Shinto

1. Shinto Current Status as a world religion

3. Shinto • Shinto is an ancient, polytheistic Japanese religion. • The name Shinto comes from the Chinese word “shen” meaning divine and “tao” meaning way. • Shinto followers believe in many deities called kami. • Shinto has religious leaders called shamans who ensure rituals are carried out correctly • Shinto followers try to be of service(matsumi) to the kami • Shinto teaches animism-that kind, intelligent spirits dwell in all living things.

4. World Religions • There are many long-established world religions with a huge number of followers belonging to each one. • The five major world religions are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. • Shintoism is considered a world religion although not one of the five major world religions

6. Shinto as a World Religion • Shinto used to be the national religion of Japan but was replaced by Buddhism as the dominant religion. • Shinto is now practised by many Japanese as a folk religion, often alongside Buddhism. • It is now often seen as more part of the cultural identity of Japan than a major religion.

7. Shinto as a World Religion • Shinto became the state religion of Japan once again in 1868 in an attempt to remove Buddhist influences from Shinto but Shinto lost its status as the state religion of Japan in 1945. • State Shinto was used to promote Japanese superiority. • Shinto is different from the major world religions in that it has no single founder and no sacred text. • There are many different forms of Shinto.

8. Shinto as a World Religion • Shinto (alongside Buddhism) remains Japan’s major religion. • There are around 2.9 million Shinto followers today. • Many Japanese have Shinto shrines in their homes. • Shinto involves many rituals, many of which focus on purification.