Introduction

The essence of Shinto is the Japanese devotion to invisible spiritual beings and powers called 'kami', to shrines, and to various rituals.

Shinto is something that you do with your body as much as with your mind. There is little interest in belief, or in using religion as a way of explaining the world. What matters are rituals that enable human beings to communicate with kami.

Shinto is often called "the religion of Japan", but it's better to think of it as the traditional belief systems of Japan since it covers different (but closely related) philosophies at different times in history.

Shinto is both a very local religion, in which devotees are likely to be concerned with their local shrine rather than the religion as a whole, and an unofficial national religion with shrines that draw visitors from across the country. Shinto also plays a major part in the religious rituals associated with the Emperor of Japan.

Unlike many other religions, Shinto has no founder, no major scriptures, no creed and no religious or ethical laws. It doesn't divide the universe into this world and a supernatural world, and it has no substantial concept of heaven or an afterlife.

Because ritual rather than belief is at the heart of Shinto, Japanese people don't usually think of Shinto specifically as a religion - it's simply an aspect of Japanese life. This has enabled Shinto to coexist happily with Buddhism for centuries. Today many Japanese mix Buddhism and Shinto in their lives; something that can't be done with more exclusive religions like Christianity or Islam.

Kami are not God or gods - they're not omnipotent, omniscient, or eternal, and there are millions of them. They are spirits that are concerned with human beings - they appreciate our interest in them and want us to be happy - and if they are treated properly they will intervene in our lives to bring benefits like health, business success, and good exam results.

Some kami are identified with particular activities, like war, or education, while others look after particular local communities. Some kami are connected to nature, like mountains or thunderstorms.

Shinto is involved in every aspect of Japanese culture: It touches ethics, politics, family life and social structures, artistic life (particularly drama and poetry) and sporting life (Sumo wrestling), as well as spiritual life.

Many events that would be secular in the West involve a brief Shinto ritual in Japan - for example, the construction of a new building would involve a Shinto ceremony.

Shinto is most visible in Japan in the thousands of shrines (around 80,000) which dot the country, varying in size from vast multi-hectare sites, to mini-shrines on top of buildings. Many Japanese will have a tiny shrine-

Is Shinto a Religion?

The nature of Shinto as a faith should not be misunderstood.

Shinto is often called the "Japanese religion", and has been a big influence on Japanese culture and values for over 2000 years. But some writers think that Shinto is more than just a religion - it's no more or less than the Japanese way of looking at the world.

Although most Japanese follow many Shinto traditions throughout life, they actually regard themselves as being devoted to certain shrines and kami, rather than to a countrywide religion.

So many Japanese don't think that they are practicing Shinto nor are followers of the Shinto religion, even though what they do is what constitutes actual Shinto, rather than official or academic Shinto.

What Shinto is

Let's look at some of the key features of Shinto

The Name
The name Shinto comes from Chinese characters for Shen - 'divine being', and Tao - 'way'; and means 'Way of the Gods' or 'Way of the Spirits', or, best of all, 'Way of the Kami'.

A Nature Religion
Shinto is a religion of the world around us.

Every element of the physical world has a sacred side for Shinto, and the religion promotes harmony between the divine, human, and natural worlds.
Shinto shrines are constructed so as to demonstrate a fusion of spirituality and the natural world.

But although it is often presented in textbooks as a simple nature religion, unchanged for thousands of years, this is both too simple and too narrow - Shinto has many faces and forms, and has been through radical change (particularly in the last two centuries), and there is much more to Shinto than the worship of nature.

A Community Religion
Shinto is very much a community religion - the population of a particular Japanese town will have a strong allegiance to their local shrine, and its kami, rather than to a central institutionalised faith.

Some of the very big shrines also have a country-wide following.

Shrine visiting and taking part in festivals, which are often joyful and even rowdy events, play a great part in binding local communities together.

Shrine visiting at New Year is the most popular shared national event in Japan, with millions taking part.

An Ethnic Religion
Because Shinto is so clearly focussed on the land of Japan and the Japanese people it is clearly an ethnic religion. This is why Shinto is little interested in missionary work, and is little practiced outside its country of origin.

A Popular Religion
Even in modern Japan Shinto remains a strong popular religion. Japanese continue to take part in Shinto rituals, and often visit some of the100,000 Shinto shrines that are spread over the country.

However the pressure of secularism has had its effect in Japan as in other countries, and there has been a decline in the use of Shinto ceremonies over the last 50 years.

An Optimistic Religion
Shinto sees human beings as basically good and has no concept of original sin, or of humanity as 'fallen'.

Shinto also sees this world as a good place. Much Shinto ritual and practice celebrates life and the world.

A religion that coexists

The majority of Japanese follow Buddhism as well as Shinto. (About 83% of Japanese follow Shinto, and 76% follow Buddhism (1999 figures).

In fact it's not uncommon to find that a Japanese home contains both a kamidana (a Shinto god-shelf) and a Butsudan (a Buddha altar).

Those who follow both religions are able both to distinguish between them, and to reconcile the beliefs and faiths of the two religions in their everyday lives. This reflects the way in which Buddhism and Shinto combined to form the religious background to Japanese life for most of the country's history.

Although early Christian missionaries were hostile to Shinto, in more recent times it was seen by some Christians as so different from their own faith that they were willing to allow Japanese Christians to practice Shinto as well as Christianity. (For example a Vatican proclamation in 1936 allowed Japanese Catholics to participate in Shinto ceremonies, on the grounds that these were merely civil rites of 'filial reverence toward the Imperial Family and to the heroes of the country'.

A religion of ritual and practice
Shinto is primarily a practical and ritual response to the world, rather than an intellectual one. Instead of creed and creator, Shinto focuses on rituals and tradition.

People follow Shinto by taking part in festivals and rituals, visiting shrines, and practicing some cultural activities. This is in line with the importance of ritual and form in secular Japanese life.

A disestablished religion
Shinto has not been an established or state religion since World War II. The post-war Japanese constitution specifically forbids the Japanese state from having any connection with any religion.

Despite this, Shinto is a key ingredient in various ceremonies performed by the Emperor.

A religion in times of need
The kami are willing to help anyone who needs their help and asks for it with sincerity and purity.

Shinto does not require a track-record of commitment and belief from those who turn to the faith when they want something.

A religion of this world
Shinto is a religion of this world. Everything, including the spiritual, is experienced as part of this world. Shinto has no place for any transcendental other world.

A diverse religion
A wide group of movements and practices are included under the Shinto label - not surprising since it grew out of the coming together of different local religions that had a common theme.

The forms of Shinto fall into three main groups: shrine Shinto, sect Shinto and folk Shinto. So-called State Shinto was abolished at the end of World War II.

What Shinto is Not

Shinto has many characteristic features:

Shinto is not pessimistic
Regards the world as fundamentally a good place and human beings as fundamentally good.

Shinto has no canonical scriptures
Shinto teaches important ethical principles but has no commandments.

Shinto has no founder

Shinto has no omniscient, omnipotent, eternal, creator God
Shinto teaches important ethical principles but has no commandments.

Shinto has no canonical scriptures
Shinto teaches important ethical principles but has no commandments.

Shinto does not require adherents to follow it as their only religion
Many Japanese follow Buddhism as well as Shinto and for much of history Shinto and Buddhism were effectively combined in Japan.

Shinto has no omniscient, omnipotent, eternal, creator God
Shinto teaches important ethical principles but has no commandments.

Shinto has no tradition of missionary work or making converts