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SHINTOIS

M
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND

SHINTO
Shinto also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of
Japan and the people of Japan. It is a set of practices, to be
carried out diligently, to establish a connection between
present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were
first recorded and codified in the written historical records of
the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in the 8th century. Still, these
earliest Japanese writings do not refer to a unified Shinto
religion, but rather to disorganized folklore, history and
mythology. Shinto today is a term that applies to public shrines
suited to various purposes such as war memorials, harvest
festivals, romance, and historical monuments, as well as
various sectarian organizations.

Practitioners express their diverse beliefs through a standard


language and practice, adopting a similar style in dress and
ritual, dating from around the time of the Nara and Heian
Periods.
The word Shinto (Way of the Gods) was adopted from the
written Chinese, combining two kanji: shin, meaning spirit
or kami; and to, meaning a philosophical path or study (from
the Chinese word dao). Kami are defined in English as
spirits, essences or deities, that are associated with many
understood formats; in some cases being human-like, in others
being animistic, and others being associated with more
abstract natural forces in the world (mountains, rivers,
lightning, wind, waves, trees, rocks).

Kami and people are not separate; they exist within the
same world and share its interrelated complexity.
Shinto does not actually require professing faith to be a
believer or a practitioner thus a person who practices any
manner of Shinto rituals may be so counted, and as such it
is difficult to query for exact figures based on selfidentification of belief within Japan. The problem is that
Shinto is sometimes seen more as a way of life rather than
a religion by the Japanese due to its long historical and
cultural significance. Due to the syncretic nature of Shinto
and Buddhism, most life events are handled by Buddhism.

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