Shinto
So, what exactly is Shinto?
Shinto 神道 (the way of the gods) is the indigenous religion of the people of Japan, there is no founder nor does it have sacred scriptures like the sutras or the bible.
Propaganda and preaching are not common either, because Shinto is deeply rooted in the Japanese people and traditions.
Shinto is not a way of explaining the world. What matters are rituals that enable human beings to communicate with kami.
Propaganda and preaching are not common either, because Shinto is deeply rooted in the Japanese people and traditions.
Shinto is not a way of explaining the world. What matters are rituals that enable human beings to communicate with kami.
... Kami?
In ancient times, the Japanese believed that all natural phenomena, animals, and plants possessed kami, or divine power.
Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as ancestral kami. The kami of extraordinary people are even enshrined at some shrines. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu is considered Shinto's most important kami.
Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as ancestral kami. The kami of extraordinary people are even enshrined at some shrines. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu is considered Shinto's most important kami.
What happens at shrines?
A shrine (jinja) is a sacred place where kami live, and which show the power and nature of the kami. Most shrines celebrate festivals (matsuri) regularly in order to show the kami the outside world. Every village and town or district in Japan will have its own Shinto shrine, dedicated to the local kami.
Japanese people don't visit shrines on a particular day each week. People go to the shrine at festival times, and at other times when they feel like doing so.
Japanese people don't visit shrines on a particular day each week. People go to the shrine at festival times, and at other times when they feel like doing so.