Shintoism

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Shintoism 神道 しんとう



"Shin" means kami, which are gods or spirits "Tou" means a study or philosophical path Shinto means "the way of the gods" Shintoism is usually looked at as a spirituality of Japan (a way of life), not as a religion Shintoism was first practiced in the 7th and 8th centuries, but was not classified as a "Shinto religion" Believers show their beliefs through a standard language and practice, and they have a similar style of dress and ritual There are currently 119 million known official people in Japan who practice Shintoism Most people who practice Shinto rituals, also practice Buddhism Most life events are handled by Shinto, as in a celebration of birth or a marriage When a child is born, Shinto shrines add the childs name to a list and the chilld is called a family child (ujiko) 氏子　うじこ After death of the ujiko, the person is now called a family kami, or ujigami 氏神　うじがみ Most afterlife events are handled by Buddhism, like a funeral for a deceased person Shintoism has no founder nor any scriptures (eg. The Bible, The Qur'an) The main purpose of Shintoism is to connect present Japan to Ancient Japan Rarely practiced out of Japan

=Practices and Beliefs of Shintoism=

The following are some major practices and/or beliefs of Shintoism.


 * Kami
 * Ritual Purity
 * Polytheism
 * Animism
 * Japanese Festivals
 * Mythology
 * Shinto Shrines

Kami 神　かみ
Kami is a Japanese word meaning spirits, or essence. Kami can also be used for god or deity. Kami can be found in rocks, water, mountains, and even phenomenons (earthquakes, tsunamis etc.). In Shintoism, kami are the central objects of worship. Traditionally, kami possess two souls, one gentle and the other one being assertive. Most Kami are relatively good, but there are some bad kami out there. There is no main God, but many gods, although the Sun Goddess, is one of the most important god/goddess in Shinto. Since the 6th century up untill WWII, it was believed that the emporor of Japan was a descendent of a kami.

Ritual Purity
Many religions including have some form of ritual purity or ritual purification. The purpose of these rituals is to remove all kinds of uncleanliness prior to an activity, or the worship of a deity or God. Water and salt are most commonly used to cleanse your body and mind. In Shintoism, the most common form of ritual purity is
 * Misogi** 禊　みそぎ. During misogi, men and women are wash their hands and mouth at the entrance to a Shinto shrine, and may be put under running water, or more commonly a waterfall. When they do this, they are not naked as men wear a Japanese loincloth and women wear a kimono, and both wear a headband. But before they go through misogi, men and women usually go through some kind of purification beforehand, as in fasting or a prayer.

Polytheism
People who practice Shintoism also believe in polytheism. Polytheism is the belief of many deities, or gods. Usually, each different god has their own ritual and mythology. With polytheism, some gods are looked at as more important than an other god.

Animism
Animism is a religious or spiritual belief that spirits don't exist in just humans, but in other things like animals, plants, rocks, natural phenomena (eg. thunder), and geographic features (eg. mountains, rivers).

Japanese Festivals
Japanese people who practice Shintoism also participate in Japanese festivals **Matsuri** 祭　まつり which are traditional festive occasions celebrated by the people of Japan. These festivals often include a visit to a Shinto shrine, where people may perform rituals. The most important festival in Shinto is **Oshougatsu** 正月 おしょうがつ, or New Year's. During New Year's, most people visit a shrine to pay their respects to a kami and wish for good fortune.

Mythology
Japanese mythology is a set of beliefs that includes both Shinto and Buddhist traditions and agriculture-based folk religion.

