What is Shintō?
Shintō, meaning “way of the gods”, is the native religion of Japan. There aren’t any official scriptures or texts for Shintō, unlike Christianity’s Bible or Islam’s Quran. Rather than texts, it is nature and its relation with humans that make up the core ideals of Shintō. Shintō is a polytheistic religion. These gods, or more accurately, “divine spirits” are called kami. The kami exist throughout all of nature and are found in the rivers, trees, and mountains. Japan is famous for its beautiful, intricate, and plentiful shrines. People use these shrines to pray, communicate, worship and give thanks to the Kami. The shrines are especially popular during festivals throughout the year and during certain rites of passage. For example, some rites of passage include a newborn’s first visit to a shrine or Coming of Age Day (a holiday to congratulate those who have reached 20 years old).
History
While the origin date of Shintō is not clear, according to Picken, Stuart D. B, author of “Essentials of Shinto : an analytical guide to principal teachings”, the first recorded usage of the name Shintō was in the late 6th century AD. Around the same time, Buddhism was introduced to Japan and was partially integrated into Shintōism. Since they didn’t contradict each other, the two religions grew together in Japan. In 625 AD, the first shrine to Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, was built and is considered one of Shintō’s holiest places to this day.
By 1868, Emperor Meji, made plans to modernize Japan. Known as the Meji Restoration, he decreed that Shintōism must be separate from Buddhism and created State Shintō. Then, in 1869, the Department of Divinities was reinstated for two main reasons, 1) to ensure that State Shintō’s sovereignty was enforced, and 2) to help oversee the clergy. By the end of World War II in 1945, American forces temporarily occupied Japan, and State Shintō came to an end. This was done in part to reduce nationalism. Therefore, the religion was temporarily banned.
Is Shintō still practiced today?
Yes, Shintō is still practiced in Japan today. Many people still visit a shrine at least once a year and participate in rites of passage and other festivals. While many Japanese do participate in traditions, such as visiting shrines on New Year’s Eve, not everyone would identify that they follow Shintōism. The festival/special occasion shrine visits are popular because they became traditions that Japanese people grew up with. They visited shrines with their families when they were younger, and now it’s a familiar practice. The main point is that many Japanese people are not going because they feel spiritually inclined to do so. In fact, according to a survey done by the NHK (Japan’s national broadcasting organization) in 2008, less than 40% of Japanese identify with any organized religion. So, while many Japanese don’t technically believe, Shintō traditions are still practiced and heavily incorporated into Japanese culture.
