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Rituals that please and propitiate the gods are among the
oldest in history, and still reverently attended to by followers
of Shinto. An offering of sushi to a fox-spirit or kitsune statue
should result in a prayer being carried to Inari, goddess of
plenty, and be rewarded with a fine harvest.one last deep bow. In addition to
prayer and offerings at shrines,
Shinto has celebratory festivals
known as matsuri, at which the
kami are honored and important
points in the agricultural year are
marked, such as rice-planting in
April. Correctly performed, Shinto
followers believe that these rituals
enable wa, the positive harmony
that helps to purify the world and
keeps it running smoothly.
Descended from the gods
The most revered Shinto temple is
that of Amaterasu, the sun goddess,
at Ise, on the Japanese island of
Honshu. The simple wooden shrine
has been rebuilt every 20 years for
the last 1,300 years; the action of
renewal is thought to please the
kami. Most Japanese people aim to
visit Ise at least once in their life.
The emperors of Japan were
traditionally regarded as the direct
descendants of Amaterasu (the
first emperor, Jimmu, who took
power in 660 BCE, was said to be
her great-great-great-grandson),
and this became official doctrine
in the 7th and 8th centuries. The
codifiying of Shinto at this time not
only eliminated influences from
Buddhism, but also placed an
emphasis on the superior status
of the Japanese people in general.
This was used, in turn, as the
rationale for Japan’s political and
military ambitions, especially
after the Meiji Restoration, which
returned imperial rule to Japan in
the 19th century.
The emperor and his court were
obliged to carry out ceremonies to
ensure that the kami watched over
Japan and secured its success, a
tradition that was maintained until
the end of World War II. Shinto’s
standing in Japan was transformed,
however, after the country lost the
war and was forced to makeconcessions to the Allies. Viewed
by the occupying US forces as too
militaristic and nationalistic,
Shinto was disestablished in
1946, ceasing to be the official
state religion. In the same year,
Emperor Hirohito renounced his
claim to divinity. But while today
the emperor is no longer formally
regarded as divine, the imperial
ceremonies are still viewed
as important. Shinto’s strong
emphasis on order and harmony;
its regard for social norms, ritual,
and tradition; and its respect for
the emperor means that Shinto has
maintained its role as the bedrock
of conservative Japanese society. ■The origins of purification rituals
Purification rituals (harai) play
a key role in Shinto and are
believed to originate in a myth
involving Izanami and Izanagi,
the two creator gods. The female
of this pair, Izanami, is fatally
burned while giving birth to
the fire god, Kagutsuchi, so she
descends to Yomi, the land of
the dead. Grief-stricken, Izanagi
follows her there, but discovers
that she has eaten the food of
the underworld and is unable
to leave. Izanami begs Izanaginot to look at her, but he lights
a torch and discovers her rotting
body crawling with maggots.
He flees to the land of the living
and bathes in the sea to purify
himself. The message of the
contaminating influence of
the dead is clear: Shinto regards
death as the ultimate impurity.
For this reason, Shinto priests
will not officiate at funerals,
which means that most funerals
in Japan are Buddhist, whatever
the beliefs of the deceased.Man by nature is inherently
good, and the world in
which he lives is good. This
is the kami-world. Evil then
cannot originate in man or in
this world. It is an intruder.
Sokyo OnoANCIENT AND CLASSICAL BELIEFS