Shintoism(from the Japanese Shinto - way of the gods) is the national religion of Japan. It refers to polytheism and is based on the worship of numerous deities and spirits of the dead. From 1868 to 1945 it was the state religion. After defeat in World War II, the Emperor of Japan renounced his divine origin, but since 1967, the holiday of the founding of the empire began to be celebrated again.

Shintoism little known compared to other religions, but many people know torii- gates in Shinto shrines, some even have an idea of ​​​​the unique decorations that decorate the roofs of Japanese temples. However, for everyone, with rare exceptions, both the temples into which the torii gates lead and the religion they symbolize remain a mystery.

This religious teaching is based on an animalistic representation of the world. Animalism means the animation of everything that exists, from man to stone. According to the doctrine, there are patron spirits - gods ( kami), which dominate some area: forest, mountain, river, lake. It is also believed that they can patronize a certain family, clan or just a person, and be embodied in various objects. In total there are about 8 million. kami.

Temple worship began after the arrival in Japan Buddhism in the 6th century, which had a strong influence on this religion, and also eliminated the monopoly position Shintoism. During the heyday of Japanese feudalism (10th-16th centuries) Buddhism played a predominant role in the religious life of the country, many Japanese began to profess two religions (for example, marriages, the birth of a child, local holidays were usually celebrated in a Shinto shrine, and the funeral cult was performed mainly according to the rules of Buddhism).

There are now approximately 80,000 Shito shrines in Japan.

The main sources of Shinto mythology are collections of " Kojiki"(Records of Ancient Affairs) and " Nihongi"(Annals of Japan), created, respectively, in 712 and 720 AD. They included combined and revised tales that had previously been passed down orally from generation to generation..

Shinto states that at first there was a chaos containing all the elements that were mixed and blurred into an indeterminate formless mass, but then the chaos divided and Takama-nohara (High Sky Plain) and the Akitsushima Islands were formed. Then the first 5 gods appeared, who gave birth to all the other gods, living beings and created this world.

The Sun Goddess holds a special place in worship Amaterasu, who is considered the Supreme Deity, and her descendant Jimmu. Jimmu considered the ancestor of the Japanese emperors. February 11, 660 BC Jimmu, according to myths, ascended the throne.

The philosophy of Shintoism states that in every emperor there live gods who guide all their activities. That's why there are imperial dynasties in Japan. The philosophical schools of Shinto form another part of the ideology - kokutai (body of the state), according to which deities live in every Japanese person, exercising their will through him. The special divine spirit of the Japanese people and its superiority over all others are openly proclaimed. Therefore, Japan is given a special place and its superiority over all other states is proclaimed.

The main principle Shinto is living in harmony with nature and people. According to views Shinto, the world is a single natural environment where kami, people, the souls of the dead live nearby.

Purification rites are of great importance in Shintoism ( harai), which appeared under the influence Buddhism. The main concept of these rituals is to eliminate everything unnecessary, superficial, everything that prevents a person from perceiving the world around him as it really is. The heart of a person who has purified himself is like a mirror; it reflects the world in all its manifestations and becomes the heart kami. A person who has a divine heart lives in harmony with the world and the gods, and the country where people strive for purification prospers. At the same time, with traditional Shinto attitude towards rituals, real action is put in first place, and not ostentatious religious zeal and prayers. That is why there is almost no furniture in Japanese homes and every house, if possible, is decorated with a small garden or pond.

In a broad sense, Shintoism there is more than just religion. This is a fusion of views, ideas and spiritual methods that over more than two millennia have become an integral part of the path of the Japanese people. Shintoism formed over many centuries under the influence of various merging ethnic and cultural traditions, both indigenous and foreign, and thanks to it the country achieved unity under the rule of the imperial family.

Shintoism, Shinto (Japanese 神道, Shinto, “way of the gods”) is the traditional religion of Japan. Based on the animistic beliefs of the ancient Japanese, the objects of worship are numerous deities and spirits of the dead. In its development it experienced a significant influence of Buddhism. There is another form of Shinto called the "thirteen sects". In the period before the end of World War II, this type of Shinto had distinctive features from the state one in its legal status, organization, property, and rituals. Sectarian Shintoism is heterogeneous. This type of Shintoism was characterized by moral purification, Confucian ethics, the deification of mountains, the practice of miraculous healings, and the revival of ancient Shinto rites.

