Japan Winterim 2015: Shinto: Japan's Leading Ideology

Shinto is Japan’s resident “religion”. I use this term loosely, though, because Shinto does not follow the Western definition of a religion. John K. Nelson, author of A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine, describes Shinto as “inseparable from daily life”, so it refers most directly to everyday practices, rather than mostly about the belief in a higher power (Nelson 9). People term Shinto as based more on “practice” rather than “belief”. Shinto is also a local religion in that people mostly worship local deities, rather than one universal deity. Shinto is basically the unofficial religion of Japan without religion absolutes like a single higher being or moral absolutes.

Shinto followers worship kami, which are most directly translated as being spirits. Kami specifically means “that which is hidden”, so kami help make objects or beings into what they are spiritually, rather than materially. There are about 8 million kami in Japan, and kami are thought to have two sides: malevolent and benevolent. Many rituals attempt to bring this duality into balance. Nelson describes kami as a “higher manifestation of life energy”. Kami are closely related to human beings and can respond to their prayers. They are not perfect, omnipotent, or inherently different from human beings themselves. There are three types of kami: Ujigami (ancestors of the clans), Kami of natural objects and creatures, and the souls of dead human beings worthy of being kami. In shrines, the presence of a kami is represented by a Shintai, which either a man-made or natural object of significance.

Each Shinto shrine is a sacred place where kami live. There are no pictures or statues of kami, but there are often animals that serve the kami, like foxes or horses. Each shrine has spiritual value as Nelson describes when he says, “Most shrines in Japan trace their origins back to either a mythological or semi-historical event…as acknowledgement of the sacred essence of a place…” (14). Most shrines are considered the “spiritual home” for people. That being said, there are usually small shrines in Japanese homes for daily worship. A shrine’s entrance is marked by a Torii, which signifies the separation between the secular and spiritual worlds. On the Torii is often a Shimenewa, which is a rope made of twisted straw that signifies the sacred nature of the shrine. At the entrance of the main building of a shrine are Komainu, which are usually a pair of dogs or lions who keep away evil spirits. It is believed by the Japanese that people cannot enter a shrine impure, so there is a Temizuya just inside the entrance of a shrine. This is a place for purification where people perform mesoji, which is where they wash their hands and faces so that they are able to worship in the shrine.

When performing mesoji, a specific order of events is necessary. First, people must scoop water with the right hand and pour it over the left. Then, use the left hand to pour water on the right. Next, take some water with the left hand that is scooped from a ladle to rinse the mouth. Finally, tip the ladle to rinse it off. There are also specific steps to take when praying to the kami. First, it is custom to throw a coin into the offering box as an offering to the kami. Then, if there is a bell, ring it to greet the kami. Next, clap your hands twice to express your joy at meeting the kami and respect for the kami. With your hands together, express your feelings of gratitude in your mind without speaking. Finally, bow once more. The amount of bows may be different depending on the shrine.

The shrines we will visit on our trip are:

Asakusa Shrine in Tokyo: