Download Encountering Shinto: The Way of the Kami

Encountering Shinto: The Way of
the Kami
Names
• Shinto: “the way of the gods”
– Kami no michi – “the way of the kami”
• Kami – spirits, deities, essences
– Can be humanlike, animistic, or natural features or
forces
– Most are morally good; some dangerous and
unpredictable
– Kami and humans exist within and interrelate with the
world
Shinto
• Shinto is a religion of formal rituals and inner
feelings more than of doctrines, ethics and
organization.
– Sentiments and rituals directed primarily to the
natural world of the Japanese islands and secondarily
to the history of the Japanese state. (Geographical
tie-in)
– Shinto is an indigenous religion with origins in ancient times,
but has succeeded in a modern nation.
Shinto
– Shinto has no founder, creed, or central authority,
and was not given a name until the 6th century C.E.
to distinguish it from Buddhism.
– Shinto has no scripture, but has mythological books
of ancient Japanese history written in the 8th century
that do not function in an authoritative way.
– Shinto has been a major part of Japanese life and
culture throughout Japan’s history, and has shared
its spiritual, social, and political roles with Buddhism
and Confucianism.
The Shinto Present As Shaped
by Its Past
• Four major periods:
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Pre-Buddhism Japan – prior to 600s
Shinto and Buddhism together – 600-1850
Meiji reinterpretation – 1850-1945
1945 - present
Shinto & Buddhism Together in
Japan (600-1850)
• Introduction of Buddhism and Confucianism from
China and Korea changed Japanese life and religion
– New culture essentially Chinese; most important was
introduction of Chinese writing system
• Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) and Nihongi (Chronicles of
Japan) written in early 700s
– Many Shinto shrines changed to Buddhist temples
• Shinto advantage – richer feel for natural environment; first
religion of the Japanese people
• Buddhist/Confucian advantage – intellectual richness;
sacred texts (this was lacking in Shinto)
• 1500s – arrival of Christian missionaries to
Japan
– Over time was seen as political threat
– Government-sanctioned persecutions resulted in over 40,000
deaths
– 17th century dominated by Buddhism: anti-Christian measures
forced all Japanese to register as Buddhist
• Civic religion a blend of Confucianism, Shinto,
and Mahayana Buddhism
– Confucianism = social ethics
– Shinto = ritual and feeling for the nation
– Mahayana Buddhism= philosophy and hope for life after death
• 1700s movement toward purer form of Shinto
– Emphasis on Japanese people as descendants of the kami;
therefore superior to other races
– Buddhism filtered out of institutions and rituals
– Shinto revival = creation of a more unified religion
• Increased contact with outer world prompted
stronger grounding in indigenous religion
– Foundational doctrines of Shinto:
• Japan is the country of the gods,
• The Japanese people are the descendants of the gods
• 1800s – religiously oriented nationalism contributes
to modernization
• 1900s – Japanese empire building
Role of Shinto in WWII
• 1937 Invasion of China fuels strong Japanese
nationalism
– Military service a religious and civic obligation –
spirits of the soldiers honored as kami
– Kamikaze: “Divine Wind” – reference to typhoon
that destroyed Chinese naval fleet threatening Japan
in 1200s
– Banzai! – “(May the emperor live) ten thousand
years!
Shinto In Recent Times (1945-present)
• 1946 - Allied powers end power of Shinto as state
religion
– Emperor Hirohito (1901-1989) publicly denies divine
status of emperor and superiority of Japanese people
– Postwar constitution separates religion and state
• Guaranteed freedom of religion
• Modern Japan is both secular and religious society –
rise of secularism has had no significant negative
social effects
– New religious movements combined Buddhism,
Shinto, and other religions to address contemporary
Japanese issues
Watch the video
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgQ4eCc3
8dM
• It’s interesting that these indigenous beliefs are
still meaningful in a high-tech society
• Note the emphasis on prosperity
The Kami
• Powerful natural forces with a spiritual
dimension
– No clear distinction between living and not-living,
natural or manufactured, or human and divine
– Identified with natural features, but are spirits in and
beyond those features
• The kami are countless – Shinto focuses on
those important to human life and activity
• Individuals should know and venerate the kami
important to them
Characteristics of Other Shinto
Teachings
• No developed teachings about this world
or the next
– No cosmogonic myth(s) – only the creation
of the Japanese islands
– No eschatology; no clear description of an
afterlife
• No individual soul in the afterlife
• Some believe souls go to a gloomy, shadowy underworld
Ethics: General Characteristics
• Ethics based upon following the general will of
the kami as understood through myth and ritual
• Good moral practice flows from proper
relationship with the kami
– The kami are not always good role models – many
behave badly
• Shinto ethics avoid absolute moral rules
Purity
• Essential to pleasing the kami, bringing
happiness, and deterring disappointment or
illness
• Many rituals feature exorcism of sins to restore
purity
– Cleanliness of body, mind, and spirit signifies good
character and freedom from negative influences
• Overall ethical aim is to promote harmony and
purity in all spheres of life
– Moral purity leads to good conduct
The Shinto Shrine
• Rituals mark entry into the world of the kami
• Special festivals allow “letting oneself go” in front
of the kami
– Religious carousing serves as temporary release from
societal mores regarding orderliness and propriety.
• Shrines built to blend in with environment chosen
by the kami of the place
– Honden – main sanctuary building of each shrine in
which sacred objects are kept for worship purposes
– The kami dwell near the shrines and must be politely
invited in.
The Shinto Priesthood
• Work is largely located in the shrine
• Priesthood exists to carry out rituals and
maintain the shrine
– Shrines staffed by team of priests of various rank and
miko
• Each shrine is self-governed and self-supporting
through donations and offerings
Wish Plaques and Fortunes
• Emas – small wooden plaques inscribed with
prayers and wishes
– Hung in prominent places near a sacred tree
– Kami read the emas and help make them come true
• Omikuji – “sacred drawing / lottery” –
fortunes on pre-printed slips of paper
– Give general blessings ranging from “great blessing”
to “great curse”
– Fortunes for various aspects of life
The Home Shrine
• Traditional Japanese have small indoor or
outdoor shrine / worship space
• Kamidana – “kami shelf” bearing small statues
of kami, plus small memorial tablets bearing
names of ancestors
– Typically placed near ceiling
– Worship includes placing flowers, offering food, and
short prayers
Shinto In North America Today
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Very small presence outside of Japan
Shinto does not seek or encourage converts
Kami reside only in Japan
Greatest concentration of Shinto practitioners
exists on West Coast
• Shinto appeals to Westerners in reverence for
nature, feeling for ritual, and acknowledgment
of pluralism