Shinto philosophy.
The basis of Shinto is the deification and worship of natural forces and phenomena. It is believed that everything that exists on Earth is, to one degree or another, animate, deified, even those things that we are accustomed to consider inanimate - for example, a stone or a tree. Each thing has its own spirit, a deity - kami. Some kami are spirits of the area, others personify natural phenomena and are patrons of families and clans. Other kami represent global natural phenomena, such as Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess. Shinto includes magic, totemism, and belief in the effectiveness of various talismans and amulets. The main principle of Shinto is to live in harmony with nature and people. According to Shinto beliefs, the world is a single natural environment where kami, people, and the souls of the dead live side by side. Life is a natural and eternal cycle of birth and death, through which everything in the world is constantly renewed. Therefore, people do not need to seek salvation in another world; they should achieve harmony with the kami in this life.
Goddess Amaterasu.

History of Shintoism.
Origin.
Shinto, as a religious philosophy, is a development of the animistic beliefs of the ancient inhabitants of the Japanese islands. There are several versions of the origin of Shinto: the export of this religion at the dawn of our era from continental states (ancient China and Korea), the emergence of Shinto directly on the Japanese Islands since the time of Jomon, etc. It can be noted that animist beliefs are typical of all known cultures at a certain stage of development , but of all any large and civilized states, only in Japan were they not forgotten over time, but became, only partially modified, the basis of the state religion.
An association.
The formation of Shinto as the national and state religion of the Japanese dates back to the period of the 7th-8th centuries AD. e., when the country was united under the rule of the rulers of the central Yamato region. In the process of unifying Shinto, a system of mythology was canonized, in which the sun goddess Amaterasu, declared the ancestor of the ruling imperial dynasty, was at the top of the hierarchy, and local and clan gods took a subordinate position. The Taihoryo code of laws, which appeared in 701, approved this provision and established the jingikan, the main administrative body, which was in charge of all issues related to religious beliefs and ceremonies. An official list of state religious holidays was established.
Empress Genmei ordered the compilation of a collection of myths of all the peoples living on the Japanese Islands. According to this order, in 712 the chronicle “Records of Ancient Deeds” (Japanese: 古事記, Kojiki) was created, and in 720, “Annals of Japan” (Japanese: 日本書紀, Nihon Shoki or Nihongi). These mythological codes became the main texts in Shinto, some semblance of sacred scripture. When compiling them, the mythology was somewhat corrected in the spirit of the national unification of all Japanese and the justification of the power of the ruling dynasty. In 947, the code “Engishiki” (“Code of Rituals of the Engi Period”) appeared, containing a detailed presentation of the ritual part of state Shinto - the order of rituals, the necessary accessories for them, lists of gods for each temple, texts of prayers. Finally, in 1087, an official list of state temples supported by the imperial house was approved. State temples were divided into three groups: the first included seven sanctuaries directly associated with the gods of the imperial dynasty, the second included seven temples of greatest importance from the point of view of history and mythology, and the third included eight temples of the most influential clan and local gods.

Shintoism and Buddhism.
Already the initial unification of Shinto into a single national religion took place under the strong influence of Buddhism, which penetrated Japan in the 6th-7th centuries. Since Buddhism was very popular among the Japanese aristocracy, everything was done to prevent inter-religious conflicts. At first, kami were declared the patrons of Buddhism; later, some kami began to be associated with Buddhist saints. Ultimately, the idea developed that kami, like people, may need salvation, which is achieved in accordance with Buddhist canons.
Shinto shrine.

Buddhist temple.

Buddhist temples began to be located on the territory of Shinto temple complexes, where appropriate rituals were held; Buddhist sutras were read directly in Shinto shrines. The influence of Buddhism especially began to manifest itself starting from the 9th century, when Buddhism became the state religion of Japan. At this time, many cult elements from Buddhism were transferred to Shintoism. Images of Buddhas and bodhisattvas began to appear in Shinto shrines, new holidays began to be celebrated, details of rituals, ritual objects, and architectural features of temples were borrowed. Mixed Shinto-Buddhist teachings emerged, such as Sanno-Shinto and Ryobu-Shinto, which consider kami as manifestations of the Buddhist Vairocana - “the Buddha who permeates the entire Universe.”
In ideological terms, the influence of Buddhism was manifested in the fact that in Shinto there appeared the concept of achieving harmony with the kami through purification, which meant the elimination of everything unnecessary, superficial, everything that prevents a person from perceiving the world around him as it really is. The heart of a person who has purified himself is like a mirror; it reflects the world in all its manifestations and becomes the heart of a kami. A person who has a divine heart lives in harmony with the world and the gods, and the country where people strive for purification prospers. At the same time, with the traditional Shinto attitude to rituals, real action was put in first place, and not ostentatious religious zeal and prayers:
“It can be said that a person will find harmony with the deities and the Buddha if his heart is straight and calm, if he himself honestly and sincerely respects those above him and shows compassion for those below him, if he considers the existing existing, and non-existent - non-existent and accept things as they are. And then a person will gain the protection and patronage of the deities, even if he does not perform prayers. But if he is not straightforward and sincere, heaven will leave him even if he prays every day." - Hojo Nagauji.

