Shinto
Japan's indigenous religion centered on kami worship.
Shinto, sometimes called Shintoism, is a Japanese religion that scholars classify as an East Asian faith. Its practitioners often see it as Japan’s native religion and a nature-based one. Because there is no central authority, beliefs and practices vary widely among followers. The religion centers on supernatural beings known as kami, which are thought to dwell in everything, from natural forces to notable landscape features. A major focus of Shinto is maintaining purity, achieved mainly through cleansing rituals like washing and bathing, particularly before worship.
Shinto is polytheistic and animistic, with kami worshipped at household shrines, family shrines, and public shrines called jinja. These public shrines are staffed by priests who make offerings of food and drink to the specific kami enshrined there, aiming to foster harmony between humans and kami and to seek their blessings. Common rituals include dances, rites of passage, and festivals dedicated to the kami. Shrines also provide divination services and religious items such as amulets. The religion places little emphasis on fixed moral codes or specific beliefs about the afterlife, though the dead are considered capable of becoming kami. It has no single creator or formal doctrine, existing instead in diverse local and regional forms.
Veneration of kami dates back to Japan’s Yayoi period. Buddhism arrived at the end of the Kofun period and spread rapidly, leading to a deep syncretization where kami were incorporated into Buddhist cosmology and depicted anthropomorphically. The earliest written records of kami worship appear in 8th-century texts. Over time, the imperial household adopted kami worship. During the Meiji era, nationalist leaders removed Buddhist influence from kami worship and created State Shinto, which some historians see as the origin of Shinto as a distinct religion. Shrines came under government control, and citizens were encouraged to worship the emperor as a kami. After Japan’s defeat in World War II, Shinto was formally separated from the state. Today, Shinto is primarily found in Japan, with around 100,000 public shrines, and most Japanese participate in both Shinto and Buddhist activities.
- field
- Religion
- nationality
- Japanese
- known_for
- Worship of kami, polytheistic and animistic beliefs, emphasis on purity, lack of single founder or doctrine
- type
- East Asian religion
- practitioners
- Shintoists (term rarely used by adherents)
Lore & Background
Shinto is a polytheistic and animistic religion from Japan, centered on supernatural entities called kami, which are believed to inhabit natural forces, prominent landscape locations, and all things. Its defining characteristic is the worship of kami at household shrines, family shrines, and public jinja shrines, the latter staffed by priests who offer food and drink to cultivate harmony and solicit blessings. Common rituals include kagura dances, rites of passage, and festivals, alongside practices like divination and the distribution of amulets. A major conceptual focus is purity, maintained through ritual washing and bathing before worship. There is no single creator, specific moral code, or strong emphasis on afterlife beliefs, though the dead can become kami. The religion has no central authority, resulting in diverse local and regional forms. Shinto is primarily found in Japan, with around 100,000 public shrines, and is the country’s largest religion numerically, though most Japanese also participate in Buddhist activities. The torii gateway, marking shrine entrances, is a recognizable symbol. Historically, kami veneration traces back to the Yayoi period, and Buddhism later syncretized with it, making the two functionally inseparable until the Meiji era, when nationalist leadership expelled Buddhist influence and formed State Shinto. After World War II, Shinto was formally separated from the state.
Reader's Guide
Numerically, it is Japan's largest religion, the second being Buddhism. Most of the country's population takes part in both Shinto and Buddhist activities, especially festivals, reflecting a common view in Japanese culture that the beliefs and practices of different religions do not need to be exclusive. Aspects of Shinto have been incorporated into various Japanese new religious movements. Scholars have debated at what point in history it is legitimate to start talking about Shinto as a specific phenomenon, with some arguing that Shinto as a distinct religion was essentially 'invented' during the 19th century. The religion has no single creator or specific doctrine, and instead exists in a diverse range of local and regional forms. Shinto displays substantial local variation; the anthropologist John K. Nelson noted it was 'not a unified, monolithic entity'. Different types of Shinto have been identified, including Shrine Shinto, Domestic Shinto, Folk Shinto, and State Shinto.
Did You Know?
- Shinto has no central authority, leading to much diversity of belief and practice.
- The kami are worshipped at kamidana household shrines, family shrines, and jinja public shrines.
- Shinto places little emphasis on specific moral codes or particular afterlife beliefs, although the dead are deemed capable of becoming kami.
- The term Shinto is often translated as 'the way of the kami'.
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