Shinto Religion (300BC - present)

A Shinto Religion (300BC - present) is an animistic East Asian religion that originated in Japan and focuses on the worship of kami, which are spirits associated with natural elements and ancestors.

• Context:
  • It can (often) be known for its Japanese Historical Landmarks.
  • It can (often) be associated with the Imperial Japan.
  • It can be considered a major Japanese Academic Center.
  • It can involve rituals and practices such as festivals, rites of passage, and purification ceremonies.
  • It can be practiced at Shinto shrines, where kami are worshipped.
  • It can include the use of amulets and divination tools.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Shinto, 300 BC: The Yayoi period, with early developments in agriculture and metallurgy that influenced the area and early kami worship.
  • Shinto, 400: The Asuka period, when significant cultural and political developments occurred in the region, leading to the establishment of early Shinto practices.
  • Shinto, 710: The integration of Shinto and Buddhist practices during the Nara period.
  • Shinto, 794: The establishment of Heian-kyō, marking the beginning of Kyoto's role as Japan's capital and the construction of significant Shinto shrines.
  • Shinto, 1185: The end of the Genpei War, marking the rise of the Kamakura shogunate while Shinto remained influential.
  • Shinto, 1336: The establishment of the Muromachi shogunate in Kyoto, with Shinto practices continuing to evolve.
  • Shinto, 1467: The start of the Ōnin War, which led to significant destruction in the city and impacted Shinto shrines.
  • Shinto, 1600: The Battle of Sekigahara, a key event during the Sengoku period, influencing Shinto practices.
  • Shinto, 1633: The separation and purification of Shinto from Buddhism under the Tokugawa shogunate.
  • Shinto, 1869: The year the capital was relocated from Kyoto to Tokyo after the Meiji Restoration, leading to the establishment of State Shinto.
  • Shinto, 1889: The establishment of the modern municipality of Kyoto, impacting the administration of Shinto shrines.
  • Shinto, 1945: The separation of Shinto from the state following Japan's defeat in World War II.
  • Shinto, 2020: The year new preservation initiatives were implemented for Shinto shrines in Kyoto.
  • Shinto, 2024: The current context showcasing Shinto as a major part of Japan's cultural heritage with millions of practitioners.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Japanese Buddhism, such as Shingon Buddhism.
  • ...
• See: Japanese New Religions, Religion, Japan, East Asian Religions, Religious Studies, Indigenous Religion, Nature Religion, Polytheism, Animism, Kami, Kamidana, Shinto Shrine.

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References

2024

• (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto Retrieved:2024-7-7.
  • Shinto (Japanese: 神道, romanized: Shintō) is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners Shintoists, although adherents rarely use that term themselves. There is no central authority in control of Shinto, with much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners.

    A polytheistic and animistic religion, Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the (神). The are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations. The are worshipped at household shrines, family shrines, and jinja public shrines. The latter are staffed by priests, known as , who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific enshrined at that location. This is done to cultivate harmony between humans and and to solicit the latter's blessing. Other common rituals include the dances, rites of passage, and seasonal festivals. Public shrines facilitate forms of divination and supply religious objects, such as amulets, to the religion's adherents. Shinto places a major conceptual focus on ensuring purity, largely by cleaning practices such as ritual washing and bathing, especially before worship. Little emphasis is placed on specific moral codes or particular afterlife beliefs, although the dead are deemed capable of becoming . The religion has no single creator or specific doctrine, and instead exists in a diverse range of local and regional forms.

    Although historians debate at what point it is suitable to refer to Shinto as a distinct religion, veneration has been traced back to Japan's Yayoi period (300 BC to 300 AD). Buddhism entered Japan at the end of the Kofun period (300 to 538 AD) and spread rapidly. Religious syncretization made worship and Buddhism functionally inseparable, a process called shinbutsu-shūgō. The came to be viewed as part of Buddhist cosmology and were increasingly depicted anthropomorphically. The earliest written tradition regarding worship was recorded in the 8th-century and . In ensuing centuries, was adopted by Japan's Imperial household. During the Meiji era (1868 to 1912), Japan's nationalist leadership expelled Buddhist influence from worship and formed State Shinto, which some historians regard as the origin of Shinto as a distinct religion. Shrines came under growing government influence, and citizens were encouraged to worship the emperor as a . With the formation of the Japanese Empire in the early 20th century, Shinto was exported to other areas of East Asia. Following Japan's defeat in World War II, Shinto was formally separated from the state.

    Shinto is primarily found in Japan, where there are around 100,000 public shrines, although practitioners are also found abroad. Numerically, it is Japan's largest religion, the second being Buddhism. Most of the country's population takes part in both Shinto and Buddhist activities, especially festivals, reflecting a common view in Japanese culture that the beliefs and practices of different religions need not be exclusive. Aspects of Shinto have been incorporated into various Japanese new religious movements.

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