History of shinto

Before the arrival of Buddhism

During this period there was no formal Shinto religion, but many local cults that are nowadays grouped
under the name Shinto.

Like many prehistoric people, the first inhabitants of Japan were probably animists; devoted to the
spirits of nature. In their case these were the Kami that were found in plants and animals, mountains
and seas, storms and earthquakes, sand and all significant natural phenomena.

The early Japanese developed rituals and stories which enabled them to make sense of their universe,
by creating a spiritual and cultural world that gave them historical roots, and a way of seeming to take
control of their lives, in what would otherwise have been a fearful and puzzling landscape.

Other cults that are grouped together into Shinto probably arrived in Japan from Korea with the Korean
tribes which invaded Japan in late prehistoric times.

These religions were highly localised, and not organised into a single faith. Nor were they seen as a
single religion; the realms of Earth and the supernatural were so closely integrated in the world-view of
the early Japanese that the things that modern people regard as a faith were seen in those times as
just another part of the natural world, albeit a part of enormous power.

hinto and Buddhism together

From the 6th century CE the beliefs that are now known as Shinto were greatly altered by the addition
of other ingredients.

Shintoisms were the only religions in Japan until the arrival of Buddhism in the 6th century CE. From
then on Shinto faiths and traditions took on Buddhist elements, and later, Confucian ones. Some
Shinto shrines became Buddhist temples, existed within Buddhist temples, or had Buddhist priests in
charge. Buddhist temples were built, and Buddhist ideas were explored.

The ruling aristocracy saw advantages in harnessing Shinto, Confucianism and Buddhism together to
guide the people of Japan. At the same period, government took a role in religion with the
establishment of the 'Department for the Affairs of the Deities'.

Shinto had a disadvantage compared to Buddhism and Confucianism in its lack of complex intellectual
doctrines. This meant that the development of Japanese theology and philosophy inevitably drew on
the comparative intellectual richness of Buddhism and Confucianism.

Buddhism began to expand significantly, and was given a role in supporting the growing influence of
central government.

The idea was put forward that humans should follow the will of the gods in political life. The rule of the
state was referred to as matsurigoto, a word very close to that for religious ritual - matsuri - that was
used to refer to both government and worship.

The Emperor and the court had very clear religious obligations, ceremonies that had to be carried out
meticulously to make sure that the kami looked after Japan and its people. These ceremonies (which
soon included as many Buddhist and Confucian elements as they did Shinto) became part of the
administrative calendar of the Japanese government. This court liturgical calendar continued to play a
major part in Japanese government until virtually the present day.

As time went on, the Japanese became more and more accustomed to including both the kami and
Buddhist ideas in their spiritual lives. Philosophers put forward the idea that the kami were
"transformations of the Buddha manifested in Japan to save all sentient beings".

During the 7th and 8th centuries the spiritual status of the emperor as the descendant of the Sun
Goddess Amaterasu became official doctrine, and was buttressed by rituals and the establishment of
the Ise shrines as the shrines of the divine imperial family.

Over the next few centuries the Buddhist influence in government grew steadily stronger, despite the
DÕkyÕ affair in the middle of the 8th century. Between the 11th and 15th centuries Japanese
government was in the hands of three interdependent power blocs: the court, the aristocracy, and the
religious establishments, although there is some debate as to whether the various religious groups
were ever able to present a united front, or whether they ever had as much political muscle as the
other two blocs. The 16th century was a time of conflict in Japan, but religious establishments
continued to play a part in the administration of the various territories of the country.

Religion became something of a hot potato when missionaries arrived in Japan during this period and
started converting people from Shinto and Buddhism. Christianity was seen as a political threat and
was ruthlessly stamped out. The 17th century was dominated by Buddhism - but a Buddhism heavily
laden with Shinto - partly because an anti-Christian measure forced every Japanese person to register
at a Buddhist temple and to pay for the privilege of being a Buddhist.

Japanese civic religion still included very many elements of Confucianism in its political and
administrative thinking, while popular Japanese religion was a pragmatic fusion of Shinto rituals and
myths with a hefty dose of Buddhism. Buddhist temples came under the control of the state, and the
training of priests and the management of temples and the hierarchy was effectively state supervised.

In the two centuries before the Meiji period there was a movement towards a purer form of Shinto,
with a particular focus on the Japanese people as being the descendants of the Gods and superior to
other races.

Buddhist and other influences were filtered out of institutions and rituals. This was not so much a
purification of something that had once existed, as the creation of a unified faith from a group of many
ideas, beliefs and rituals.

