shintoism

SHINTOISMGroup 3

Shintoism or Zen Buddhism by Group 3. Social Science Report 1

Shintoism or Zen Buddhism by Group 3. Social Science Report

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What is Shintoism?

Shinto (神道 Shinto) or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people.


3 Shinto practices were first recorded and

codified in the written historical records of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in the 8th century. Still, these earliest Japanese writings do not refer to a unified "Shinto religion", but rather to disorganized folklore, history, and mythology. Shinto today is a term that applies to public shrines suited to various purposes such as war memorials, harvest festivals, romance, and historical monuments, as well as various sectarian organizations.


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The word Shinto ("Way of the Gods") was adopted from the written Chinese combining two kanji "shin“ meaning kami; and "to, "or "do" meaning a philosophical path or study (originally from the Chinese word “Tao”) Kami are defined in English as "spirits", "essences" or "deities", that are associated with many understood formats; in some cases being human-like, in others being animistic, and others being associated with more abstract "natural" forces in the world (mountains, rivers, lightning, wind, waves, trees, rocks). Kami and people are not separate; they exist within the same world and share its interrelated complexity


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Next!

Shintoism or Zen Buddhism by Group 3. Social Science Report 6

PRACTICESGroup 3 (Shintoism)


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Practices: OmairiVisiting a Shrine. Any person can visit a

shrine and do not need to be Shinto to do this. Typically, there are three steps to follow when visiting a shrine:

1. Approach the entrance and bow respectfully before entering.

2. Perform Temizu: Wash your left hand, then the right, then rinse your mouth, and if necessary, your feet.

3. Approach the shrine.


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Practices: Harai (or Harae)

The rite of ritual purification, usually done daily at a shrine and is a ceremony of offerings and prayers of several forms. Shinsen (food offerings of fruit, fish, vegetables), Tamagushi (Sakaki Tree Branches), Shio (salt), Gohan (rice), Mochi (rice paste), and Sake (rice wine) are all typical offerings. On holidays and other special occasions the inner shrine doors may be opened and special offerings made.

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Pictures of Harai Offerings



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Practices: Misogi Harai (Water Purification)

Also known as: Misogi ShuhoThe practice of purification by ritual use of

water while reciting prayers is typically done daily by regular practitioners, and when possible by lay practitioners. There is a defined set of prayers and physical activities that precede and occur during the ritual. This will usually be performed at a shrine, in a natural setting, but can be done anywhere there is clean running water.


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Practices: Imi

Another form of ritual cleanliness is avoidance, which means that a taboo is placed upon certain persons or acts. To illustrate, one would not visit a shrine if a close relative in the household had died recently. Killing is generally unclean and is to be avoided. When one is performing acts that harm the land or other living things, prayers and rituals are performed to placate the Kami of the area. This type of cleanliness is usually performed to prevent ill outcomes.


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Practices: Ema

Ema are small wooden plaques that wishes or desires are written upon and left at a place in the shrine grounds so that one may get a wish or desire fulfilled.


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Other Amulets and protective things

Ofuda are talismans—made of paper, wood, or metal—that are issued a shrines. They are inscribed with the names of kamis and are used for protection in the home.

Omamori are personal-protection amulets that sold by shrines. They are frequently used to ward off bad luck and to gain better health

Omikuii are paper lots upon which personal fortunes are written.


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A daruma is a round, paper doll of the Indian monk, Bodhidarma. The recipient makes a wish and paints one eye; when the goal is accomplished, the recipient paints the other eye.

Less popular protective items include dorei, which are earthenware bells that are used to pray for good fortune. These bells are usually in the shapes of the zodiacal animals: hamaya, which are symbolic arrows for the fight against evil and bad luck; and Inuhariko, which are paper dogs that are used to induce and to bless good births


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Practices: Kagura

Kagura is the ancient Shinto ritual dance of shamanic origin. The word "kagura" is thought to be a contracted form of kami no kura or "seat of the kami" or the "site where the kami is received."


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To be continued by:

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The Types of Shinto

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Shrine Shinto (Jinja-Shinto)

Shrine Shinto is the most common of the Shinto types. It has always been a part of Japan’s history and constitutes the main current of Shinto tradition. It is related in the popular imagination with summer festivals, good luck charms, making wishes, etc.

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Imperial Household Shinto (Koshitsu-shinto)

These are the religious rites performed exclusively by the Imperial Family at the three shrines on Imperial grounds which include the Ancestral Spirits Sanctuary (Korei-den) and the Sanctuary of the Kami (Shin-den).

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Folk Shinto (Minzoku-shinto)Includes the numerous but fragmented

folk beliefs in deities and spirits. Practices of this kind of Shinto include divination, spirit possession and shamantic healing. Some of these practices come from Taoism, Buddhism, or Confucianism, but most of them come from ancient traditions of the local state.

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Sect Shinto (Shuha-shinto)It is a legal designation originally created in

the 1890s to separate government-owned shrines from local religious practices.

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Koshinto (ko-shinto)Koshinto literally means “Old Shinto”. It is a

reconstructed “Shinto from before the time of Buddhism”, today based on Ainu and Ryukyuan practices.

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Here are some of the Well-known shrines of the Shinto Atsuta Chichibu Heian Jingu Hokkaido Ise Jingu Gassan Hongu Itsukushima

Izumo Katori Meiji Shiogama Tsutugaoka

Hachiman Yasukini Osaki Hachiman

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