Shinto (redirected from Shintoists)

Shinto (shĭn`tō), ancient native religion of Japan still practiced in a form modified by the influence of Buddhism and Confucianism. In its present form Shinto is characterized less by religious doctrine or belief than by the observance of popular festivals and traditional ceremonies and customs, many involving pilgrimages to shrines. Shinto, a term created to distinguish the indigenous religion from Buddhism, is the equivalent of the Japanese kami-no-michi, "the way of the gods" or "the way of those above." The word kami, meaning "above" or "superior," is the name used to designate a great host of supernatural beings or deities.

History and Development

Shinto cannot be traced to its beginnings, because until the 5th cent. (when Chinese writing was introduced into Japan) the myths and rituals were transmitted orally. The written record of the ancient beliefs and customs first appeared in the Kojiki [records of ancient matters], prepared under imperial order and completed in A.D. 712. From those first Japanese accounts of the religion of times then already far past, it can be seen that a worship of the forces and forms of nature had grown into a certain stage of polytheism in which spiritual conceptions had only a small place. Nor was there any clear realization of a personal character in the beings held to be divine, and there were practically no images of the deities.

There was no one deity supreme over all, but some gods were raised to higher ranks, and the one who held the most exalted position was the sun goddess, known as the Ruler of Heaven. The emperors of Japan are said to be descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu-o-mi-kami, in unbroken line beginning with the first, Jimmu, who ascended his throne in 660 B.C. Thus the emperor was looked upon as divine, even while living; by divine right he was the chief priest, and as such he presided over ceremonies of foremost importance. Aside from this his religious responsibilities were delegated to others.

A Shinto shrine, unaffected by other religious influences, is a simple unpainted wooden building, having some object within it that is believed to be the dwelling place of the kami. After Buddhism entered Japan in the 6th cent. A.D., it had some influence on Shinto. In many shrines Buddhist priests serve, and worship under their direction is more elaborate than pure Shinto.

Beginning in the 17th cent. a vigorous effort was made to revive the old ways and ideas. After the Meiji restoration in 1868, the ancient department of Shinto rites was reestablished, giving Shinto much of its structure and identity as a religion. In 1882 all Shinto organizations were divided into two groups, state shrines (supervised and partially supported by the government) and sectarian churches. The ancient mythology was used to glorify the emperor and the state, and state Shinto became a powerful instrument in the hands of the militarists, who used it to glorify their policy of aggression.

Modern Shinto

Japan's defeat in World War II brought about the disestablishment of state Shinto. In 1946 in a New Year's rescript, Emperor Hirohito destroyed its chief foundation by disavowing his divinity; in the same year Gen. Douglas MacArthur forbade the use of public funds to support Shinto. In present-day Shinto there is no dogmatic system and no formulated code of morals. Shinto practices can be found abroad wherever large Japanese communities exist, as in the United States and South America. Some of the newer sects stress world peace and brotherhood as part of their philosophy.

Bibliography

See W. G. Aston, Shinto (1905, repr. 1968); D. C. Holtom, Modern Japan and Shinto Nationalism (rev. ed. 1947, repr. 1963); A. Akiyama, Shinto and Its Architecture (2d ed. 1956); S. Ono, Shinto: The Kami Way (1962); F. H. Ross, Shinto (1965); J. Herbert, Shinto (1966); S. D. Picken, Shinto: Japan's Spiritual Roots (1980).

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Shinto

Indigenous religion of Japan. Based on the worship of spirits known as kami, Shinto has no founder and no official scripture, though its mythology is collected in the Kojiki (“Records of Ancient Matters”) and Nihon shoki (“Chronicles of Japan”), written in the 8th century. The term Shinto (“Way of the Kami”) came into use to distinguish indigenous Japanese beliefs from Buddhism, which had been introduced into Japan in the 6th century. At Shinto's core are beliefs in the kami's mysterious creating and harmonizing power. According to Shinto myths, in the beginning a certain number of kami simply emerged, and a pair of kami, Izanagi and Izanami, gave birth to the Japanese islands, as well as to the kami who became ancestors of the various clans. The Japanese imperial family claims descent from Izanagi's daughter, the sun goddess Amaterasu. All kami are said to cooperate with one another, and life lived in accordance with their will is believed to produce a mystical power that gains their protection, cooperation, and approval. Through veneration and observation of prescribed rituals at shrines (e.g., ritual purity), practitioners of Shinto can come to understand and live in accordance with divine will. In the early 21st century, Shinto had nearly 2.8 million followers. See also shinbutsu shugo.

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Shinto

the indigenous religion of Japan, polytheistic in character and incorporating the worship of a number of ethnic divinities, from the chief of which the emperor is believed to be descended
http://www.jinja.or.jp/english/

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Shinto 

(literally, “the way of the gods”), a religion that developed in Japan and, alongside Buddhism, one of the most widely practiced religions in Japan. Shinto grew out of ancient cults of nature and ancestor worship. According to Shinto, each human individual is descended from one of the innumerable spirits and influential gods (kami), among whom the goddess of the sun, Amaterasu, held a special place. Under certain circumstances, the souls of the dead are capable of becoming kami. In turn, kami are capable of becoming ritual objects (shintai), such as swords, mirrors, figurines of gods, or plaques bearing the name of a divinity, which then become objects of veneration. Shinto worship consists of four elements: purification (harai), offerings (shinsei), a short prayer (norito), and a feast or communion (naorai).

In the fifth and sixth centuries, the imperial court began supervising the activities of the principal Shinto shrines. The most important rituals came to be performed by the emperor, who was proclaimed the supreme Shinto priest in the seventh century. The lack of a unified canon of Shinto literature was rectified in the seventh and eighth centuries, when two collections of ancient historical myths, legends, and traditions were compiled: the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) and Nihongi, or Nihon shoki (Chronicles of Japan). The spread of Buddhism to Japan from Korea and China, which began in the sixth century, gradually eliminated the monopolistic position of Shinto. Under Japanese feudalism (tenth through the 16th century), Buddhism played the predominant role in the country’s religious life, and many Japanese came to profess two religions. For example, marriages, births, and local holidays were usually celebrated at a Shinto shrine, and memorial and funeral rites were usually observed according to the rules of Buddhism.

The 17th and 18th centuries saw the rise of the historical school of Shinto, represented by Kamo Mabuchi, Motoori No-rinaga, and others, which aimed at strengthening the religion and reviving the cult and full authority of the emperor. After the revolution of 1867–68 and continuing until the end of 1945, Shinto and Buddhism enjoyed the protection of the emperor and the government. Regular attendance at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples was made compulsory for schoolchildren and civil servants.

During World War II, the Japanese military establishment made wide use of Shinto to inflame chauvinistic and militaristic sentiments and to ensure unquestioning obedience to the emperor and all who acted in his name. The defeat of imperialist Japan undermined the prestige of Shinto. In December 1945, Shinto institutions were separated from the state, some Shinto literature was banned, and members of the Shinto clergy lost their previous official status. On Jan. 1, 1946, the Japanese emperor publicly denied his “divine” origins. In the years that followed, however, Shinto gradually recovered its influence and somewhat adapted its doctrines to modern times. In December 1966 a government decree restored the status of a national holiday to the former Empire Foundation Day—Kenkoku no Hi (February 11); according to Shinto myths, on that day in 660 B.C., Jimmu ascended the throne. The country’s democratic forces have resisted efforts by the ruling circles to rekindle chauvinism through Shinto.

REFERENCES

Latyshev, 1. A. “O roli religii ν politicheskoi zhizni Iaponii.” In the collection Sovremennaia laponiia. Moscow, 1964.
Svetlov, G. E. “Religiia i politika: O sotsiai’no-religioznykh dvizhe-niiakh ν sovremennoi Iaponii.” Problemy Dal’nego Vostoka, 1974, no. 2.
Gundert, W. Japanische Religionsgeschichte. Tokyo, 1935.

A. N. ROMANOV