Shinto Shrines
People of Japan who take part in the practice of Shintoism visit a Shinto Shrine. A Shinto shrines main purpose is to enshrine one or more kami (spirit). A gate to the entrance of a Shinto Shrine is called a **Torii** 鳥居 とりい. Believers respect animals as messengers of kami, and so a pair of dogs face eachother on the temple grounds. These dogs are called **Komainu** 狛犬 こまいぬ. A Shinto shrine is where most people do there worships, however, some people worship at their own home, to a small home shrine called a **Kamidana** 神棚 かみだな. The most sacred building at a Shinto shrine where the enshrined kami are kept is called a **Honden** 本殿　ほんでん　or a [|How to enter a Shinto shrine]
 * Shinden** 神殿　しんでん. These shrines are generally open to the public, and you do not have to practice in Shintoism to enter one. People do not visit these shrines on any given day of the week, but rather when they need something from the kami or during a festival. There is an approximate of 100,000 Shinto shrines in Japan.

**Yasukuni Shrine** 靖国神社 　(やすくに じんじゃ　peaceful country shrine)
One of the most important shrines in Japan, this shrine is located in Toukyou, Japan. It's purpose it to show respect towards the kami of 2.5 million soldiers who died fighting for the emperor of Japan.

**Itsukushima Shrine** 厳島神社 (いつくしま じんじゃ)
This Shinto shrine is a very important shrine to the Shinto religion/spirituality as it is dedicated to some of the most important kami. The island the shrine was located on was said to be sacred, there for the Torii was built in the water so that commoners couldn't walk to it. =Important Kami=

As you know, kami are very important figures in Shintoism.

These are some of the most important kami.


 * Amaterasu Omikami
 * Sarutahiko Okami
 * Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto
 * Inari Okami
 * Izanagi-no-Mikoto
 * Izanami-no-Mikoto
 * Susanoo-no-Mikoto
 * Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto

Amaterasu Omikami **天照大御神 あまてらす　おみかみ**
Amaterasu is a sun goddess and one of the most important deity of Shintoism. Her name means "the great august kami who shines in the heaven"

Sarutahiko Okami 猿田彦大神　さるたひこ　おおかみ
Sarutahiko is a powerful guardian kami who is enshrined at Tsubaki Grand Shine. He is pictured as a big man with a large beard, jeweled spear, ruddy face, and long nose. Sarutahiko is seen as a symbol of strength and guidance, which is why he is a patron of the martial art aikido.

Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto **天宇受売命 ** あめの　うずめの　みこと
Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto is the goddess of dawn in Shintoism. She is sometimes referred to as Ama-no-Uzume.

In**ari Okami 稲荷 いなり　おおかみ**
Inari Okami is the Japanese deity of fertility, rice, agriculture, foxes, industry, and worldly success. Inari Okami is androgynous, meaning both male and female. Sometimes the kami is seen as 3 or 5 individual kami. Inari has been worshiped since 711 AD.

Izanagi-no-Mikoto イザナギ
Izanagi is a deity of Shintoism who was born of the seven divine generations. His wife is Izanmi-no-Mikoto, another diety of Shintoism. His name means "he who invites". Izanagi spawned three deities when he washed his face clean of the pollutants of the underworld (Yomi よみ). Amaterasu (goddess of the sun) was born when he washed his left eye, Tsukuyomi (god of the moon) was born when he washed his right eye, and Susanoo (god of the sea and storms) was born when he washed his nose.

Izanami-no-Mikoto イザナミ
Izanami is a deity of creation and death, and the former husband of Izanagi. Her name means "she who invites". Both Izanagi and Izanami were summoned by the first gods, and the gods charged them with creating the first land. For this, they were given a spear decorated in jewels. The two then went to the bridge between heaven and Earth, and churned the sea below with the spear. When salty drops of water dropped from the spear, an island was created. They went down to the island and made their home there.

Susanoo-no-Mikoto スサノオ
Susanoo is the Shinto deity of the sea and storms. Susanoo is the brother of amaterasu (deity of the sun), and tsukuyomi (deity of the moon). Susanoo is enshrined at Kumano Taisha in Shimane.

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto ツクヨミ
Tsukuyomi is the god of the moon. His name is a combination of two words, tsuki つき　meaning the moon or month, and yomu よむ　meaning to count or to read. Tsukuyomi was the second of the three "noble children", the other two being Amaterasu and Susanoo.