Shinto is the native religion of the indigenous people of Japan which worships kami, or nature spirit gods. There are local kami of specific places and also major kami, such as the sun goddess. The word Shinto means the Way of the Divine or the Path of Kami. Most Shinto practices are no longer taught, though some remain as part of Japanese culture. Some consider it to be a sophisticated form of animism, and is regarded as a primal religion, but it is also strongly influential on the mindset of the modern Japanese. There is little emphasis on the afterlife, and there is no specific dogma or set of prayers, and no holiest person or place. Shinto is more a collection of rituals and ideas that help relate people to the kami.
Shinto was established in the later Jomon period, through the combining of many tribe religions. In the fifth century the introduction of writing had a huge impact on the direction of Shinto as it became unified through the collection of written myths that was meant to impress the Chinese with how sophisticated Japanese culture was. These narratives were also intended to validate the Imperial house, showing its lineage back to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, as other ethnic groups were warring against the Shinto and not accepting the Imperial House's rule.
Eventually, Shinto was made the official religion of Japan in hopes of unifying the country, and combining it with Buddhist beliefs was outlawed. Shinto beliefs spread to territories like Hokkaido and Korea. After World War II, it was no longer the state religion because the Emperor no longer claimed to be the living god. Shinto has remained, but without the same focus on mythology or divine Imperial family, and more focus on helping ordinary people have good relations with their ancestors. There are far less people that identify as Shinto today officially, but many offshoot religions in Japan remain highly influenced by Shinto.
. The Dao is the source of all power which embodies all beings and encompasses both the yin and the yang. Remarkable quiet and serene, the Dao is rarely detected by humans, but provides invulnerability to those who posses it. Dao philosophy calls for its followers to refrain from certain foods and sexual activity, and also separates the role of the state from the lives of its citizens. The great philosopher
As a consequence, the society provides a culturally acceptable outlet for such expression, i.e., while under the influence of alcohol during a Shinto festival procession (also known as Japanese matsuri). During these public processions, which are generally held on annual basis, a large object (supposedly containing the spirit of a local deity) is carried shoulder-high through the streets, in order to revitalize the community with its supernatural presence. The bearers
Religion in Tokyo in the 18th and Early 19th Centuries Religion plays an important part in the lives of everyone. It is especially important in the various stages of life such as births, weddings, and funerals. It also plays an important role in the lives of many people on a daily basis. In Tokyo today, there are four major religions: Shinto, Buddhism, Christianity, and another group comprised of various new religions.
At the church I visited, many of the parents had returned to regular church-going for the sake of their children, because they wanted their children to have a spiritual foundation. However, the manifestation of their spirituality was social, not simply individual. Many of the children were part of a youth group, and knew one another as friends. They went on retreats together, bonded at prayer meetings, as well as talked
The Japanese myth partly resembles that of Adam and Eve present in the Bible and in the Quran. However, the first beings in Japan are considered to hold much more power than their equivalents in the west. Another resemblance between the Japanese legends and those in the west is the fact that the kami are considered to live in the high planes of Takamagahara, somewhat resembling mount Olympus, from Greek
...social conditioning was effected in such a way, that any thing that was considered primal, pagan, or unchristian, was frowned upon... [leading to] persecution of the Druids, Witches, Gypsy, and Jewish cultures that still continues today." Curiously, it may be that very historical hostility towards the primal which has corroded the power of Catholic sacred music and turned new catholics and protestants alike against it. In the Jewish ritual, music of
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