Shinto Religion: Origins and Philosophy
1.Although the origins of Shinto1 can be traced to the pre-historic times, this uniquely Japanese religion did not have a historical founder, a fixed dogma, moral precepts, sacred writings, holy places for worship, or even a name during its early history. It emerged naturally within the historical development of an indigenous culture and in a relatively insulated environment of closely-located islands. Japan, however, could not remain isolated from foreign influence, especially that of its giant neighbor, China, which had a highly developed civilization. The relatively unsophisticated Shinto philosophy was soon confronted with the formidable Chinese doctrines of Confucianism, Taoism, and in particular, Buddhism2. Faced with the onslaught of the clearly advanced culture of the Chinese, the Japanese felt intimidated, but were equally determined to keep their separate identity marked by their own religion. Hence it was only in the late 6th century AD that the name "Sh
In the later Meiji period, the idea of the emperor's divinity was introduced in the schools as part of the country's educational curriculum and was deliberately promoted by its military rulers (Satoshi, et al. It explains, in part, the Kamikaze pilots' willingness to die and the Japanese soldiers' refusal to surrender towards the end of WWII when Japan faced certain defeat. Shinto, therefore, can be loosely defined as an amalgam of rituals (and to a lesser extent, beliefs) acquired by the Japanese over the centuries, which are primarily based on kami worship and a deep reverence for nature. For example, it was only in reaction to the sophistication of the Buddhism and its scriptures that the existing Japanese myths and legends were compiled into written record (Satoshi et al. Due to this rather nebulous nature of Shinto, it is sometimes categorized as merely a "cult" rather than a "religion" while others consider it as no more than a sophisticated form of animism3 or primal shamanism. Hence, human beings, birds, animals, trees, plants, mountains, oceans - all may be kami and according to Shinto tradition says there are eight million million kami4 in Japan ("What are Kami?" 2008). These 'foreign' forces also prompted the Japanese to define the Shinto religion in more concrete terms and helped to lift Shinto, from the level of an animistic cult to a proper religion. It enhanced a sense of Japanese nationalism which had religious connotations and inculcated the fanatical belief in the Japanese people about the rightness of their cause as they were led by a divine kami who would guide them to victory in war. In the Shinto religion, kami is a divine force or spirit that may be present in almost anything in nature-such as in elements of the landscape or forces of nature; it can even refer to beings or to a quality which beings possess. The Shinto philosophy also includes the idea that the sovereignty of the emperor is derived by divine right due to his descent from the Sun-deity, Amaterasu Omikami.
Common topics in this essay:
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