Taboos in Regards to Shinto Traditions

Shinto, also known as “the way of

the gods”, is an indigenous faith
of the people of Japan and is as
old as the country itself. It
remains as one of the major
religions in Japan. Shinto does
not have a founder, and
Figure 1. Amaterasu, Sun Goddess propaganda regarding the subject
is not commonly broached, as it is unnecessary due to how deeply rooted it is within the
Japanese people and traditions. Shinto gods are referred to as kami, which are sacred spirits
that take shape in the form of concepts and objects important to life, from rain, wind, rivers,
boats, fertility, et. cetera.

Shinto traditions are centred around the concept of purity, the main means of purification is
said to be ritual practice. These two aspects are the main aspects of Shinto, purity and its
ritual production (Boyd & Williams, 1999). Therefore, the importance of cleanliness and
purification in Shinto belief and ritual have led to the concept of ceremonial pollution,
kegare, as well as practices of taboo or abstinence (imi) in order to overcome said pollution
(Norbeck, 1952). These belief and practices were the norm in olden Japan, and still exist,
however are only practiced rigorously, in many communities of rural Japan, but their
influence still remains among people of urban areas.

The first references to pollution and taboo in Japan can be observed from the Chinese Han
and Wei Chronicles in which they describe a country assumed to be Japan. The earliest
reference of this religion and its traditions in native Japanese writing appear later in the
recordings of norito. In terms of how Shinto traditions are linked to taboos, as ritual purity is
a highlighted feature of the religion, things which are said to be offensive to kami were
called, tsumi, a word that can be translated to mean guilt or sin. The act of avoiding these
offensive acts or abstention, were then dubbed, imi, which means taboo.
There are three events that are the biggest factors that
contribute towards kegare, ceremonial pollution, which are
pregnancy, menstruation and death. This is as these three
acts were deemed, as bringing uncleanliness, which
therefore had to be avoided and purified before worship.
Purification was achieved through several methods,
exorcism, cleansing and abstention or taboo. The duty of
practicing these needful austerities, were placed on the
priests, mainly in observance of certain prohibitions.
During periods of pollution, certain taboos must be
observed, although very similar, differ in the source of Figure 2. Shinto Priest

pollution.

In the first cause of pollution, menstruation, women who are experiencing menses are
regarded as polluted, therefore, they must avoid all contact with Shinto deities, or kami, to
avoid offending them with their unclean presence. Thus, several taboos are placed on these
women. As in accordance with these traditions, most households make daily or intermittent
offerings of food before the several shrines to household gods within their dwelling. It was
considered essential, that only an unpolluted person would be allowed to make the offerings.

However, as menstruating women are unclean,

they are tabooed from this practice. It is also a
taboo for them to visit community or public
shrines, but if it is necessary for the woman to
visit a shrine, they will not be allowed through
the entrance gate, torii, and will have to go
around the shrine. At one-point, menstruating
women were also made to avoid all of the
numerous shrines to Shinto deities in the village
Figure 3. Shrine Gate (Torii) that they passed by throughout their daily
activities. Food that is prepared by a woman during the period of her cycle, is usually
consumed entirely on that day as it has been cooked over a fire that has been polluted by her
presence, unclean fire.
In the present, it is not thought that the occurrence of a woman experiencing their cycle
would seriously pollute others, the occurrence of the event is also seldomly known to others.
If they were to pass by a shrine or Shinto statue while carrying out their daily activities, it is
no longer considered offensive or defiling.

The second cause of heavy pollution is

childbirth, that covers a thirty-two
days period in which the degree of
pollution diminishes as time passes.
Childbirth used to take place in a
specified room of the house, the
nando, that had no shrines to the
household gods. During the whole
duration of the thirty-two days period, Figure 4. Japanese Household Shrine

the pregnant woman is placed under the same taboos as the menstruating women, however, as
childbirth is deemed as more seriously defiling, a taboo is placed on the woman from entering
or leaving the house through rooms which contain household shrines throughout the whole
period. If the woman had occasion to leave their dwelling, they would have to walk with their
head covered by a cloth, to avoid polluting the sun. The woman will also be subjected to food
taboos, but these taboos are said to be unrelated to kegare-imi beliefs and instead are
traditional measures, to improve the health of the new mother.