During this period Shinto acquired a stronger intellectual tradition than it previously had.

This change was evolutionary, as had been previous changes in the nature of Japanese religion

The Meiji reinterpretation of Shinto

The Meiji Restoration in 1868 brought a sudden change in the religious climate of Japan. The aim was
to provide a sacred foundation and a religious rationale for the new Japan and its national ethos, and
to support the system of central administration.
Shinto was reorganised, completely separated from Buddhism, and brought within the structure of the
state administration. Amaterasu, who until then had not been a major divinity, was brought to centre
stage and used to validate the role of the Emperor, not only as ruler, but as the high priest of Shinto.

Shinto became the official state religion of Japan, and many shrines were supported by state funding.
However, this financial aid was short-lived, and by the 1890s most Shinto shrines were once again
supported by those who worshipped at them.

One result of this reformation was that it was no longer acceptable for kami to be identified with
Buddhist deities, and a considerable reorganisation of the Japanese pantheon of spirit beings had to
take place.

Shrines were cleaned of every trace of Buddhist imagery, apparatus, and ritual, and Buddhist deities
lost their godly status. Buddhist priests were stripped of their status, and new Shinto priests were
often appointed to shrines with a tacit mission to purify them.

Once again, this zeal for the reformation and purifying of Shinto did not last, and within a few years
shrines were cautiously re-incorporating elements from Buddhism or tribal tradition.

Shinto was enthusiastically promoted by Japan's militaristic rulers, who stressed that the emperor was
a divine being, directly descended from the gods who had given birth to the Japanese islands.

Shinto became the glue that bound the Japanese people together with a powerful mix of devotion to
kami, ancestor-worship, and group loyalty to family and nation.

Shinto's 'non-religious' period

It was during this period that Shinto was declared 'non-religious'. Traditional historians say (rather
cynically) that this was done to avoid any conflict between the imposition of Shinto by the Japanese
state and the Japanese constitution's guarantee of religious freedom.

In fact it was more subtle than that - Shinto was regarded as inseparable from the 'Imperial Way' and
inseparable from the fundamental ethical and social code of Japan. This made Shinto so superior to
other religions (which, although of enormous value, were created by human beings) that it counted as
non-religious.

In his criticism of popular conceptions of Shinto, historian Kuroda Toshio explains that it has come to
be regarded as "the cultural will or energy of the Japanese people, embodied in conventions that
precede or transcend religion".

Shinto after WWII

Shinto after World War II

Shinto was disestablished in 1946, when the Emperor lost his divine status as part of the Allied
reformation of Japan. The Emperor wrote:

The ties between Us and Our people have always stood on mutual trust and affection. They do not
depend upon mere legends and myths.
They are not predicated on the false conception that the Emperor is divine, and that the Japanese
people are superior to other races and fated to rule the world.
from the Iperial rescript, January 1, 1946
Shrine

One academic has written that the American Occupation Forces "undoubtedly wished to crush and
destroy Shinto", and certainly the orders issued by the occupying forces were very hostile to Shinto
which they seem to have regarded as either a government-run cult, or a religion that had been
converted into a military and nationalist ideology.

Japan's post-war constitution separates religion and state in article 20:

1) Freedom of religion is guaranteed to all. No religious organization shall receive any privileges from
the State, nor exercise any political authority.
2) No person shall be compelled to take part in any religious acts, celebration, rite or practice.
3) The State and its organs shall refrain from religious education or any other religious activity.
Constitution article 20
Despite the loss of official status Shinto still remains a very significant player in Japanese spirituality
and everyday life. And despite the non-divine status of the Emperor, considerable religious ritual and
mysticism still surrounds many Imperial ceremonies.

Sacred text
The Nihon Shoki ('Chronicle of Japan' and also known as the Nihongi) is an official history of
Japan which was written by a committee of court scholars in 720 CE. It is a compilation of myths
and legends concerning the Shinto gods and episodes from the reigns of the early emperors.

Doctrines

Belief in kami:

Divinity of emperors:

State Shinto

When Shinto was reconstructed in 1868 the Imperial legend was moved centre stage, and Amaterasu -
who until then was only revered in parts of Japan - was promoted to be the most important of the
gods, given a national role in the new system of state Shinto, and because of her new status, used to
validate the role of the Emperor, not only as ruler, but as the high priest of Shinto.

