The Primordial Spirituality of Japan
Shinto stands as Japan’s indigenous spiritual tradition, a living wellspring that has nourished Japanese cultural identity since time immemorial. Unlike religions that emerged from prophetic revelations or codified doctrines, Shinto arose organically from the Japanese people’s intimate relationship with their archipelago’s distinctive landscape. This ancient way of being represents not merely a religion in the conventional sense, but rather an intricate tapestry of rituals, myths, beliefs, and practices that together express a profound engagement with the sacred dimensions of existence.
At its philosophical core, Shinto embodies what might be called “embodied spirituality”—a tradition that locates the divine not in transcendent realms beyond the material world, but within the very fabric of natural phenomena and human experience. The kami, those elusive divine presences central to Shinto cosmology, inhabit mountains and rivers, trees and stones, ancestors and natural forces. Through this animistic vision, Shinto invites practitioners into a state of reverential awareness, where the boundary between the mundane and the sacred dissolves, revealing a world suffused with spiritual significance.
This essay seeks to illuminate the philosophical depths of Shinto, tracing its development from prehistoric animistic beliefs through periods of formalization, syncretic exchange, political appropriation, and contemporary revival. By exploring Shinto’s distinctive approach to nature, purity, community, and the sacred, we may discover insights that resonate far beyond Japan’s shores—perspectives particularly relevant in our age of ecological crisis and spiritual disenchantment.
The Ancient Foundations: Tracing Shinto’s Prehistoric Origins
Primeval Connections: The Jomon and Yayoi Periods
The origins of Shinto extend beyond recorded history into the misty realms of Japan’s prehistoric era. Archaeological evidence from the Jomon period (approximately 14,000–300 BCE) reveals sophisticated ritual objects and sacred spaces that suggest early forms of animistic veneration. Clay figurines called dogū, often depicting female forms with exaggerated features, may represent early fertility deities or ancestral spirits. Stone circles and ceremonial sites indicate communal ritual gatherings, potentially marking seasonal transitions or honoring local kami.
These early Jomon communities, primarily hunter-gatherers who later developed sophisticated pottery and semi-sedentary lifestyles, appear to have maintained intimate relationships with their natural surroundings. Sacred mountains like Mount Miwa in present-day Nara Prefecture show evidence of ritual activity dating back thousands of years, suggesting continuous spiritual significance. The Jomon worldview likely perceived no separation between natural phenomena and spiritual presences—the rushing waterfall, the ancient tree, the life-giving sun were themselves manifestations of sacred powers.
With the transition to the Yayoi period (300 BCE–300 CE), wet-rice agriculture introduced from the Asian mainland transformed Japanese society. This agricultural revolution necessitated communal organization around the rice-growing calendar, giving rise to seasonal rituals that sought divine blessing for planting and harvest. Archaeological findings from this era reveal ceremonial bronze bells (dōtaku) adorned with natural imagery, likely used in agricultural rites to invoke the kami of fertility and abundance.
The Yayoi period also witnessed the emergence of more hierarchical social structures and the beginnings of political centralization. As powerful clans consolidated influence, they legitimized their authority through claims of divine ancestry, establishing genealogical connections to particular kami. This intertwining of political power with spiritual authority would become a defining characteristic of Japanese religious and political development in subsequent centuries.
Textual Emergence: Early Written Records of Shinto Beliefs
Though Shinto practices predated literacy in Japan, the introduction of Chinese writing systems in the early centuries CE eventually provided means to record indigenous beliefs and myths. The two primary texts that codify early Shinto mythology are the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters, 712 CE) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan, 720 CE). These works represent not merely passive recordings of pre-existing beliefs but active attempts by the imperial court to systematize disparate traditions into a coherent narrative supporting imperial authority.
The Kojiki begins with a cosmogonic account of universal creation, where formless chaos gradually differentiates into heaven and earth. Divine beings emerge, culminating in the primordial couple Izanagi and Izanami, who stir the primeval ocean with a jeweled spear, creating the islands of Japan. Their union produces numerous kami, including Amaterasu, the sun goddess from whom the imperial line claims descent. When Izanami dies giving birth to the fire deity, Izanagi follows her to the underworld but fails to retrieve her—a mythic pattern resembling the Greek tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, yet with distinctive Japanese elements emphasizing ritual purity.
