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Similarities between Shintoism and other religions
Similarities of shintoism and the Japanese
Similarities of shintoism and the Japanese
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The religion of the Japanese people is called Shinto. Shinto translates to Way of the Spirits. Some say that it is more than a religion, it is a way of life for the Japanese people. It is closely paralleled by the Japanese cultures and way of life (Hirai, 2007). Shinto has been a way of practicing faith and living a pure life in Japan for over 2,000 years. Shinto is in every aspect of the Japanese life. For example: ethics, politics, social structure, artistic life, sporting life, and of course spiritual life (Religion, 2017). Nowadays, the people of Japan mix some Shinto and Buddhism in their lives as far as their spiritual beings are concerned. Shinto is a very free religion. There is no God, no commandments, no founder, and no scriptures. Rather than worshiping a God, Shinto followers worship kami, or spiritual energy (Hansen 2007). …show more content…
Being primarily animistic, Shinto has no real founder or any written scriptures. The Shinto religion has many temples, but people do not visit them like Christians go to church. It is a religion that is based on humans being good in nature (Shinto,
Kasulis starts by comparing Shinto thought to non-Shinto ideas to lay a backbone for the rest of his analysis of this ancient Japanese religion. Once the backbone is complete he begins to discuss the connection between Japanese culture and Shinto practice by explaining many modern Japanese traditions and Shinto beliefs. Kasulis spend most of the work to bring the history of Shintoism in Japan from prehistory to 2002 as well as the mixture of Shintoism and Buddhism that eventually led to an imperialistic point of view after they were separated. He concludes this source by discussing the extenuating circumstances that led to the Yasakuni shrine controversy.
Shinto is the traditional religion of Japan. It means “the way of the kami”. Shintoism is mainly focused on beliefs in, and worships of Kami. Kami are spiritual or divine beings. They are sometimes referred to as the ‘gods’ in Shinto. But rather than the powerful and supernatural beings seen in Western religion, Kami is more like a mystical and sacred spirit that exist in the creative forces of nature. Shintoism follows the belief of animism, which is the belief that natural, material objects possess souls. These sacred spirits, called Kami are able to take the form of different things in nature. Kami not only exists as spiritual beings, but also takes the form of plants and animals, mountains and seas, and all natural phenomena.
Shintoism has no founder ,and the history behind the technicalities of the rise of Shinto are rather obscure. Experts don't agree as to when Shinto became a unified religion more than just a label to give to the different faiths of Japan. Before the arrival of Buddhism, Shinto referred to the many local cults of the prehistoric Japanese people. These people were animists; devoted to the worship of nature and spirits. These spirits were the Kami; found in living things, nonliving things and natural phenomena. The early Japanese created a spiritual world—and rituals and stories to accompany it—that seemingly gave them control of their lives. It wasn't considered a religion at those times, early Japanese people regarded their faith as a commonality as a part of the natural world. The realms of Earth and the supernatural were closely integrated into each other for them. (“Religions”)
Shinto is an “…indigenous religion of the Yamato Japanese.” (School Text. 265) It was first established during the time of Yayoi culture. This has been shown to be true by the various archeological discoveries made that “ritual sites from the Yayoi period leave little doubt that during this period, people believed
The samurai were mostly comprised of Shinto. This belief system helped structure the bushido code which essentially is the samurai code of honor, belief and morality. Samurai practice Shintoism in a highly ritualistic setting. The pantheon of Shintoism was full of gods and goddesses that lived in a variety of places such as forests, the air or even bodies of water. While there were many gods and goddesses none of them were considered omnipotent. The abilities of these beings could only be harnessed through a spiritual priest who knew the proper rituals and practices. Shinto was essentially what drove the samurai to fight and protect their homeland and practice their strong tradition.
Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan. Founded in 660 B.C., it traces back to the very first people to settle in Japan. Shinto focuses on ancestral worship and is deeply immersed in Japanese culture. Even though it is as ancient as Japan itself, Shinto is still very widely practiced by Japanese people today. However, over the years, it gained some influence from Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Over 50 percent of the Japanese population still practice Shinto.