This gave the Emperor, as her direct descendant, a divine right to rule not only Japan, but the whole
world.

Furthermore, it became official doctrine that since the Japanese were descended from the gods, they
were superior to all other races.

The political status of the Emperor changed and he became a powerful figure. Although he was
required to respect the law of the land, he was in fact above it. Just how powerful the Emperor had
become by the time of the mid 20th century is still a matter of great controversy, as it is crucial to
determining the Emperor's personal responsibility for the Japanese military actions during the period.
Shinto Beliefs
 As we said before Shinto has no fixed doctrine, no founder, and no collection or canon of sacred texts. Unlike
other religions that have a specific theology and doctrine, Shintoism is comprised mainly of myths of the origin of
Japan and a series of ritual developed over time. The central religious acts are prayers performed by individual
Japanese in more or less the same way, thus generating a shared set of values and attitudes that reinforced by
the myths. It has been said that in Shintoism “correct ritual” is more important than “correct doctrine."
 One of the most noteworthy features of Shinto is its emphasis on intuitiveness, experience and faith not
reasoning and theological principals. According to religious scholar Geoffrey Parrinder Shintoists "rarely ask
questions" rather they "feel the reality" of their gods. "A direct experience of divinity and a sensitive experience
of mystery," he wrote, "are for them far more important than an intellectual approach to doctrinal niceties."
["World Religions" edited by Geoffrey Parrinder, Facts on File Publications, New York]
 Shinto encourages people to help one another, communicate, respect their elders and the spirits of their
ancestors through Shinto ceremonies. Many rituals involve giving thanks with implication being that giving
thanks will bring good things in the future. For Japanese taking control of their fate is a novel idea. There is a
Shinto superstition that says if you ask "what if" questions they will come true.

Gods
The closest thing to gods in Shintoism are kami, a word which is often translated as "god" or "gods," but whose
realm meaning is closer to words and phrases like “upper," “above," “awesome," “awe-inspiring," “dreadful,"
“superior and extraordinary beings," “spiritual power that exists outside the ordinary world," or “strange and
mysterious power

Nature Worship and Sacred Mountains in Japan

Sacred Fuji mountain Unlike Christians which often views nature as evil, Shintoists views it as good and spiritual.
Men and women are not seen as superior to nature but rather as brothers and sisters of all natural objects.
Some of the nature kami have a human origin. According to one Shinto myth, purified ancestral spirits dwell for
33 to 50 years in a cemetery and then move onto mountains, where they become helpful kami that come down
to the rice paddies in spring and return to the mountains in the fall. The forests, which cover two thirds of
country, are also sacred.
 Because they were the highest and biggest earth-bound natural objects around and other natural objects
seemed dependent on them, mountains took on a special place in Shintoism and other eastern religions.
Japanese have long regarded mountains as places used by heavenly kami to descend to earth and stations
people went after they died before they moved on other worlds. Farmers worshiped mountain kami because they
supplied water to make their rice grow. There were often specific gods for specific mountains as well as for the
bases, lower slopes, upper slopes and summits of these mountains.
 The Japanese once believed that Mt. Fuji was the center of the universe. The female deity of Mt. Fuji, known as
Sengen-Sama, holds a high place in the religious hierarchy. Mt. Fuji boasts over 13,000 shrines and each year
thousands of mantra-chanting pilgrims---with jingling prayers bells straw hats, pure white robes and white
canvas mittens on their feet---ascend to the top of the mountain, stopping at its stations and traversing the rocky
peaks around the carter. Some worshipers leave their sandals on the top of Mt. Fuji to raise its height.

 According to an ancient folktale Mount Haku, another sacred mountain also known as Yatsu-ga-take, was once
higher than Mt. Fuji. "Once the female deity of Fuji and the male deity of Haku (Gongen-sama) had a contest to
see which was higher," the myth goes. "They asked the Buddha Amida to decide which was loftier. It was a
difficult task. Amida ran a water pipe from the summit of Yatsu-ga-take to the summit of Fuji-san and poured
water in the pipe. The water flowed to Fuji-san, so Amida decided that Fuji-san was defeated. Although Fuji-san
was a woman, she was too proud to recognize her defeat. She beat the summit of Yatsu-ga-take with a big stick,
so his head was split into eight parts, and that is why Yatsu-ga-take (Eight Peaks) now has eight peaks."