Shintoism and the Japanese state.
Despite the fact that Buddhism remained the state religion of Japan until 1868, Shinto not only did not disappear, but all this time continued to play the role of the ideological basis uniting Japanese society. Despite the respect shown to Buddhist temples and monks, the majority of the Japanese population continued to practice Shinto. The myth of the direct divine descent of the imperial dynasty from the kami continued to be cultivated. In the 14th century, it was further developed in Kitabatake Chikafusa’s treatise “Jino Shotoki” (“Record of the True Genealogy of the Divine Emperors”), which asserted the chosenness of the Japanese nation. Kitabatake Chikafusa argued that the kami continue to live in the emperors, so that the country is governed in accordance with the divine will. After the period of feudal wars, the unification of the country carried out by Tokugawa Ieyasu and the establishment of military rule led to the strengthening of Shinto's position. The myth of the divinity of the imperial house became one of the factors ensuring the integrity of the united state. The fact that the emperor did not actually rule the country did not matter - it was believed that the Japanese emperors entrusted the administration of the country to the rulers of the Tokugawa clan. In the 17th-18th centuries, under the influence of the works of many theorists, including followers of Confucianism, the doctrine of kokutai (literally “body of the state”) emerged. According to this teaching, kami live in all Japanese people and act through them. The Emperor is the living embodiment of the goddess Amaterasu, and should be revered along with the gods. Japan is a family state in which subjects are distinguished by filial piety towards the emperor, and the emperor is distinguished by parental love for his subjects. Thanks to this, the Japanese nation is the chosen one, superior to all others in strength of spirit and has a certain higher purpose.
After the restoration of imperial power in 1868, the emperor was immediately officially proclaimed the living god on Earth, and Shinto received the status of a compulsory state religion. The emperor was also the high priest. All Shinto temples were united into a single system with a clear hierarchy: the highest position was occupied by the imperial temples, first of all the Ise temple, where Amaterasu was revered, then the state, prefectural, district, and village ones. When freedom of religion was established in Japan in 1882, Shinto nevertheless retained its status as the official state religion. Its teaching was compulsory in all educational institutions. Holidays were introduced in honor of the imperial family: the day of the emperor's accession to the throne, the birthday of Emperor Jimmu, the day of remembrance of Emperor Jimmu, the day of remembrance of the father of the reigning emperor, and others. On such days, educational institutions performed a ritual of worshiping the emperor and empress, which took place in front of portraits of rulers with the singing of the national anthem. Shinto lost its state status in 1947, after the adoption of a new constitution for the country, formed under the control of the occupying American authorities. The Emperor ceased to be considered a living god and high priest, remaining only as a symbol of the unity of the Japanese people. State churches lost their support and special position. Shintoism became one of the religions widespread in Japan.

A Japanese samurai prepared to perform the ritual of seppuku (harakiri). This ritual was carried out by ripping open the abdomen with a sharp wakajishi blade.

