Shintoism

Shintoism is the indigenous spirituality of the people of Japan.  Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written historical records of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki (8th century).

The word Shinto ("Way of the Gods") was adopted from Chinese combining two kanji: "shin", meaning spirit, and "to", meaning a philosophical path or study (from the Chinese word dào).  Spirit or 'Kami' is understood in various ways: human-like, animistic or 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.

Today Shintoism is a set of practices that establishes a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past of folklore, history and mythology.  It applies to public shrines suited to various purposes such as war memorials, harvest festivals, romance, and historical monuments, as well as various sectarian organizations. Practitioners express their diverse beliefs through a standard language and practice, adopting a similar style in dress and ritual, dating from around the time of the Nara and Heian Periods.

There are currently 4 million observers of Shinto in Japan.  The vast majority of people in Japan who take part in Shinto rituals also practice Buddhist ancestor worship. However, unlike many monotheistic religious practices, Shinto and Buddhism typically do not require professing faith to be a believer or a practitioner, and as such it is difficult to query for exact figures based on self-identification of belief within Japan. Due to the syncretic nature of Shinto and Buddhism, most "life" events are handled by Shinto and "death" or "afterlife" events are handled by Buddhism.  It is typical in Japan to celebrate a birth at a Shinto shrine, while funeral arrangements are generally dictated by Buddhist tradition.

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