Religion and Shinto
The Religion of Shinto
Shinto or “the way of the gods,” is the oldest religion in the history of Japan. Many of the Shino beliefs deal with natural disasters, animals, and plants. Over the years Shinto has become more modern adapting to the changing world, but the core of beliefs still remain the same as they were in 6 bce. Over time due to the different emperors and world events Shinto has had to change in order for it to remain in practice. A lot of Japanese culture such as dance, literature, and music stem from the religion, and even today in the 21st century you can see Shinto’s affect on Japanese culture. (Historyteacher, OMF International) The beginnings of the Shinto faith are not concrete since there were no official recordings of the beginning of the religion. Shinto was said to date back as early as 6 bce. Many local Japanese cults during that time are now grouped under the Shinto religion, but were seen as separate religions prior to the joining of all their beliefs. The first official recordings of Shinto were dated around 8th century AD. Like many religions, Shinto was believed to have begun with animist living in modern day Japan. They praised different spirits such as the sun, moon, and rain to help them in their life. This developed into the idea of Kami the spirit found in plants, animals, etc. The early Japanese created stories and rituals that allowed them to understand the universe and give them a grasp on the idea of life and their existence in their strange and scary world. Other influences on Shinto came from the Korean tribes, which invaded Japan during prehistoric times. All these different cults weren’t seen as a faith they viewed themselves as just trying to understand the natural world. (BBC, OMF International). After many centuries Shinto became more and more concrete, and now like all religions there are seven dimensions to Shinto: experimental, mythical, doctrinal, ethical, ritual, social, and material. These dimensions
Shinto or “the way of the gods,” is the oldest religion in the history of Japan. Many of the Shino beliefs deal with natural disasters, animals, and plants. Over the years Shinto has become more modern adapting to the changing world, but the core of beliefs still remain the same as they were in 6 bce. Over time due to the different emperors and world events Shinto has had to change in order for it to remain in practice. A lot of Japanese culture such as dance, literature, and music stem from the religion, and even today in the 21st century you can see Shinto’s affect on Japanese culture. (Historyteacher, OMF International) The beginnings of the Shinto faith are not concrete since there were no official recordings of the beginning of the religion. Shinto was said to date back as early as 6 bce. Many local Japanese cults during that time are now grouped under the Shinto religion, but were seen as separate religions prior to the joining of all their beliefs. The first official recordings of Shinto were dated around 8th century AD. Like many religions, Shinto was believed to have begun with animist living in modern day Japan. They praised different spirits such as the sun, moon, and rain to help them in their life. This developed into the idea of Kami the spirit found in plants, animals, etc. The early Japanese created stories and rituals that allowed them to understand the universe and give them a grasp on the idea of life and their existence in their strange and scary world. Other influences on Shinto came from the Korean tribes, which invaded Japan during prehistoric times. All these different cults weren’t seen as a faith they viewed themselves as just trying to understand the natural world. (BBC, OMF International). After many centuries Shinto became more and more concrete, and now like all religions there are seven dimensions to Shinto: experimental, mythical, doctrinal, ethical, ritual, social, and material. These dimensions