Amaterasu (天照) is the Japanese sun goddess, daughter of creator deities Izanagi and Izanami,
and central to the Shinto religion. It is from her the Japanese nobility claims descent and their
divine right to rule. Amaterasu is the great and glorious goddess of the sun. An embodiment of the
rising sun and Japan itself, she is the queen of the kami and ruler of the universe. The Japanese
Imperial Family claims to have descended from her, and this is what gives them the divine right to
rul Japan.

She is the center of Shinto, and Japanese spiritual life

Amaterasu can be translated as “Shines from Heaven,” with 天 meaning “heaven” (or Imperial)
and 照 meaning “shines.” Amaterasu is shorthand for Amaterasu-ōmikami, which can be represented in
Kanji as 天照大神, 天照大御神, and 天照皇大神. This longer version means “the great and
glorious kami who illuminates from Heaven.” The most prominent of her titles is Ōhirume-no-muchi-
no-kami (大日孁貴神), meaning “the great sun of the kami.”
Amaterasu is the Queen of Heaven, the kami, and creation itself. Though she did not create the
universe, she is the goddess of creation, a role she inherited from her father, Izanagi, who now
defends the world from the land of the dead. materasu’s primary role is that of the sun goddess. In this
position, she not only serves as the literal rising sun that illuminates all things, but also provides
nourishment to all living creatures and marks the orderly movement of day into night.
The sun represents order and purity, two of Shinto’s most important concepts. All things in creation are
ordered, from Amaterasu down to the denizens of Jigoku and other hells. This order is reflected in
Japanese society as well.
The Imperial Goddess
The Japanese Imperial family, which claims descent from Amaterasu, sit at the head of Japanese
society, and from the Imperial family a natural hierarchy exists. In pre-modern Japan this was one of
the many justifications for the society’s caste system.
Through Amaterasu’s illumination, she represents not just order, but the justice that maintains it as
well. The Imperial family has long served as the legitimizing power of any Japanese political entity, and
they have always used this position to ensure that Amaterasu’s place as Queen of Heaven and her
control of its courts are reflected in their rule. Thus, the earthly court systems and the justice they
represent are reflections of Amaterasu’s divine justice, though she herself is not the goddess of justice
- merely its final arbiter. She maintains harmony and balance in both the natural world and human
society.

Amaterasu has always been an important—if not the most important—kami in Japanese spiritual life.
Prior to the Meiji Restoration, when Shinto was not yet formalized, Amaterasu was important across
most of Japan. It was only after Shinto was formally recognized as a state religion, however, that
Amaterasu’s role was solidified and the Imperial family set once more as head of the now-
democratized Japan.
Though State Shinto was abolished in the years after World War II, Amaterasu and the Imperial family
remain an important part of Japanese spiritual life. Some scholars assume, based on archaeological
evidence, that the prehistoric sun cult that occupied the region may have worshipped some incarnation
of Amaterasu.
The Birth of Amaterasu

From the mists of time emerged two deities, Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto, the divine
male and female gods of creation. Seeking to fill the misty void, they devised the marriage ritual and
engaged in sex, but had to repeat the ritual due to a mistake on Izanami’s part. This second,
successful attempt yielded a multitude of kami, spiritual beings representing the natural world and the
islands of Japan. The last of these beings—fire—subsequently killed Izanami.

Wrought with grief, Izanagi journeyed to Yomi, or “the shadowy land of the dead.” Searching far and
wide, he eventually found his wife and was shocked to find her rotting flesh full of oni and other
demons. Seeing his rejection of her, Izanami flew into a rage and attempted to chase him past the
gates of death; however, he managed to block the gates with a boulder. Izanami swore that if he left
her there, she would kill one thousand people every day. He replied that, each day, he would create
five hundred more lives than she could destroy, thereby ensuring the survival of earth’s population.

Disgusted by the taint of death that lay upon him, Izanagi found a pool of pure water nearby and
bathed himself in it. As he washed his left eye, Amaterasu emerged, fully-grown and glowing with the
light of the sun. He washed his right eye next, and from it emerged the shining Tsukuyomi, the moon
who reflected his sister’s light. As he cleaned his nose, a storm emerged and took the shape of
Susanoo, the storm god and ruler of the seas. These three Izanagi tasked with ruling the heavens, with
Amaterasu as their leader.
Day and Night
As was the natural order of things, Amaterasu married her brother Tsukuyomi and together they ruled
the day and night. The marriage produced children, but Tsukuyomi lacked Amaterasu’s naturally
glowing disposition. Whatever goodness he had was merely a reflection of her light. Ultimately,
Tsukuyomi revealed his true colors at a banquet when the goddess Uke Mochi created a bounty from
which food could be grown. After she spat fish into the sea and game into the forests, she proceeded
to pull crops from her rectum. Disgusted by her actions, Tsukuyomi killed her on the spot.
Amaterasu rejected her husband’s disgust and banished him for his evil actions. Thus, day and night
became separated for all eternity.

