Bulacan State University

College of Industrial Technology

City of Malolos, Bulacan

Major Religions
Of the World

Submitted By:
Arthur Allen P. Jacob

Sumbitted To:
Ma’am Roselle Albalate
Shintoism in Japanese

History
The introduction of Buddhism in the 6th century was followed by a few initial conflicts,
however, the two religions were soon able to co-exist and even complement each other.
Many Buddhists viewed the kami as manifestations of Buddha.

In the Meiji Period, Shinto was made Japan's state religion. Shinto priests became state
officials, important shrines receive governmental funding, Japan's creation myths were used
to foster a national identity with the Emperor at its center, and efforts were made to
separate and emancipate Shinto from Buddhism.

After World War II, Shinto and the state were separated.

Now

People seek support from Shinto by praying at a home altar or by visiting shrines. A whole
range of talismans are available at shrines for traffic safety, good health, success in
business, safe childbirth, good exam performance and more.

A large number of wedding ceremonies are held in Shinto style. Death, however, is

considered a source of impurity, and is left to Buddhism to deal with. Consequently, there
are virtually no Shinto cemeteries, and most funerals are held in Buddhist style.

Beliefs

The origin of the word "shinto" means "way of the kami." Therefore, Shinto beliefs focus
on the existence and power of the kami, or gods, that exist in the world, in nature, and
especially in and throughout Japan. Click the "kami page" below to learn more specific
information about these gods.

In general, however, this religion is an overall perspective more than a simple list of Shinto
beliefs. This perspective - referred to by the phrase mono no aware - is a uniquely Japanese
way of seeing the world and its beauty that contains many nuances, which includes:

- aesthetic sensitivity - a sense of beauty and of the beautiful

- sensitivity toward the aesthetic and the emotional as a basis for looking at life - this
includes the sadness or pathos of life as well as joy, happiness and bliss
- seeing with the heart into the natural beauty and goodness of all things

These sensibilities undergird much of what is focused on in Japanese thought and artistic
expression - things such as nature, harmony, balance - and their particular expression in
practical and decorative arts such as flower arranging, architecture, landscape design, the
tea ceremony and elsewhere.

Makoto & Kannagara-no-michi

Shinto beliefs, then, are not centered around official creeds or codified systems of theology
or ethics, but instead are a distinct sensibility that underlies an entire approach to life and
the world. This can be captured not only with the phrase mono no aware, but also with the
concepts of makotoand kannagara-no-michi.

Makoto simply means "sincerity" and it is the basis of Shinto ethics. This religion is
sometimes criticized by those who don't understand it for having no official list of rules or
codes of ethics, such as the Ten Commandments. Instead, Shinto emphasizes makoto -
sincerity in the heart.

Those who are sincere will naturally tend to behave in ways that cohere with the great,
official ethical traditions of the world's religion. Sincere people don't steal from others, or
lie to them, or try to murder them. Sincere people do not do things that undermine the
fabric of society or bring harm to the community or family. Sincerity is the grounding of
all ethical thought and behavior, in this view. Even were the religion to have long lists of
dos and don'ts in its archives, only those with sincerity in their hearts will be prompted to
live the rules.

This is partly what is meant by the phrase kannagara-no-michi which, in the ethical

context, refers to the idea that virtue is inseparable from the rest of life, especially life
lived in harmony with the natural world (enlivened by kami, or the gods). Beauty, truth,
goodness, morality - these are all connected, inseparable from each other. Those who live
life with the perspective outlined above - with an aesthetic sensitivity, an emotional
sensibility toward the world, and with a sincere heart will behave morally almost naturally.
List and rules are more important for training animals than for cultivating morality in
humans, according to this view.

Having said this, purity rituals are common across Shinto practice, which points to the
need for purity in one's heart. This purity of heart is a natural companion to makoto. Purity
rituals use water as the cleansing agent, and the rituals include rinsing the mouth, washing
the hands, bathing, standing under waterfalls, and other such things. Often, these activities
are done at a shrine, and they symbolize the inner purity necessary for a truly human and
spiritual life. 
Food
The indigenous religion in Japan, it has been practiced since the 8th century. Shinto has
been co-existing together with Buddhism and most Shintoists usually adopt some Buddist
practices in their Shinto practices. Shinto is basically about the celebration of human life
and kami, also known as gods that manifest themselves in various forms like rocks. In
Shintoism, there was a traditional food restriction, that meat was not allowed. As there were
many Shintoists in Japan before the outbreak of World War Two, many Japanese dishes
without meat were created to suit their needs. These included mochi and soba.

Shinto has influenced Japanese food culture in the past, it has resulted in the various
vegetarian dishes in Japan. In each neighbourhood in Japan there is usually a Shinto shrine
for festivals that the public(non-Shintoists and Shintoists) take part in. These festivals bring
the community together and many foods are savoured in these festivals. One such festival is
Hanami(花見), where people admire the cherry blossoms in Shinto shrines and also bring
along Japanese foods with them while admiring the flowers.
This festival is a tradition in Japan and occurs in April, where is the blossoming season of
the sakuras in Japan. This festival has inspired many dishes such as the sakura mochi
desert.

It has played an important part in japanese cuisine as after our group tried this dish it was
uniquely Japanese flavoured. Its fragrant scent and pinkish sweet taste made it truly a
sakura flower desert.