Preview

REL 133 week 4 Shinto

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
671 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
REL 133 week 4 Shinto
Shinto
Carrie "Shellie" Cobbs
World Religious Traditions I
REL 133
Robert Mossman
July 21, 2014
Shinto
Shinto is the religion that is indigenous to Japan. Shinto is a ritual based religion and the rituals must be completed with precision and diligence to maintain the connection between the ancient past and modern-day Japan. Shinto is based in mythology on a collection of beliefs from the earliest Japanese writings in the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. Public shrines that are devoted to multitudes of gods, or kami, that are devoted to various memorials or festivals.
Shinto Theology
The theology and mythology are very foundational in Shinto. The thoughts and stories that started the religion of Shinto are still used and taught to the followers of Shinto today.
Kami
Kami is the word used to describe a god, essence, or spirit. Kami manifests in several forms in nature such as rocks, rivers, animals, and trees. Shintoists believe that kami resides in all things but that there are places in nature that hold more kami than others places. These objects or places are sacred and usually are on or near shrine grounds.
Kannagara
Kannagara is the law of natural order. Understanding Kannagara involves sincerity, purity, honesty, and how to live through the divine.
Amenominakanushi
Amenominakanushi is the concept that is the source of the universe. Amenominakanushi is able to manifest into male, Takamimusubi, and female, Kamimusubi, and is the first of the three kami of creation, zoka sanshin, and one of the five kotoamatsukami, or heavenly gods.
Creation of Japan
Mythology states that two gods, Izanagi, He-who-invites, and Izanami, She-who-is-invited, created the islands of Japan. Legend states that the two gods were called by all the myriad gods and asked to help create a new land. Each of the gods were given a spear and with the spears they stirred the waters of the ocean. The drop of water from the spears created the island of Japan. Izanagi and
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    REL 134 Week 5 DQs
    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages

    REL 134 Week 5 DQs

    DQ 1: How has the idea of the sacred or holy created conflict between these three Western religious traditions?…

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare And Contrast Shinto And Animism
    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Compare And Contrast Shinto And Animism

    There are a variety of belief systems throughout the world today. Many of the beliefs have developed massive followers and some not so many. As a result we have a considerable amount of influence on culture in the areas where they are practiced. The two belief systems I chose were Shinto and Animism. I felt these two beliefs were the most interesting to me.…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Lit. Analysis on Power by Linda Hogan
    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Lit. Analysis on Power by Linda Hogan

    The god of the people was called Oni, which meant wind and air in the people’s language. The people called their god such because of the power behind what Oni meant. The narrator further illustrates such meaning by saying that “It is a power every bit as strong as gravity, as strong as a sun you can’t look at but know is there. It tells a story. Through air, words and voices are created” (Hogan 178). The Oni is compared to other gods as being omnipotent when the narrator says “It is a breathing, ceaseless God, a power known and watched over by the panther people. It passes through us, breathed and spoken and immortal. It is what brings us to life” (Hogan 178). Oni causes individuality among people by supply them their individual power, but yet at the same time fuses the people as a single unit. Omishto was born with a quite strong awareness of Oni but she denied it fervently. She rejected it until she finally accepted that this power was gifted to her and was part of her soul. While Omishto would initially refuse her power, gifted by the Oni, Ama throws herself completely at the Oni. Ama asks the wind,…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Japanese History: Shinto Religion Essay Example
    • 1524 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Japanese History: Shinto Religion Essay Example

    Studies of Japanese culture and history have always pointed to Shinto as the defining element of Japanese religion, having continually existed from prehistoric to modern times. There are those who go so far as to say that Shinto is even more than a religion, that it is and has always been the very nature and spirit of the Japanese people. Shinto is argued to be the unifying force among the Japanese people, bringing together the heterogeneity of rituals and practices and thus defining Japanese religion and culture. However, Kuroda Toshio, in his article "Shinto in the History of Japanese Religion," refutes the claim that Shinto is a native Japanese religion that has existed throughout history. He asserts that Shinto did not emerge as an independent religion until the end of the fifteenth century, and argues instead that kenmitsu Buddhism, which does include Shinto as one of its components, is the true native religion of the Japanese. He then questions the legitimacy of accepting Shinto as the dominant primitive religion simply because historic sampling has made it appear so, and casts doubt on what may be accepted as a "true picture of history" (Kuroda, 20). In this essay, I will be arguing for the validity of this question, while nonetheless asserting the importance of the pursuit of history. History cannot be accepted as an absolutely accurate representation of the past, but rather as a reformation of the past in light of today's concepts. At the same time, efforts to understand history accurately are essential because, as Robert Bellah shows, historical concepts may have important applications in today's world.…