The Nihon Shoki, compiled eight years after the Kojiki, presents alternative versions of many creation myths, revealing the diversity of traditions that existed prior to imperial systematization. Its chronology extends further into historical time, blending mythological accounts with increasingly historical narratives as it approaches the compiler’s era. Together, these texts establish the “mythic charter” for the imperial institution and provide the earliest written articulations of Shinto cosmology.
Another significant early text, the Engishiki (Procedures of the Engi Era, 927 CE), documents liturgical protocols for court rituals and shrine practices, preserving hundreds of norito (ritual prayers) that illuminate early Shinto’s ceremonial dimensions. These ancient prayers, with their rhythmic language and formal structure, reveal a spiritual worldview concerned with purity, gratitude to the kami, and the maintenance of proper relations between human society and divine powers.
The Philosophical Heart of Shinto
Kami: Beyond Personification
The concept of kami represents perhaps the most philosophically complex aspect of Shinto tradition. Often simplistically translated as “gods” or “spirits,” kami encompass a far more nuanced understanding of divinity than these terms suggest. Motoori Norinaga, the 18th-century Shinto revivalist scholar, defined kami as “anything whatsoever which possesses some eminent quality out of the ordinary, and which inspires a sense of awe.” This broad definition extends beyond anthropomorphic deities to include natural phenomena, charismatic individuals, ancestral presences, and even abstract qualities that evoke wonder or reverence.
The philosophical implications of this perspective are profound. Rather than positing transcendent deities who exist apart from the material world, Shinto recognizes divinity as an immanent quality that permeates existence. This worldview resists the subject-object dualism that characterizes much Western philosophical and religious thought, instead embracing what might be termed a “participatory ontology” where human beings exist within a living cosmos suffused with sacred presence.
Kami manifest according to their own nature—they are not omnipotent or omniscient in the Abrahamic sense, but rather possess particular powers and domains of influence. They interact with human communities through natural cycles, respond to ritual invocations, and maintain reciprocal relationships with their devotees. The sun goddess Amaterasu embodies celestial illumination and imperial authority; the kami Inari oversees rice cultivation and prosperity; Susanoo governs storms and wild nature; countless local kami inhabit particular mountains, waterfalls, and ancient trees.
This conception of divinity as multiple, diverse, and embedded within natural processes aligns Shinto with other indigenous spiritual traditions globally. Unlike monotheistic systems that emphasize divine transcendence and absolute authority, Shinto presents a cosmos populated by myriad sacred presences that cooperate, conflict, and complement one another—much like the ecological relationships observed in natural systems.
The Sacred Geography of Japan
Central to Shinto philosophy is the understanding of Japan itself as a divine landscape. The creation myth recounted in the Kojiki describes the islands of Japan as divine offspring, born from the union of primordial deities. This narrative establishes the archipelago not merely as territory but as sacred entity—a living body with mountains as its bones, rivers as its blood, and forests as its breath.
Specific landscapes hold particular significance within this sacred geography. Mountains, where the vertical axis connects earth and heaven, serve as natural shrines and dwelling places of kami. Mount Fuji, with its perfect symmetry and ethereal beauty, represents perhaps the quintessential sacred mountain, but countless other peaks throughout Japan similarly function as spiritual centers. Ancient forests, particularly those containing massive old-growth trees, manifest what the philosopher Eliade might term “hierophanies”—breaking points where sacred power manifests in the material world.
Waterfalls, with their dynamic energy and purifying waters, naturally attract ritual significance. The sacred waterfall at Nachi, cascading 133 meters down a forested mountainside, exemplifies this aspect of Shinto sacred geography. Its constant flow symbolizes both purification and the ever-present now of divine manifestation. Similarly, distinctive rock formations, caves, and peculiar natural features often mark sites where kami presence is particularly concentrated.
This sacred geography finds physical expression in shrine architecture and placement. Traditional Shinto shrines rarely attempt to dominate their natural settings through imposing structures. Instead, they harmonize with the landscape, often nestled among ancient trees, beside sacred springs, or at the foot of mountains. The iconic torii gate marks the transition between mundane and sacred space, while shrine compounds typically preserve natural elements—venerable trees wrapped with sacred ropes (shimenawa), sacred stones, and flowing water. This architectural approach reflects Shinto’s philosophical premise that kami presence already inheres in the natural world; human structures serve not to house divinity but to acknowledge and channel its pre-existing presence.
Purity and Pollution: The Metaphysics of Transformation
Among Shinto’s most distinctive philosophical contributions is its sophisticated understanding of purity (sei) and pollution (kegare). Unlike moral systems that conceive of purity primarily in ethical terms, Shinto approaches purity as an ontological state—a condition of being aligned with the fundamental nature of existence. Pollution, conversely, represents not moral failing but rather a temporary state of disorder or disharmony that disrupts proper relationship with the kami.
Natural processes of birth and death, while necessary and sacred, involve transitions that generate ritual pollution requiring purification. This conception differs markedly from religious traditions that treat bodily processes as inherently sinful or impure. In Shinto philosophy, pollution arises not from moral transgression but from the disruptive energy generated during transformative states—blood, decay, disease, and death represent powerful forces that must be ritually contained and transformed.
Purification rituals (misogi, harae) serve to restore harmony by symbolically removing pollution through water, salt, fire, sound, and ritual movement. The philosophical underpinning of these practices suggests that human beings exist in constant relationship with forces beyond themselves; maintaining ritual purity allows proper alignment with the kami and the natural order they represent.
This philosophical framework extends beyond individual purification to encompass communal and environmental dimensions. Agricultural rituals purify the land before planting, ensuring fertile conditions for growth. Seasonal festivals mark transitions between nature’s cycles with communal purification. The famous ritual rebuilding of Ise Shrine every twenty years (shikinen sengu) represents perhaps the ultimate expression of Shinto’s philosophy of renewal through purification—the sacred space is completely dismantled and reconstructed according to ancient patterns, using traditional methods that preserve architectural knowledge across generations.
Ritual Praxis and Sacred Arts
The Language of Ritual: Matsuri and Everyday Practice
Shinto’s philosophical insights find concrete expression through ritual practices that engage practitioners through embodied action rather than abstract doctrine. The matsuri (festival) serves as the central modality of Shinto practice, creating temporary sacred communities through shared ritual participation. Unlike religious services focused on textual exegesis or doctrinal instruction, matsuri involve dynamic processions, ceremonial offerings, communal meals, music, dance, and direct engagement with kami presence.
Traditional matsuri follow seasonal rhythms, marking agricultural cycles, celestial transitions, and community milestones. Spring festivals like Aoi Matsuri in Kyoto celebrate renewal and agricultural fertility; summer festivals often include water rituals to ensure adequate rainfall; autumn festivals express gratitude for harvest abundance; winter festivals focus on purification and the renewal of cosmic order. Through these cyclical celebrations, communities reaffirm their relationship with local kami and with the natural patterns that govern existence.
The philosophical significance of matsuri extends beyond mere celebration to constitute a ritualized dialogue between human communities and divine presences. When shrine priests or community representatives present offerings (shinsen) of rice, sake, salt, water, and seasonal foods, they engage in mutual exchange with the kami. These offerings acknowledge divine blessings already received while simultaneously requesting continued benevolence. The formal language of norito (ritual prayers) establishes proper ritual relationships through carefully structured invocations and expressions of gratitude.
Beyond formal festivals, Shinto practice permeates everyday activities through subtle ritual gestures and awareness. Traditional household shrines (kamidana) maintain family connections with ancestral kami and tutelary deities. Simple purification practices like rinsing hands and mouth before entering sacred spaces (temizu) cultivate mindful transitions between ordinary and sacred consciousness. Expressions of gratitude before meals acknowledge dependence on the natural world’s bounty. These quotidian practices embody a philosophical perspective that sees no ultimate separation between sacred and secular realms—everyday activities become opportunities for spiritual engagement when approached with proper awareness.
Aesthetics as Spiritual Practice
Shinto’s philosophical perspective has profoundly influenced Japanese aesthetic traditions, creating distinctive approaches to beauty that simultaneously serve as spiritual disciplines. Rather than viewing aesthetics as separate from religious practice, Shinto cultivates artistic expressions that manifest kami presence and evoke appropriate spiritual responses.
The concept of miyabi (refined elegance) emerged from court culture strongly influenced by Shinto sensibilities. This aesthetic principle values subtle beauty that suggests rather than states, preferring allusion over explicit declaration. Its spiritual dimension lies in recognizing that the most profound realities resist direct representation, requiring indirect evocation through suggestive form and gesture.
Similarly, the aesthetic concept of mono no aware (the pathos of things) reflects Shinto’s attentiveness to the impermanence inherent in natural cycles. This sensibility finds expression in the celebrated Japanese appreciation for cherry blossoms, whose transient beauty evokes simultaneous joy and melancholy. The philosophical insight embedded in this aesthetic orientation suggests that awareness of impermanence heightens appreciation for existence’s ephemeral beauty while acknowledging its inevitable passing.
