Shinto is a Japanese religion concerned with the worship of kami. The kami are often described as spirits, but which are better described as the qualities that a being or object possesses. The elements of a landscape or the forces of nature can have kami (BBC, 2009). The spirits are understood especially to abode in their shrines.
Shrines are the sacred places in which the kami live. Shrines are viewed as sacred places and a visited regularly by Shinto devotees. Shrines can take a variety of forms, from large to small, and even including trees, rocks and mountains. Shrines are considered to be very local, with each local area having its own shrine dedicated to that area's unique kami.
Shinto emphasizes man's kinship with nature. The sacred kami are essences of nature. The worship of the kami, therefore, symbolizes man as worshipping nature, and living in harmony with the natural world.
Ceremony is critical to Shinto devotees. The religion has no sacred texts, so it is only the worship of the kami that is relevant. The ritual is the most important aspect of Shinto; thus performing the ritual the right way is the most important part of worship in Shinto. The rituals serve to bind Japanese to their past as well; since the rituals themselves are sacred they do not change.
The other key element of Shinto is purification. Wiping clean restores the natural process, which is clean and beautiful, and free from pollution. For the Japanese, purity and religion are one and the same (Boyd & Williams, 1999).
Festivals are also important in Shinto. Adherents use festivals as a means to bring the community together. Festivals also become celebrations of ritual, or are held to ask the spirits for prosperity in a profession, or for a harvest.
Works Cited:
No author. (2009). Shinto at a glance. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved November 28, 2009 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/ataglance/glance.shtml
Boyd, J. & Williams, J. (1999). Artful means: An aesthetic view of Shinto purification rituals. Journal of Ritual Studies. Vol. 13, 1, 37-52.
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