    • 1524 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Shichi-go-san japanese culture
    • 2027 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Shichi-go-san japanese culture

    The meaning of ujigami has undergone considerable evolution over the centuries, mainly because of the historical migrations of clan communities in Japan. Originally the term referred to the ancestral deity (kami) of a family or clan (uji), blood kinship forming the basis of the spiritual relationship. The extent of the ujigami’s protection was later enlarged to cover those who lived with the clan or near it and since has extended over the parish into which one is born. Ujiko are those who live within or were born within the geographic boundaries of the tutelary deity and who help manage the shrine affairs.…

    • 2027 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Spread of Christianity to Japan Essay Example
    • 3555 Words
    • 15 Pages

    The Spread of Christianity to Japan Essay Example

    Japan has been a home for Shinto and Buddhist religions for centuries. The Christian missionaries during the 16th, 19th and 20th centuries worked hard to evangelize the Japanese nation but could not get desired success. There efforts in past failed partly due to sanctions imposed by the local rulers. The Jesuits missionaries traveled with Spanish and Portuguese traders to many areas of America and Asia-Pacific and established their churches and religious missions. They were funded, sponsored and trained by their respective governments in order to spread Christianity. At several places they preached the Christian faith by force but the aboriginal population did not accept it wholeheartedly. Initially the Jesuits targeted the elite class of the country and a large number was converted. The rulers also forced their subject to embrace the same faith. About 300,000 Japanese were converted in the first phase. Later on, Christianity was prohibited as the rulers started seeing them as a threat to their authority. Following a change of regime, the ban was lifted and missionaries were again allowed to enter Japan. Like many Native American tribes, the Japanese also resisted the new religion. As a result, presently Christians form only 1% of the total population in Japan. This paper is focused on how the Christian religion was introduced in Japan, the evolution of evangelism, establishment of churches, the restrictions and hurdles faced by the missionaries and priest of the new religion and the response of Japanese nation towards an alien faith. All these queries are answered in detail given as follows.…

    • 3555 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Shinto
    • 521 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Shinto

    Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan, there's no founder recorded, and when it originated was unclear. It is believed that Shinto is derived from the native worships for the nature, and was not explicitly defined until the coming of Buddhism in the sixth century C.E. Shinto, was then presented in order to distinguish from the foreign religions. Shinto(神道), or kami-no-michi(神の道), literally means the way of gods. Shinto is an animistic religion, which puts emphasis on the worship and respect of the nature. It is said there are 8 million "kamis", though the number is probably overstated, everything can be comprehended as having its own divinity, because of people's reverence to the nature forces, and thus presented by a "kami". "Kami" is the transliterating of the kanji "神". It is borrowed from Chinese characters, while has a broader range of meanings than it has in Chinese. Kami originally means the ghost of the departed, while it also stands for the venerable spirits and gods exist in the nature world, like the spirit of mountain or the deity of fox. Progressively, it represents the departed souls of the emperors and shoguns as well.…

    • 521 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Hinduism and Shiva
    • 2962 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Hinduism and Shiva

    Trimurti literally means, “having three forms”, and refers to the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. In Hinduism, the Trimurti reveals concepts of birth, life, and death and represents the Supreme Being. The Trimurti is portrayed as a three-headed figure with the faces and qualities of the three gods. This three-headed figure represents creation, preservation, and destruction, which are unified together to symbolize one Supreme Being. These three gods are equally essential for all aspects of life because nothing can be created, sustained, and destroyed without the consent of each god. The Trimurti alone can help answer vital questions dealing with cosmogony and eschatology as well. Although the individual Trimurti gods are unequal in recognition and worship, the meaning of the Trimurti has evolved from its origin and the role of the Trimurti in Hindu life and worship will forever be significant.…

    • 2962 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Spirited Away: Religious Themes In An Animated Film
    • 1229 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Spirited Away: Religious Themes In An Animated Film

