Shinto

{{sources needed}}
[[File:Kehi Jingu Torii.jpg|thumb|right|165px|The Great Torii at Kehi Jingu in Tsuruga, Fukui, Japan.]]
{{religion}}
{{Nihongo|'''Shinto'''|神道|Shintō}} is one of the handful of indigenous [[religion]]s (or [[spirituality | spiritualities]])<ref group=note>There is much academic debate as to whether one can classify Shintoism as a formal religion with a formalized [[dogma]] and a body of rituals.</ref> from [[Japan]]. Shinto is not centralized, with no authoritative creed leading to a wide variety of beliefs and adherence.  It has become so ingrained in Japanese [[culture]], rituals, [[art]], [[literature]], and daily [[real life | life]] that it could be considered the single most-practiced religion in Japan, though few people in Japan self-identify as followers of Shinto.<ref group=note>
According to Adherents.com, people claiming ''Shinto'' as their religion make up only 11% of the population. However, the tradition of registering new births both at a Shinto shrine and at a [[Buddhist]] temple suggests that nearly 90% of the population "is" both Shinto and Buddhist. Both statistics are highly misleading, according to Japanese studies on religion.</ref>

Shinto is a [[Animism| nature-based religion]], focusing on the importance of nature in guiding human lives, and provides background beliefs for such core Japanese cultural practices as ''suibokuga'' (brush art), ''bonsai'', and ''karesansui'' ([[Zen]] rock-gardening).

Shintoism was deeply intertwined with Japanese nationalism and the atrocities of WWII.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Garon |first1=Sheldon M. |title=State and Religion in Imperial Japan, 1912-1945 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/132389 |website=The Journal of Japanese Studies |pages=273–302 |doi=10.2307/132389 |date=1986}}</ref> Shinto today is more benign and less politically influential in the 21st century though it is not without controversy such as the erecting of the Yukanani shrine which memorialized Japanese war criminals.<ref>Kushner, Barak. “Nationality and Nostalgia: The Manipulation of Memory in Japan, Taiwan, and China since 1990.” ''The International History Review'', vol. 29, no. 4, 2007, pp. 793–820. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/40110927 JSTOR]. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.</ref>

==Beliefs==
[[File:Shosanbetsu konpira.JPG|thumb|left|Shinto Torii]]
Shinto recognizes {{nihongo4||神|kami|[[gods]] or [[spirit]]s}} as existing within every natural thing. Sometimes ''kami''-saturation extends to everything, period. The rocks, the mountains, the wind, the rivers all have ''kami'', but a swordsman or potter may also say their creations have ''kami'' within them. Though the word in one context means "gods", ''kami'' are something unique to Japan: not quite [[soul]]s, but [[energy]] forces with some level of [[will]] to them, to be respected and honored. The concept of ''kami'' had a rather obvious influence on the religion of the {{wpl|Ainu people||,}} who called their gods ''kamuy'' but otherwise had very different traditions that more closely resembled those of other subarctic peoples whom they regularly traded with.

Nature is always at the very core of Shinto animistic beliefs, permeating not only the art and way of daily life of the Japanese, but modern Japanese views of a "green" economy, of renewable resources and [[renewable energy]], and of preserving habitats for [[endangered species]]; some of this, though, is a continuation of simple pragmatism after rebuilding from the 1657 {{wpl|Great fire of Meireki}} almost completely deforested the southern three islands of Japan, since the ruling {{wpl|Tokugawa shogunate|Tokugawa shoguns}} realized they had to avert a looming environmental catastrophe and therefore clamped down on anything that could cause further degradation.<ref>See roughly half the films of {{wpl|Hayao Miyazaki}}.</ref>

Shrines that are specifically placed to honor ''kami'' traditionally have a gate (''torii'' {{lang|ja|鳥居}}) which marks the beginning of the [[sacred]] land. The gate symbol has become associated with Japan as a nation.

Shinto does not require any profession of faith, nor does it have any systematic doctrine. There are no [[scriptures]] or holy works associated with Shinto, only various [[myth]]s, long-held traditions, and a general overarching understanding of how the world works and what human roles within that world should be. Most of the people who actively practice Shinto (as opposed to just going to festivals, or doing folk [[magic]] because "it's what mom did") are also [[Buddhists]]. Unlike most [[Western world | Western]] religions (Mormonism, Scientology, etc), Shinto espouses basic tenets compatible with any other belief-system.<ref group=note>For instance, many Japanese have no trouble believing in (if not worshiping) the [[Judeo-Christian]] [[YHWH | God]] (''Kami-sama'' {{lang|ja|神様}}, often identified with the [[Chinese]] supreme god Yu Huang {{lang|zh|玉皇}}), the [[Buddha]], and traditional Shinto deities all at once.</ref>

The majority of people who practice Shinto self-identify as "[[atheist]]".<ref group=note>
Japan has one of the most confusing sets of religious demographics. Wikipedia states in one paragraph that "{{wpl|Religions by country#Religions by country as of 2007 (G-K)|70% of the population is Buddhist|,"}} and then states "roughly 70% of the population adhere to any faith or belief in god". The reason for this is that both Japanese Buddhism and Shinto are part of a cultural heritage, but do not require active participation or statements of faith. So from the perspective that a person walks by a temple and claps twice, cause it's what he's always done &mdash; he's Buddhist. If asked "do you think God or any god controls the world?", he would say "no", and get counted as an atheist.</ref>

==Creation==
[[File:Kobayashi Izanami and izanagi.jpg|thumb|Izanagi stirring the early Universe to create land.]]
The Shinto [[creation myth]] is one of the more beautiful creation myths,<ref group=note>Therefore, it clearly should [[Teach the controversy|be taught in American schools]].</ref> and is also the subject of the first known Japanese book, ''{{wpl|Kojiki}}'' (712).
{{quotebox|The [[Universe]] has always existed, but it was formless, like clouds in a light storm, churning. But soon, there were sounds<ref group=note>Often associated with the clicking sounds made by Japanese water garden art, or the sound of particular bugs.</ref> which indicated there was specific movement in the mass, of individual tiny particles. Because of the movement, light rose to the top of the Universe, and the particles rose as well, but not as high, yet escaping from a more dense matter. The light was {{nihongo4||高天原|takamagahara}}, where the gods would reside, the two masses became sky and water, and earth.

The early gods were not human-like, and they did not have definite shape or gender. But when the next generation of gods arose from the [[heaven]]s, they had gender, and populated the earth. While the rest of the earth was made to be wild. From the kami's wills, Izanagi and Izanami, a mated pair of gods, specifically carved out Japan and made the Japanese people.}}

==Folklore and folk practices==
[[File:Teruterubouzu.jpg|thumb|left|{{nihongo4||照る照る坊主|Teru teru bōzu}} are supposed to bring good weather.]]
Shinto is the main source for the traditions of the Japanese people, even more so than Buddhism (which did not arrive in Japan until c. 552 CE). Shrine Shinto is the general source for the majority of the seasonal festivals, including the famous Summer Festival, Children's Day Festival, Cherry Blossom Festival, the Lantern Festival, and the Doll Festival, among some 20-30 other annual festivals. 

Shinto is also responsible for the famous [[wishful thinking|good luck charms and wish flags]] found at [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] temples and Shinto shrines.

Want to control the weather? Make a ghost-like toy and hang it out of your window.

Want to heal a friend? Make an origami crane, or better, {{wpl|Sadako Sasaki|1000 of them}} (though the story behind this one is quite sad).

Want to purify yourself? Invite the sparrows into your home to make mud nests for the season.

The amount of belief in things like these can usually vary from household to household; however, it is incredibly uncommon for these traditions to be 'forcibly passed on' or 'spread' to other people. In fact, these beliefs are far more a cultural practice of Japan than an actual religious ideology. For example, folding origami cranes may or may not have a spiritual meaning depending on who you ask.

==State Shinto==
[[File:Religion-in-Japan.jpg|thumb|right|165px|SCAP (Supreme Commander of Allied Powers) "is accomplishing these reforms: Elimination of militaristic State Shinto; Weeding Shinto out of schools; Guaranteeing freedom for all religions"
]]
For most of Japan's history, Shinto was intimately tied to the Japanese government, because since the 7<sup>th</sup> and 8<sup>th</sup> centuries,<ref> [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/history/history_1.shtml  "Shinto history"], ''BBC'' </ref> the emperor was believed to be a descendant of the [[sun]] goddess {{wpl|Amaterasu}} and thus part of the divine hierarchy; the promotion of Shinto as the national religion was retroactively termed "state Shinto" in the 1970s. State Shinto was heavily promoted during the Meiji period (1868-1912), when government bureaus were established to regulate worship, and came to a head in [[World War II]], when the [[state religion]] was used to encourage [[nationalism]] and militarism. State Shinto effectively died after the war, when Emperor Hirohito was forced to renounce his divine status.

==See also==
*[[Animism]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}} 

[[Category:Eastern religions]]
[[Category:Shinto| ]]
[[Category:Japan]]
[[Category:Culture]]
[[Category:Nationalism in Japan]]
[[Category:Woo]]

Categories: Eastern religions, Shinto, Japan, Culture, Nationalism in Japan, Woo