Death is another period of serious

pollution, whereby all people who
come into contact with the body
of the deceased or are closely
related, will be deemed as
polluted. The periods of kegare
used to vary by the closeness of
relationship to the deceased, close
relatives, parents and spouse
Figure 5. Funeral Rituals
having a forty-nine-day kegare
period, and three days for cousins. A kichu paper is also placed on the outside the entrance of
the dwelling to serve as a warning to the uninformed. A small fire of rice straw is built in the
yard when the coffin is removed from the dwelling, while a dish in poorest condition is
broken at the same time. This is done as it is believed that having three calamities occurring
simultaneously, will prevent it from recurring in the near future. There is also a taboo on the
consumption of food from animal origin throughout the three-day period.

In the case of today, it has become the norm to consider the period of pollution complete for
all individuals after the funeral rites have been completed, commonly three days after death.
There is some avoidance of the close relatives of a deceased person during this period, and
members of the deceased’s households do not work and avoid any contact with Shinto
deities.

These beliefs and taboos are rapidly disappearing, as members of the older generation pass
away many of these practices pass with them. This is particularly true with taboos related to
menstruation and childbirth. There is still a lingering influence of these practices, in which
most women in Takashima still practice the taboo against contact with Shinto deities during
childbirth or menstruation, as they would feel strange if they were to make offerings. Shrine
visits by younger women are more infrequent nowadays, making it easy for these taboos to
survive. However, taboos related to segregation at childbirth, during menstruation and funeral
periods, cause challenges for all members of the household, and is the probable cause as to
why these practices have nearly died out. In summary, these taboos have played a big part in
shaping the Japanese perception and continue to have an influence to an extent.
CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this paper discusses several different taboos that are practiced throughout
Japan, which are taboos regarding eating, flowers, tattoos and Shinto taboos. Although these
are all taboos practiced in Japan, the origin of each taboo differs, whether it originated from
politeness or religion, as well as how recognised these taboos are by modern day society.

The most commonly known taboos within this paper are eating taboos and taboos towards
tattoos. This is as eating taboos are used within daily Japanese life and represent one of the
elements foreigners visiting the country try to take note of to avoid any cultural faux pas.
Tattoos on the other hand, have a heavy negative connotation that come with it, that is
common in countries in Asia, due to their origin as a punishment to those who had committed
heinous crime in the past. Shinto taboos and taboos in relation to flowers are more subtle to
outsiders, and would most likely, only be common knowledge to those who live within the
Japanese community.

In essence, taboos act as a structure that enables society to maintain its traditions and
individuality. This is as something that is seen as a taboo in one area of the world, may just
be a norm in the culture of another. Each taboo stems from a belief that was or is held by the
society that created it, and is rooted within the history of that region. Taboos can be said to be
synonymous with culture, as culture is the ideas, customs and social behaviour of a particular
group of people, and that includes the restrictions that culture puts upon themselves. Taboos
are able to help preserve the culture of a society, as when an individual goes against a taboo,
they are going against the societal norms of their culture, which is usually frowned upon.
Therefore, most individuals avoid breaking taboos to avoid being outcasted, thus indirectly
preserving the culture of that society.

Knowing and respecting the taboos of the country you live in or visit is an important part of
ensuring society is able to live harmoniously, as it means that you are respecting the culture
itself. As the values and moral values of people are different, there are a limited number of
universal taboos. Instead, there taboos of different aspects that vary for each culture. Each of
these taboos are united in their quest for the knowledge to differentiate right and wrong that
allows humanity to strive towards a morally just human race.
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