Shrine architecture exemplifies Shinto aesthetic principles through its elegant simplicity and harmonious integration with natural surroundings. The distinctive nagare-zukuri style, with its asymmetrical roofline flowing like water, creates dynamic structures that respond to their environmental context. The use of unfinished wood, minimal ornamentation, and natural materials reflects a philosophy that values authenticity and simplicity over ostentatious display.
Traditional performing arts like kagura (sacred dance) and noh theater incorporate Shinto elements that transform aesthetic experience into spiritual practice. Kagura dancers wearing masks representing various kami create visual embodiments of divine presence through stylized movements and symbolic gestures. The measured pace and ritualized structure of these performances cultivate a meditative consciousness in both performers and observers, creating sacred time within ordinary temporal flow.
Historical Transformations and Syncretism
The Buddhist Encounter: Philosophical Dialogue and Synthesis
The arrival of Buddhism in Japan during the 6th century CE initiated a complex process of religious interaction that would profoundly reshape both traditions. Rather than resulting in competition or exclusive adherence, the engagement between Shinto and Buddhism produced remarkable philosophical syntheses that influenced Japanese spiritual culture for over a millennium.
The Tendai and Shingon esoteric Buddhist schools, established during the early Heian period (794-1185 CE), developed sophisticated theoretical frameworks that incorporated kami worship within Buddhist cosmology. The honji suijaku theory posited that Shinto kami were local manifestations (suijaku) of universal Buddhist deities (honji), creating a hierarchical relationship that preserved both traditions while asserting Buddhist philosophical primacy. This theoretical model enabled the creation of jingūji (shrine-temples) where Buddhist and Shinto elements coexisted within single sacred complexes.
Philosophical dialogue between these traditions generated novel interpretations of both. Mountain ascetics (yamabushi) of the Shugendō tradition synthesized elements from esoteric Buddhism, Daoism, and indigenous Shinto practices to create distinctive spiritual disciplines centered on sacred mountains. Their practices of austerity, purification, and ritual engagement with mountain landscapes exemplified a lived philosophy that transcended sectarian boundaries.
During the medieval period, Shinto-Buddhist syncretism produced new philosophical schools like Ryōbu Shinto (Dual Shinto) and Sannō Ichijitsu Shinto (Mountain King Single Reality Shinto). These traditions developed elaborate cosmological systems mapping Buddhist concepts onto Shinto sacred geography and mythology. The Ise Shinto tradition, centered on Japan’s most sacred shrine complex, articulated philosophical interpretations of Shinto practice influenced by Buddhist, Confucian, and Daoist thought while asserting the primacy of indigenous tradition.
This syncretistic approach reflects a distinctive philosophical perspective that values complementarity over exclusivity. Rather than insisting on absolute truth claims or doctrinal purity, Japanese religious culture historically embraced practical combinations of traditions that addressed different dimensions of human experience—Shinto for life-affirming rituals and community cohesion, Buddhism for metaphysical insights and death practices, Confucianism for ethical principles and social organization.
Political Dimensions: State Shinto and Imperial Ideology
Shinto’s relationship with political authority underwent dramatic transformations throughout Japanese history, culminating in the modern phenomenon of State Shinto. During the formative period of the Japanese state, the ritsuryō legal codes established in the 7th and 8th centuries institutionalized imperial kami rituals as essential functions of governance. The Jingiryō (Laws on Kami Affairs) codified official ritual protocols and established hierarchies among shrines, creating an integrated system where religious practice reinforced political legitimacy.
The philosophical implications of this political appropriation were significant. By incorporating Shinto rituals into state functions, imperial authorities advanced a cosmological vision where proper ritual performance by the emperor maintained harmony between heaven, earth, and human society. This conceptual framework paralleled Chinese theories of the Mandate of Heaven while incorporating distinctively Japanese elements centered on imperial descent from Amaterasu, the sun goddess.
During Japan’s medieval period (1185-1600), political fragmentation diminished central control over shrine networks. Regional warlords (daimyō) became patrons of local shrines, establishing reciprocal relationships where religious institutions legitimized secular authority while receiving protection and material support. This decentralized pattern reflects a practical philosophy where sacred and secular powers operate in mutually reinforcing relationships rather than rigid hierarchies.