Japan having their own belief, which has survived since the birth of japan itself, found it easy to adopt the teachings of Buddhism. This is one of the best examples and longstanding of Buddhist syncretism. BBC gives a brief description of the Shinto belief and practice, “The essence of Shinto is the Japanese devotion to invisible spiritual beings and powers called kami, to shrines, and to various rituals.” Shinto was really able to adapt Buddhism due to Shinto’s un-cemented or uninterested concern for explaining the world and themselves in relation to creation. Devoting oneself to communicating to Kami or spirits doesn’t take focus for worship. The Japanese found Buddhism as an addition to their belief system instead of a separate
Shinto has long been a life of Japan’s culture. As long as Japanese culture exists, Shinto will continue to be a meaningful part of it. The religion bases itself on the basic goodness of human nature and of the world. It is apparent that it will continue to do so through the ways of its ethical principles of worship and of the
Many religions are popular within the Japanese culture. Two of the most influential religions, Shinto and Buddhism that help shaped a lot of Japanese values are Shinto and Buddhism, played a large role in shaping Japanese values. Numerous similarities and differences run between these two religions; nonetheless, the Japanese often believe in more than one religion at the same time. This is possible due to the polytheistic nature of most popular religions in Japan. It is not hard to say that religion is a big part of Japanese culture because a lot of religious beliefs can still be seen in their everyday lives.
The Japanese were strongly influenced by a belief in ghosts, demons and supernatural spirits. The roots of Japanese mythology come from their Shinto Religion, in Taoism and in Zen Buddhism. The main religion in Japan is Shinto, and the Shinto religion’s gods and spirits make up most of Japanese myt...
Religions come in all shapes and size, start in a variety of different ways. The world is covered in different religions, some vastly different from others. One of these religions is Shinto. Of all the religions Shinto is unique. In fact, Shinto is considered by some to be more than a religion, to them it’s the Japanese way of life.
Shintoism began in 550 A.D. It is an ancient Japanese tradition. Shinto does not have a true founder like the Buddha, Jesus or Muhammad. Also, it has no sacred texts that it refers to. Shinto was not recognized as a religion until the 12 century. It started out more as a philosophy. (World Religions Online) Shinto literally means “the way of the Kami” (Student Resources in Context) or “the way of the Gods”. They believe that all natural things have their own spirituality. They also believe the spiritual powers exist in the natural world. Kami can be found in many natural places for example, animals, mountains, plants, etc. (URI Kids) Although you are able to practice Shintoism, it is not considered evangelical. The Japanese used Shintoism to bring the nation together to help get support for their emperor. Shinto has created many themes for the Japanese people to follow, for instance, creating harmony among the Kami, having a strong relationship with family, love, and reverence for the natural artifacts and processes. (BBC-Religions)
Japan is a large island off to the east of China it is a great country that has a rich culture. The Japanese religion is based off of two main beliefs, the belief in Shinto and Buddhism many Japanese people believe consider themselves both. The Japanese people were known to be around as early as 4,500 B.C. They have constructed their government style to a constitutional monarchy where they do in fact have an emperor, but he has limited power within the country. The main power of the country is held by the Prime Minister of Japan. Japan is made up of many islands that extend along the Pacific coast of Asia. The land area is made up of a lot of forest and mountainous area that cannot be used for agricultural, industrial or residential use. Japan also has one of the largest and growing economies in the world. They are growing every day and it is all because the people of Japan work very hard in order for their economy to flourish as it has.
The Shinto religion is an extremely important aspect of the Japanese culture and for many, a way of life. Shinto is the indigenous faith of the Japanese people and is Japan’s oldest religion. It incorporates the ways of ancient Japan with the practices of modern Japanese society. The values and customs of the Shinto religion are connected to those from the Japanese culture. Because ritual rather than belief is the main focus of Shinto, Japanese people do not usually think of Shinto as just a religion, it is more of an aspect of Japanese life.
Shinto, the indigenous religion of Japan, survives even to this day and lies at the basis of Japanese society. Shinto played and continues to play not only an enormous role in general Japanese society, but also regarding the roles of women both in general society and the society within traditional Shintoism.