discussion
Jberm066 
Fisher_LR_10e_CH07_FINAL.pptxChapter 7
Shinto
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Living Religions
Tenth Edition
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Learning Objectives
7.1 Explain the importance of the natural world in the roots of “Shinto.”
7.2 Outline the elements of Confucianism and Buddhism that have been blended with Shinto.
7.3 Discuss the reasons why Shinto has been so closely tied to Japanese nationalism.
7.4 Define what is meant by “Sect Shinto” and give an example.
7.5 Summarize the main aspects of contemporary Shinto.
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Hitoshi Iwasaki Quote
“People come to shrines because these are sacred places from ancient times where people have come to pray. And other people want to go where people are gathered.”
Hitoshi Iwasaki
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Hitoshi Iwasaki, personal communication, April 1990.
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Shinto
“Shinto” refers to collection of local traditions.
Not a single self-conscious religion
A way of honoring spirits
Japanese religion combining practices
Confucian ethics
Buddhist and Christian understanding of afterlife
Traditional veneration of ancestors and spirits
Religious participation is high, but affiliation to institutional religions is low
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The roots of “Shinto” (1 of 2)
Why is kinship with nature linked with Shinto?
Shinto not easily identified as a religion
No single founder
No orthodox canon of sacred literature
No ethical requirements
Shinto = shin (divine being) + do (way)
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The roots of “Shinto” (2 of 2)
Kojiki (712 CE) and Nihongi (720 CE)
Major chronicles of Shintoism
Myths, historical facts, politics, and literature
Not sacred scriptures
Aimed at conferring spiritual legitimacy on Imperial Throne
Jimmu
First emperor and founder of dynasty
Descendent of goddess Amaterasu
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Kinship with nature
Environment is embodiment of divine
Life organized around honoring natural world
Honoring sun, moon, and lightning in rice cultivation
Mount Fuji: embodiment of divine creation
Threat of industrialization and urbanization
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Relationships with kami
kami: spirits perceived in the natural world
Translations of “god” or “spirit” not exact
“Kami” both singular and plural
A single essence manifesting in many places
Refers to a quality
Kojiki and Nihongi
Amatsu (heavenly) kami organized material world
Stirred the ocean to create Japanese islands
Created Amaterasu (the one who illuminates the sky), the goddess of the sun
kannagara: the way of nature of the kami, another name for Shinto
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Shrines (1 of 2)
No shrines in early Shinto
Buddhist influences in sixth century led to shrines
Inari
The kami of rice
Fox messengers
Hachiman, the kami of war
Ise Shrine
Complex with more than 100 shrines
Constructed in 690 CE
Main shrine to Amaterasu; contains the Sacred Mirror
Imperial family responsible for administration and rituals
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Shrines (2 of 2)
kamikaze: “divine wind,” an aspect of Amaterasu
torii: tall gate-frames
Shrines for public worship
Kami invited to dwell in an object
Shinto is strongly iconoclast (opposed to images of the divine)
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Ceremonies and festivals (1 of 2)
Priesthood traditionally hereditary
Clergy may be priestesses
Rites conducted with great care
Offering to kami made daily
Life-cycle festivals
4 months before birth
32 or 33 days after birth: initiation by the deity
Coming of age: 13 years old
Arranging a woman’s hair: 16 years old
Marriage
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Ceremonies and festivals (2 of 2)
Seasonal festivals
Local kami shrines
New Year
House cleaning
December 31: national day of purification
January 1: watch sunrise, visit friends and family
End of winter (February 3): one throws beans for good fortune
Spring festival (March to April): purification for planting season
June: rites to protect crops
Fall: thanksgiving for harvest
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Purification
Ritual impurity obscures original pristine nature.
Impurity offends kami.
tsumi: the quality of impurity or misfortune
People can be purified through spontaneous movement.
oharai: purification ceremony in which Shinto priests wave branch of sacred sakaki tree
When entering a Shinto shrine, people wash their hands and faces and rinse their mouths.
Water is used for purification in ascetic practices, such as misogi.
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13
Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian influences (1 of 2)
What elements of Confucianism and Buddhism have influenced Shinto?
Buddhism introduced into Japan in sixth century
Confucian ideals embedded in Japanese ethics
Confucianism used by government to control people in Edo period (1603–1868)
Buddhism and Shinto merged in Heian period (794–1192)
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Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian influences (2 of 2)
In Kamakura period (1192–1333), Buddhas and bodhisattvas promoted as manifestations of kami
Meiji Period (1868–1912): Shinto nationalist revival
Today, Buddhism practiced alongside Shinto
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State Shinto
Why has Shinto been so closely tied to Japanese nationalism?
Meiji regime: Shinto was basis of government
Since the seventh century, emperor viewed as offspring of Amaterasu
Members of imperial family visited Ise Shrine
Consulted spirits on matters of importance
“State Shinto” administered by government officials, not priests
Nationalists idealized Japan’s ancient “Shinto” past
Japan projected as a large family with emperor as father
Emperor Hirohito (1901–1989): renounced divine status
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“Sect Shinto”
What is “Sect Shinto”?
In rural areas, female shamans fell into trances; kami spoke through them
Oomoto: New movement
Revelations given to Madam Nao Deguchi, an illiterate widow possessed by a kami
Attracted 9 million followers during Meiji regime
New god, “the Great Source”
Today: universalist approach, recognizing founders of other religions as kami
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Shinto today (1 of 2)
What rituals and ceremonies are practiced in contemporary Shinto?
Shinto commonly practiced in Hawai’i and Brazil
Threats to institutionalized Shinto
Reaction to World War II
Elimination of imperial mythology
Desire for modernization
Shinto symbolism of Japanese flag
Shinto shrines
80 million visitors at New Year
More visitors are tourists than believers
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Shinto today (2 of 2)
Codified in the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE)
Disasters of 2011 caused citizens to urge for more respect for nature
Sumo wrestling: many Shinto elements
Yasukuni Shrine: controversy over honoring war criminals
Shinto shrines: Brazil, Canada, France, North and South Korean, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and the United States
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