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Shinto
Shinto comes from the Chinese words ‘shin
tao’ meaning ‘the way of the gods’ and is
an ancient Japanese religion dating back to 500 BCE or earlier.
Originally, it was a mélange of animism, shamanism with
a focus on fertility, nature deification, divination, hero
and fertility worship.
Shinto was quickly established as the
official religion of Japan by the imperial family, who were
considered divine in
their own right. Politics and religion were effectively intertwined
until immediately after World War II when the Emperor was
forced to deny his divinity by the Allies.
Shinto is unique
in that it has no founder, no written scriptures or religious
laws, no prophet. Its priesthood has very few
strictures as well. But there is in Shinto, ‘Four Affirmations’.
These are:
- Family and tradition. The family is
where tradition is safeguarded. Celebrations are for birth
and marriage.
- Nature worship. Nature is sacred, so to commune
with nature is to commune with the gods. Things found in
nature
are considered deities.
- Physical cleanliness. Baths, hand washing,
and mouth rinsing are practiced often.
- ‘Matsuri’. Kami and ancestral spirits are sacred
and worshiped.
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