What is a traditional Japanese religion?

Shintoism : Beyond Religious Tradition

Japan had adapted many religions that originated in other countries throughout its colorful history . However , Japan developed its own unique path , closely tied to nature and the unseen world . They call this religious tradition Shinto . Believers of Shintoism hold true self-conscious religious tradition but rather an overarching label applied to ways of honoring the spirits in nature that have evolved since ancient times in Japan . These ways have at times been combined with imperial myths supporting the worldly rulers (Bocking , 1996

ites of Emperor Y ?mei that

he `had faith in the Buddhist Dharma and revered Shinto (Satoshi , Jun Mizue , 2003 ,

. 1 . Only during the medieval and early modern periods that `Shinto ' was applied to specific theological and ritual systems . In modern scholarship , the term is often used with reference to kami worship and related theologies , rituals and practices . In these contexts , `Shinto ' takes on the meaning of `Japan 's traditional religion , as opposed to foreign religions such as Christianity , Buddhism , Islam and so forth

On the other side , Buddhism is officially introduced to Japan by Korea in the mid-sixth century , and in the eighth century , it was adopted as the national religion . Buddhism has a strong influence in Japan 's fine arts , social institutions and philosophy , and most Japanese consider themselves members of one of the major Buddhist sects . As inclusive religions , both Buddhist and Shinto rituals are observed by most Japanese who use the former for funerals and the latter for births marriages and other occasion (Kim , 1997 ,

. 503

Shaped by the amalgamation of beliefs , modern Japanese who are religious combine practices from several religions , for each offers something different . Confucianism informs organizations and ethics , Buddhism and Christianity offer ways of understanding suffering and the afterlife traditional veneration of ancestors links the living to their family history , and the way called Shinto ' harmonizes people with the natural world

The Essence of Shinto

The spiritual heart of Shinto has no founder , no orthodox canon of sacred literature , and no explicit code of ethical requirements . It is so deep-seated and ancient that the symbolic meanings of many of its elaborate rituals have been forgotten by those who practice them . It seems to have begun as the local religion of agricultural communities and had no name until Buddhism was imported in the sixth century . To distinguish the indigenous Japanese way from the foreign one , the former was labeled shin (divine being ) do (way . During one period it was used by the central government to inspire nationalism , but since the forced separation of church and state after World War II Shinto has quietly returned to its roots . They can be described through three central aspects of the path : affinity with natural beauty , harmony with the spirits , and purification rituals (Yamamoto 1987 ,

. 75

In the field of Religious Studies , Shinto is usually described as an `indigenous religion ' -- this term is meant a religion that emerged naturally within the historical development of an indigenous culture , in...