came from india
by way of Korea
The term Shinto i of Chinese origin
and is expressed By tne almost unpro-
Hounceablt~lapanese word of kami-no-
mich, the meaning of both words being
''the way of the spirits" " Tine essential
principle of Shintoism is a combination
OF ancestor worship and nature worship
and it would seem that the latter of
these elements is largely due to the con-
tact of Japan with the Tacism Of China
Shipotism is therefore the veneration of
the country's heroes and benefactors of
every age, legendary, historical, an
oient and modern.
The essential feature of Shintoism is
its liberal attitude toward other reli-
gious beliefs, and when Buddhism was
brought into the country the priests of
the ancient belief extended the right
hand of fellowship toward its missiona-
plxa INT h. L
always been returned by the clergy Of
Buddhism, and not very long ago one of
the great temples at Tokyo was burned
BY the Buddhists to prevent its falling
into the hands of the Shinto priests.
Shintoism has been equally liberal to-
ward modern Protestant missionaries,
for before the Church of England edifice
at Tokyo, now kno~n as St Andrews
church, was built the present Shinto
government lent one Of the Shinto tenn
Piles for Church of England services.
Whenever opposition TO Christianity has
arisen IL has come from the old nobili-
~, who are opposed 10 all change and
are jealous supporters of Buddhism.
Although nhintoism has been the an
cient religion of Japan for more than
"a centuries, il had never been declared
the established religion" of Japan un-
til the year 1868, when for reasons
wholly political it became the establish
ed religion IF the country. grant Of
$500, 900 year was made for the main
tenance of the Shinto temples and
shrines, which are said to be somewhere
about 100, 900 in number.
Tho pn1HhiS,,, of I,,l 49,, 80
ceedirGly aggressive and had almost sub |
verted the ancient system of Shintoism, |
but now when a child is born il is taken |
by its parents either TO "a Shinto or a |
Buddhist temple for dedication. Funer- |
ais are now conducted by either Shinto |
or Buddhist priests, a. the relatives may 1
prefer.
The first great god of the Shintos is
Mingo no MikOto, the remote ancestor
of the priest mikado, who is said 10 have
been DESCENDED from the god and god
dess of the sun. The niikado i, known
among the japanese sS- Teushi, or the
son OF heaven, on account of his celes-
tial descent, the title of mikado mean-
ing very much The same as the sublime
porte of the ottcuars-namely, "the
presence, an expression 50 common in
oriental lands for exalted personages.
1t is said that when the goddess Of
the sun made the miiado's remote an
cestor (Mingo) sovereign OF Japan she
delivered to him ''the way of the gods"
md decreed that bis dynasty should be
y immovable as the sun and the moon;
hence the need for making Shintoism
he established religion She also gave
aim mirror as sacred emblem. say
ng. Look upon this mirror as my spir-
{. keep II in the same house and upon | ,
ne same floor with yourself, and wor-
hip it as if you were worshiping my
'ctual presence. The story Is that this
acred mirror is still in the Shinto tenn
lie Of Naiku, at Yamada, although it
las never been seen by . western trav-
ler.
Tho rites Of Shintoism for many years
0000ia6 a conauiCuov1a v.laco In, tho r,,l,s \ :