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Introduction to Shinto Beliefs

Shintoism is the indigenous religion of Japan that believes spiritual powers exist in nature. Followers worship at shrines located in natural settings and marked by a torii arch. Inside the shrine's inner hall, which only priests enter, offerings are made to summon kami spirits like Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and Inari, the rice producer. Worship also occurs in homes with offerings to family ancestors on a god shelf.

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LEA MAXINE MANAIZ
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143 views1 page

Introduction to Shinto Beliefs

Shintoism is the indigenous religion of Japan that believes spiritual powers exist in nature. Followers worship at shrines located in natural settings and marked by a torii arch. Inside the shrine's inner hall, which only priests enter, offerings are made to summon kami spirits like Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and Inari, the rice producer. Worship also occurs in homes with offerings to family ancestors on a god shelf.

Uploaded by

LEA MAXINE MANAIZ
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

What is Shintoism?

-Shinto or (the way of the gods) is the indigenous faith of the Japanese people and as old as Japan itself.
It remains Japan's major religion alongside Buddhism.

Shinto does not have a founder, nor does it have sacred scriptures like the sutras or the Bible.
Propaganda and preaching are not common either, because Shinto is deeply rooted in the Japanese
people and traditions. It started at least as long ago as 1000 B.C.E. but is still practiced today by at least
five million people. The followers of Shintoism believe that spiritual powers exist in the natural world.
They believe that spirits called "kami" live in natural places such as in animals, plants, stones, mountains,
rivers, people and even the dead.

Where do Shinto followers’ worship?


Shinto places of worship are called shrines and are usually found in beautiful natural settings. The shrine
contains an Inner Hall which is only entered by Shinto priests since it is believed kami are present. Shinto
priests can be either male or female. Purity is important to Shinto followers and therefore they rinse
their mouths and wash their hands and hang up wooden tablets with prayers on them before entering
the prayer hall. Once inside, the kami is summoned with a bell and offered rice or money. After which
the worshiper bows twice and claps twice to welcome the kami then bows again.

Shinto shrines are marked by a special archway called a torii. This archway is believed to separate the
sacred world of the shrine from the world outside. There are about 80,000 shrines all over Japan. Each
shrine has a yearly festival in which people pay their respects to the kami and celebrate with food and
drink.

Worship also happens in homes and at work through simple offerings of rice and tea and prayers. The
rice and tea are placed on a special shelf called a "god shelf”. Prayers are often addressed to the family
ancestors.

Who is the kami?


The kami’s name is Amaterasu, the sun goddess. She is believed to be the ancestor to the emperors of
Japan. Her shrine is at Ise and is the most important shrine in Japan. Inari, the rice producer, is also an
important kami since rice is such an important food in Japan.

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