SHINTOISM

SYMBOL

 Sacred gateway
 It marks the entrance to a
sacred space which is the
Shinto Shrine.
 It represents the transition
between the world of humans
and the world of the gods and
goddess.

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 SACRED SCRIPTURES

KOJIKI
 Composed of three books
1. Age of Kami – narrates mythology
2. Discuss the imperial lineage, narrating the events
concerning the imperial family
3. Concerned with revolts and love stories of
successive rulers intertwined in a song-story format.

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 NIHON SHOKI NOHONGI

 Redords the descent of  It represents a

the Yamato rulers of Japan combination of a political
from the gods. purpose with folklores
and myths.
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
SHINTO RITES OF PASSAGE

 HATSUMIYAMAIRI (First Shrine Visit) – newborn children are

taken to the shrine to seek protection from the kami
SHINTO RITES OF PASSAGE

 SHICHI-GO-SAN (SEVEN-FIVE-THREE). Festival

observed every 15th of November by boys of five years
and girls of three and seven years of age, who visit the
shrine to give thanks for the protection provided by the
kami and to ask for their healthy growth.
SHINTO RITES OF PASSAGE

 ADULT’S DAY (SEIJIN SHIKI) – observed every 15th of January by the

Japanese who had their 20th birthday the previous year by visiting the
shrine to express gratitude to the kami (20 being the legal age of
adulthood in Japan)
SHINTO RITES OF PASSAGE

WEDDING RITES

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SHINTO RITES OF PASSAGE

 Almost nine out of ten Japanese Funerals are

conducted as a blend of Bhuddist and Shinto
traditions, a practice that both religions would see s
complementary. Most homes maintain a Buddhist
altar and and Shinto shrine. When death occurs, the
altar and shrine are covered to keep the spirits of
the dead out.
 Sosai
 RITUAL PURIFICATION
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 MISOGI - or oblutions (the act of washing one’s body

part or part of it, usually for religious practices)
 Considered ancient ceremonies performed after funeral
 Its purpose is to cleanse the body of minor
contaminations associated with the dead.
 HARAI – or exorcism (the expulsion of an evil spirit
from a person or place) performed usually by a priest
by swinging a purification wand over the people and the
objects to be exorcised
 IMI – or absentions (the act of restraining oneself from
indulging in something) which are practices performed
against impurity
TYPES OF WORSHIP

AT HOME AT SHINTO SHRINE

 KAMI SHELF – small altar, this is where they  Also called ceremonial worship, this includes a visit
perform the following rituals: to a Shinto shrine which detaches a worshipper
from his her ordinary environemnt,.
 Purification
 Offertory
 Clapping their hands to the kami (who, they believe,
could see and hear what they are doing)
 And offering of prayers
MAGICAL CHARMS AND AMULETS

OMAMORI / MAMORI SHIMPU /

 MAMORI – provides protection

 SHIMPU – (god ticket or sacred
ticket) is the term they use to
refer to the magico-religious
objects obtained at the Shinto
shrines.
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SEASON FESTIVAL

DASHI MATSURI FESTIVAL

 Great Purification Festival – celebrated in
shrines all over Japan every June and December,
with priest waving a cleansing wand over the
people, who rub paper dolls on their bodies to
symbolize the transfer of impurities from their
bodies to the dolls.
 New Year – considered the most extravagant
festival in Japan

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BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
KAMI WORSHIP

Kami Description / Association

Ameterasu-o-mi-kami Sun Goddess; greatest of the Kmai; Kami of the Ise Shrine; ancestor of the imperial family
Benten Music and the arts
Ebisu Prosperity; abondened leech-child of Izanami and Izanagi
Hachiman Archery and war
Izanagi Sky God
Izanami Earth goddess
Susanoo Wind/storm; Amaterasu’s brother
Tenjin Education
CONCEPT OF PURE AND IMPURE
CONCEPT OF DEATH

 Death is considered the worst form of impurity in Shintoism.

 They perform ritual bathing after a funeral ceremony wherein all family members do a ritual bathing in the river.