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Discover the essence of Shintō, a Japanese religiosity with customs like New Year shrine visits, kami worship, and State Shintō history before it was abolished post-WWII. Learn about kami, kami manifestations, and the integration with Buddhism. Explore the evolution from customary observances to state rituals, and how modern Shintō organizations emerged.
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Japanese Religiosity • Customary Shintō observances include • New Year’s shrine visit • Blessing of infants at shrine • Coming-of-age visit
What is Shintō? • No scriptures, explicit doctrines, or regular assemblies • It concerns practices and implied beliefs involving deities called kami • No distinction made between Buddhas and kami (Japanese deities) • Features a strong concern with purification
What are kami? • Deities, or gods, with a small “g” • Manifestations of natural phenomena • The kamikaze • Manifestations of clan patriarchs or revered figures • Newborn visit to shrine marks addition to household • The case of Tenjin • The boundary between people and kami is low and permeable
Modern Shintō—State Shintō • Kami worship on a national level • Focused on the emperor rather than local deities • Emperor as decendant of the sun deity • Amaterasu, enshrinedat Ise shrine • National system of shrines • Clan deities subject tothe emperor
State Shintō • Buddhist temples severed from Shintō shrines • Repression of Buddhism (1870s) • Origins of State Shintō • “National Learning” (mid 1700s) • Abolished after WWII • Yasukuni Shrine—a remnant of State Shintō
Shintō before the Modern Era • Before the 1700s, Shintō did not exist as an explicit system • There has never been an expression of Shintō independent of Buddhism • The word rarely appears in historical records; sometimes meant • Simply kami • Spirits, in a Daoist sense
Summary • Shrines, like temples are places people go to have needs met • Shrines are visited on special occasions and are sites of annual festivals • State Shintō in the modern era gave rise to modern Shintō organizations • Shintō as a distinct, clearly defined entity did not exist before the modern era • Jingi sūhai (paying respects at the shrine)