Who's who of kami

The most important kami have many stories associated with them.

Amaterasu (Amaterasu-Omikami)

Usually translated as 'Sun Goddess', and the greatest of the kami. The kami of the Ise shrine, and the
ancestor of the Imperial family.

Benten/Benzaiten

A female kami with Hindu origins, associated with music and the arts.

Ebisu

A kami who brings prosperity. Originally the abandoned leech-child of Izanami and Izanagi.

Hachiman

Traditionally the god of archery and war.

Izanami - Izanagi

The two kami who gave birth to Japan.

Konpira/Kompira

Now the kami of safety at sea, but originally a Buddhist deity. Protects sailors, fishermen, and
merchant shipping.

Susanoo

The kami of the wind, or the storm-god, who both causes and protects from disasters. The brother of
Amaterasu.

Tenjin

The kami of education, originally the Japanese scholar Sugawara no Michizane (845-903 CE). Parents
and children often ask Tenjin to grant them success in exams.
IZANAGI AND IZANAMI , in Japanese mythology, are the universal parents and creators who
produced the land, mountains, rivers, waves, trees, fields, wind, fog, and the deities ruling these
things. According to the early written chronicle of Japan called the Kojiki, they appeared on the
Takama no Hara, or High Plain of Heaven, as brother and sister. Standing on the Bridge of
Heaven, they churned the ocean's water with a jeweled spear, then drew the spear up. The brine
that dripped from the tip of the spear became the first Japanese island, Onogoro. Izanagi and
Izanami descended onto the island, erected there a high pillar and a hall, then circled the pillar in
opposite directions. When they met, they were united, and thus the islands of Japan were born.

After the birth of the islands, various other deities were born of the two creator-parents. But when
the fire god Kagutsuchi was born, the mother goddess Izanami was burned to death by the heat.
Like the Greek Orpheus, Izanagi descended to the land of Yomi (the underworld) to bring back his
wife. His attempt ended in failure when he peered into a dark room with his torch against Izanami's
wishes, only to find there her decaying corpse. Pursued by the enraged Izanami and her
subordinate demons, Izanagi fled. Finally, the two deities stood face to face at the entrance of the
underworld and agreed upon a divorce. It was decided that Izanagi should rule the living and
Izanami the dead (a motif paralleling that of Tane and Hina in Polynesia). Izanagi then returned to
the earth, where he purified himself in a stream. From his purified eyes and nose appeared three
great deities: Amaterasu (the sun goddess), Tsukiyomi (the moon god), and Susano-o (the violent
god). These deities were appointed rulers of heaven, night, and the ocean. Izanagi thereupon
returned to the celestial abode, where he remained.

Somewhat different versions of the creation myth are recorded in the other ancient Japanese chronicle,
the Nihonshoki. In it, the three great deities are born of both Izanagi and Izanami, not of Izanagi alone. There is no
descent to the underworld by Izanagi, who retires permanently to a hidden palace on the island of Awaji in
the Inland Sea. Since ancient times, there has been an Izanagi shrine on Awaji, and the divine couple have been
worshiped by the fishermen and divers of this and neighboring islands. The myth of kuni-umi ("birth of the islands
from the sea") seems to have originated with the Awaji fishermen. In the most primitive form of the story the divine
couple created only Awaji and its tiny neighboring islands, but the myth must eventually have grown in scale to
include the creation of all the islands of Japan.
The Kojiki as well as the Nihonshoki record that the two deities gave birth first to Awaji. According
to another account in the Nihonshoki, the fifth-century emperors Richū and Ingyō went hunting on
this island, and through mediums were given oracles by Izanagi, Awaji's guardian deity. Then, as
the fishermen migrated to or traded with other areas, their myths and formal worship were
diffused. The tenth-century Engishiki records several shrines dedicated to Izanagi and Izanami in
the Kinki area (the area enclosed by Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe). The oldest manuscript of
the Kojiki describes the worship of Izanagi at the Taga shrine in Ōmi (now Shiga prefecture). In
later ages the Taga shrine became the most famous and popular shrine for the worship of the
divine couple.