The modern transformation of Shinto began with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when reformers seeking to modernize Japan while preserving national identity implemented policies separating Shinto from Buddhism and establishing Shinto as a non-religious state ideology. This “invented tradition” of State Shinto (kokka shintō) represented a radical reinterpretation of indigenous practices to serve nationalist aims. Shrine priests became government officials, shrine rituals became civic ceremonies, and veneration of the emperor became obligatory patriotic expression.
The philosophical distortion inherent in State Shinto demonstrates how original spiritual insights can be manipulated when political ideology appropriates religious symbols. By emphasizing emperor worship and national essence (kokutai) while downplaying Shinto’s nature-centered spirituality and local diversity, State Shinto transformed an organic, pluralistic tradition into a centralized system serving nationalist aims. This cautionary history illustrates the vulnerability of spiritual traditions to political instrumentalization—a pattern observed across cultures and historical periods.
Contemporary Relevance and Global Significance
Post-War Revival and Contemporary Practice
Following Japan’s defeat in World War II and the formal disestablishment of State Shinto under Allied occupation, Shinto faced the challenge of redefining itself as a voluntary religious tradition separated from state power. This process of rediscovery allowed many shrines to reconnect with local community needs and with Shinto’s original nature-centered spirituality.
Contemporary Shinto practice exhibits remarkable diversity. Major shrine complexes like Ise, Izumo, and Meiji Jingū attract millions of visitors annually, serving as centers for traditional ritual, cultural preservation, and spiritual tourism. Countless neighborhood shrines maintain local traditions, celebrating seasonal festivals and providing spiritual services to their communities. New religious movements with Shinto elements (shinshūkyō) offer innovative interpretations that address contemporary spiritual needs while drawing on traditional symbolism and practices.
The philosophical implications of this revival suggest resilience in Shinto’s core insights despite historical distortions. Contemporary practitioners often emphasize ecological awareness, community solidarity, and cultural continuity rather than nationalist ideology. Annual rituals marking seasonal transitions continue to connect participants with natural cycles and with indigenous traditions stretching back millennia. Coming-of-age ceremonies (shichi-go-san), wedding rituals, and household practices maintain cultural patterns that embed philosophical perspectives in lived experience.
For many contemporary Japanese people, Shinto represents not an exclusive religious affiliation but rather a dimension of cultural identity and spiritual practice that complements other influences. The common pattern of “Shinto weddings and Buddhist funerals” exemplifies this complementary approach, where different traditions address different aspects of human experience. This practical syncretism reflects a philosophical perspective that values functionality over doctrinal consistency—traditions are evaluated based on their effectiveness in addressing specific human needs rather than abstract truth claims.
Ecological Wisdom for a Planetary Crisis
Perhaps Shinto’s most significant contribution to contemporary global discourse lies in its ecological philosophy. As humanity confronts unprecedented environmental challenges, Shinto’s ancient vision of sacred nature and reverence for life offers conceptual resources for reimagining human-nature relationships.
The Shinto worldview challenges fundamental assumptions of industrial modernity—specifically, the conception of nature as inert resource awaiting human exploitation. By recognizing mountains, rivers, forests, and other natural entities as embodiments of kami presence, Shinto suggests a relational ontology where humans exist as participants within, rather than masters over, the natural world. This perspective aligns with emerging ecological philosophies that recognize the intrinsic value and agency of non-human beings and systems.
Beyond abstract concepts, Shinto’s practical traditions demonstrate sustainable human-nature relationships maintained over millennia. The sacred forests (chinju no mori) preserved around shrines throughout Japan represent islands of biodiversity amid developed landscapes. Traditional practices of sustainable forestry, watershed management, and resource harvesting encoded in local shrine rituals and taboos exemplify indigenous ecological knowledge that balanced human needs with ecosystem resilience.
Contemporary environmentalists in Japan increasingly draw on Shinto concepts to articulate ecological ethics relevant to modern challenges. The philosopher Takemura Makio argues that Shinto’s concept of magokoro (sincere heart) forms the basis for an environmental ethic grounded in genuine respect for nature’s inherent value rather than instrumental calculation. Similarly, the concept of kannagara (following the way of the kami) suggests an ethical orientation that aligns human activity with natural patterns rather than imposing artificial systems.
These philosophical resources offer alternatives to both technological optimism and apocalyptic pessimism in addressing environmental crisis. By recognizing the sacred character of natural systems while acknowledging human dependence on and responsibility toward these systems, Shinto suggests a middle path of reverent engagement that neither exploits nor abandons the natural world.
Spiritual Pluralism in a Global Context
As globalization intensifies encounters between diverse traditions, Shinto’s historical experience with syncretism and adaptation offers instructive models for constructive religious interaction. Rather than insisting on exclusive truth claims or doctrinal purity, traditional Japanese religious culture demonstrated remarkable capacity for integrating diverse influences while maintaining distinctive indigenous elements.
This approach suggests a philosophical pluralism that recognizes multiple valid paths to spiritual insight rather than a single universal framework. Contemporary religious scholars like Diana Eck and Raimon Panikkar have advanced similar pluralistic models that may help navigate religious diversity in multicultural societies. Shinto’s practical pluralism, developed through centuries of interaction with Buddhist, Confucian, Daoist, and later Christian traditions, demonstrates how spiritual insights can be preserved and enriched rather than diluted through constructive engagement with difference.
Shinto’s distinctive approach to spirituality—emphasizing direct experience, ritual practice, and natural connection rather than doctrinal adherence or institutional membership—also resonates with contemporary spiritual seekers disenchanted with hierarchical religious structures. The phrase “spiritual but not religious,” increasingly common in Western societies, might find expression in Shinto’s non-dogmatic approach to sacred experience within ordinary life.
Conclusion: The Continuing Relevance of Shinto Wisdom
Shinto represents far more than a cultural curiosity or ethnographic artifact. This living tradition embodies philosophical insights and spiritual practices developed through millennia of human engagement with the sacred dimensions of existence. Its distinctive approach to divinity as immanent presence, its recognition of nature’s inherent value, its sophisticated understanding of ritual and symbolism, and its practical integration of diverse influences all offer valuable perspectives for addressing contemporary challenges.
In an age characterized by environmental crisis, spiritual disenchantment, and cultural fragmentation, Shinto’s vision of sacred interconnection provides conceptual resources for reimagining human relationships with both natural and social worlds. The ancient Shinto saying, “To walk in harmony with the world is to embrace the divine within,” encapsulates a philosophical orientation that recognizes no ultimate separation between spiritual and material dimensions of existence.
This integrated vision suggests that authentic spirituality manifests not through withdrawal from worldly engagement but through mindful participation in natural cycles and communal relationships. By recognizing the sacred character of ordinary existence—the blooming cherry tree, the flowing river, the shared meal, the community gathering—Shinto invites a reenchantment of everyday life that neither denies material reality nor reduces it to mere resource.
As humanity navigates unprecedented planetary challenges in the coming decades, this ancient tradition from the Japanese archipelago may offer unexpected wisdom for creating sustainable relationships between human communities and the living systems upon which they depend. Through its distinctive philosophical insights and embodied practices, Shinto reminds us that reverence for life in all its forms provides both ethical guidance and spiritual fulfillment—a perspective increasingly essential in our fractured and fragile world.
The Series: Major Eastern Philosophies
1. Taoism: A Journey Through Time, Philosophy, and Spirituality
2. Buddhism: Exploring Its Roots, Teachings, and Worldwide Impact
3. Confucianism: Historical Background, Core Ideas, and Influence Today
4. Shinto: From Ancient Beginnings to Modern-Day Importance
5. Muism: Historical Significance and Modern Perspectives
6. Hinduism: A Rich and Varied Philosophical and Spiritual Tradition
7. Jainism: Historical Evolution and Spiritual Relevance
8. Zoroastrianism: The Transition From Polytheism to Monotheism
9. Tenrikyo: A Modern Japanese Philosophical and Spiritual Movement
10. Sikhism: An Alternative Interpretation of Islam and Hinduism
ARE YOU A TRUE SHINTO?
Answer all the questions, choosing one answer for each.
1. In Shinto, what is a kami?
2. What is the role of Izanagi and Izanami in the Shinto religion?
3. One tenet of Shinto emphasizes which type of morality?
4. One recognizable symbol in Shinto is the Torii. What is a Torii?
5. Why are “Kojiki” and “Nihon Shoki” important texts in the Shinto faith?
6. Amaterasu is one of the most important deities in Shinto. Of what is she the goddess?
The correct answers are those that correspond to the letter C. Count the number of times you picked answer C and view your profile below.
0: Shinto is not your thing!
1-2: You are a quite misinformed Shinto
3-4: You are an evolving Shinto
5-6: You are a true expert on Shinto!
