Shintoism Essay

Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Atheism, just to name a few, are a collection of major world religions that are practiced in various regions around the globe. Each one, has their own history of origins, belief systems, and influence on society in the past to the present. Among these popular world religions is Shintoism, the indigenous religion of Japan. The roots of the word Shinto means “way of the kami” (WRP, 1) and is also defined as “kannagara no michi”, literally meaning “the way of the deities” (Yale, 1). No matter how it is defined, Shintoism is essentially a religion that focuses on the relationship between humans and the beauty of the natural world. Today, Shinto beliefs, folklore and myths, and religious practices continue to influence

The early beliefs of Shintoism centralized on the existence and power of the kami. The kami were thought to be gods, that existed in the world, in nature, and especially in and throughout Japan (Britannica, 2). The kami reveals what is called makoto, which means "sincerity" and it guides followers to live in accordance with it as the basis of Shinto ethics. Shintoism emphasizes that virtue is inseparable from the rest of life, especially life lived in harmony with the natural world influenced by kami (WRP,1). As a result, followers believed that these deities existed in nature ruling the seas or mountains

Within what is considered Japanese cartoons and comics, artists include main characters that are often shown visiting or praying at a Shinto shrine. In addition, priestly characters such as monks and “mikos” or just ordinary characters that routinely pause to engage in a religious practice are regularly included in the cast. And yet, these religious elements are not obvious to those who do not follow Shintoism because it is a religion centralizing around the spirit of the being in connection to the outer world. Consequently, it is different from what Americans typically is associated with a religion because they might hold an ethnocentric view of what is normal of relgin and what is not. Therefore, it is harder for those who are not familiar to not only recognize the cues, but also identify the references they make about Shinto; nevertheless, they are there!