    Many Japanese claim that they are not religious even while performing what others may consider highly religious activities, like praying at a shrine. Reader states that, “Japanese people in general exhibit extremely high levels of religious activity and behavior, and Japanese society and culture are intricately interwoven with religious themes” (Reader 5). Due to this intertwined relation between culture and religion, it is not uncommon to use religious motifs in popular films like Spirited Away. As a result of the interrelation between religion and culture in the country, there is a blurred division between humans and spirits. For example, the Shinto religion is “is centered on the relationship between the Japanese people, the land and the kami” (23). This closeness between humans and deities is unique to the country of Japan. In his movie, Miyazaki draws upon this idea of unity between spirits and humans and uses it as the basis for characters for his…

    • 1229 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Babylonian Mythology
    • 1136 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Babylonian Mythology

    In ancient times, there was no universe. There was only undifferentiated water swirling in chaos. Out of this swirl, the waters divided into sweet, fresh water, known as the god Apsu, and salty bitter water, the goddess Tiamat. Tiamat and Apsu filled the cosmic abyss with the primeval waters. Once these two differentiated, they created the gods Lahmu and Lahamu, who rose from the silt at the edge of the water. When Lahmu and Lahamu joined, they created the great gods Anshar, Kishar and Anu.…

    • 1136 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Role Of Animism In Japanese Culture
    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Role Of Animism In Japanese Culture

    The oldest religion of Japan is Shintoism. As I said above, Shinto combines animism, a belief which considers that everything has a spirit and ancestor worship. Shinto myths, born in oral cultures, were compiled in the early eighth century in two books: the Kojiki (712) and Nihon Shoki (720).…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Twist of Impressions
    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Twist of Impressions

    In Japan, there is a religion called Shinto. Shintoism believes that many gods of different sorts existed both in ancient Japan and still currently exist in the modern time. These gods would rules in different fields such as nature (mountains, oceans, earth, wind, fire water etc.), things in the daily lives of human beings (harvest, health, fertility, toilet etc.) and animals. Most Japanese people when they witness something positive or negative happens, they would either praise the gods or curse them. Such as when someone wins the lottery, they would thank the god of luck. On the other hand, when that person was robbed of his lottery money, he/she would curse the god of mischief. These deities are believed that they are a part of human lives and that they control the nature and events that happen to their lives. And the belief that gods affect human lives and reside amongst with humans is the premise of this short story by Kawakami Hiromi, a story of a man who experiences a whole day with a bear who walks and talks just like him.…

    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Examine Te Ao Maori in Ece
    • 1680 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Examine Te Ao Maori in Ece

    The Māori Creation myth is the foundation of the Māori world view. It begins with Te Kore – The Nothingness, which evolves into Ahorangi and Ihorangi the female and male potentiality. These potentialities combined and Ranginui, the Sky Father and Papa-tū-ā-nuku, the Earth Mother were created. (Hyland, 2003). Through the birth of their children Te Pō – The Darkness begins. The children of Papa and Rangi were numerous and lived in the darkness between their parents. The children decided to separate them so they could stand and grow. They took turns in trying to separate them, but it was Tāne-mahuta who succeeded in fixing the sky above and the earth below, thus allowing Te Ao Mārama, the world of light to begin (Hyland, 2003).…

    • 1680 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Japan Is My Dream Place to Visit
    • 1608 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Japan Is My Dream Place to Visit

    The two type of religion is Japan is Shinto and Buddhism. Shinto is and ancient native religion of Japan. Japanese people still practice in a form of modified by the influence of Buddhism and Confucianism. The term Shinto, is a term that is created to distinguish the indigenous relation from Buddhism, the same as the Japanese kami-no-michi, “the way of the gods” or “the way of those above.” Kami means “above” or “superior,” this is the name used to designate a great host of supernatural beings or deities. Buddhism is a religion and philosophy founded in India in c.525 B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha. There are 300 million Buddhists world wide. This is one of the world great religions; it is divided into two main schools: the Theravada or Hinyana in Sri Lanka and South-East Asia, and the Mahayana in China, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan. The third school, is the Vajrayana, has a long tradition in Tibet and Japan. Buddhism has largely disappeared from its country of origin, India, except the many refugees from the Tibet region of China and small number converts from the lower castes of Hinduism. But there are a small amount of people who are Christians.…

    • 1608 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    My Favorite Place
    • 295 Words
    • 2 Pages

    My Favorite Place

    Sacred Shinto is very deeply related to the Dojo. Shinto is the natural indigenous religion of Japan. Shinto gods, or kami, are worshipped at shrines (jinja). All natural objects and phenomena used to be considered as having kami. Our Dojo has a kami dana or "God's shelf". We pray toward that shelf before practicing martial arts. This ceremony is very important among Bushi.…

    • 295 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics