Shinto. An Introduction to the Shinto religion: Origins, Beliefs, Priestess, Shrines. Shinto is regarded as the religion indigenous to Japan and is thought to predate all reliable historical records. Literally translated the word 'Shinto' is composed of two words from the original Chinese Shêntao: 'shin' meaning gods or spirits and 'to' meaning the philosophical way or path. Shinto has no fixed dogma, moral precepts or sacred scriptures but many shrines ('jinja') around the country which have often been bases of power with ties to Imperial and Shogunal rule throughout the ages. Shinto followers worship a huge array of 'kami' (gods or spirits) which personify all aspects of nature, such as the sky, the earth, heavenly bodies, and natural phenomena.
Sacred objects, such as rocks or trees, can be recognized by the shimenawa ropes and white paper strips attached to them. Many of the festivals held all over Japan originate from Shinto rites, including prayers of thanksgiving, offerings of food and valuables and purification rituals. Shinto Beliefs. The origin of the word "shinto" means "way of the kami. " Therefore, Shinto beliefs focus on the existence and power of the kami, or gods, that exist in the world, in nature, and especially in and throughout Japan. Click the "kami page" below to learn more specific information about these gods. In general, however, this religion is an overall perspective more than a simple list of Shinto beliefs. This perspective - referred to by the phrase mono no aware - is a uniquely Japanese way of seeing the world and its beauty that contains many nuances, which includes: - aesthetic sensitivity - a sense of beauty and of the beautiful - sensitivity toward the aesthetic and the emotional as a basis for looking at life - this includes the sadness or pathos of life as well as joy, happiness and bliss - seeing with the heart into the natural beauty and goodness of all things Makoto & Kannagara-no-michi Makoto simply means "sincerity" and it is the basis of Shinto ethics.
Shinto Documents. Religion: Shinto.