Mythology of Shintoism.
The main sources of Shinto mythology are the aforementioned collections “Kojiki” and “Nihongi”, created, respectively, in 712 and 720 AD. They included combined and revised tales that had previously been passed down orally from generation to generation. In records from the Kojiki and Nihongi, experts note the influence of Chinese culture, mythology, and philosophy. The events described in most myths take place in the so-called “era of the gods” - the period from the emergence of the world to the time immediately preceding the creation of collections. Myths do not determine the duration of the era of the gods. At the end of the era of the gods, the era of the reign of emperors - the descendants of the gods - begins. Stories about events during the reign of ancient emperors complete the collection of myths. Both collections describe the same myths, often in different forms. In Nihongi, in addition, each myth is accompanied by a list of several variants in which it occurs. The first stories tell about the origin of the world. According to them, the world was originally in a state of chaos, containing all the elements in a mixed, formless state. At some point, the primordial chaos was divided and Takama-nohara (High Sky Plain) and the Akitsushima Islands were formed. At the same time, the first gods arose (they are called differently in different collections), and after them divine couples began to appear. In each such pair there was a man and a woman - brother and sister, personifying various natural phenomena. Very indicative for understanding the Shinto worldview is the story of Izanagi and Izanami - the last of the divine couples to appear. They created the island of Onnogoro - the Middle Pillar of the Whole Earth, and married each other, becoming husband and wife. From this marriage came the Japanese islands and many kami who populated this land. Izanami, having given birth to the god of Fire, fell ill and after some time died and went to the Land of Darkness. In desperation, Izanagi cut off the head of the Fire God, and new generations of kami arose from his blood. The grieving Izanagi followed his wife to return her to the world of High Sky, but found Izanami in a terrible state, decomposing, was horrified by what he saw and fled from the Land of Darkness, blocking the entrance to it with a rock. Enraged by his flight, Izanami promised to kill a thousand people a day; in response, Izanagi said that he would build huts every day for one and a half thousand women in labor. This story perfectly conveys the Shinto ideas about life and death: everything is mortal, even the gods, and there is no point in trying to bring back the dead, but life conquers death through the rebirth of all living things. From the time described in the myth of Izanagi and Izanami, myths begin to mention people. Thus, Shinto mythology dates the appearance of people to the time when the Japanese islands first appeared. But the very moment of the appearance of people in myths is not specifically noted; there is no separate myth about the creation of man, since Shinto ideas generally do not make a strict distinction between people and kami.
Returning from the Land of Darkness, Izanagi purified himself by washing in the waters of the river. When he performed ablution, many kami appeared from his clothes, jewelry, and drops of water flowing from him. Among others, from the drops that washed Izanagi’s left eye, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu appeared, to whom Izanagi gave the High Sky Plain. From the drops of water that washed the nose - the god of storm and wind Susanoo, who received the Plain of the Sea under his power. Having received parts of the World under their power, the gods began to quarrel. The first was the conflict between Susanoo and Amaterasu - the brother, having visited his sister in her domain, behaved violently and unrestrainedly, and in the end Amaterasu locked herself in a heavenly grotto, bringing darkness to the world. The gods (according to another version of the myth - people) lured Amaterasu out of the grotto with the help of birdsong, dancing and loud laughter. Susanoo made an atoning sacrifice, but was still expelled from the High Sky Plain and settled in the country of Izumo - the western part of the island of Honshu.
After the story of the return of Amaterasu, the myths cease to be consistent and begin to describe separate, unrelated plots. They all talk about the struggle of kami with each other for dominion over a particular territory. One of the myths tells how Amaterasu's grandson, Ninigi, came to earth to rule the peoples of Japan. Together with him, five more deities went to earth, giving rise to the five most influential clans of Japan. Another myth says that a descendant of Niniga, Iwarehiko (who bore the name Jimmu during his lifetime), undertook a campaign from the island of Kyushu to Honshu (the central island of Japan) and subjugated all of Japan, thus founding an empire and becoming the first emperor. This myth is one of the few that has a date; it dates the Jimmu campaign to 660 BC. e., although modern researchers believe that the events reflected in it actually took place no earlier than the 3rd century AD. It is on these myths that the thesis about the divine origin of the imperial family is based. They also became the basis for the Japanese national holiday - Kigensetsu, the day of the founding of the empire, celebrated on February 11.

Cult of Shintoism.
Temples.
A Shinto temple or shrine is a place where rituals are performed in honor of the gods. There are temples dedicated to several gods, temples that honor the spirits of the dead of a particular clan, and the Yasukuni Shrine honors Japanese military personnel who died for Japan and the emperor. But most shrines are dedicated to one specific kami.
Unlike most world religions, in which they try, if possible, to preserve old ritual buildings unchanged and build new ones in accordance with the old canons, in Shinto, in accordance with the principle of universal renewal, which is life, there is a tradition of constant renovation of temples. The shrines of the Shinto gods are regularly updated and rebuilt, and changes are made to their architecture. Thus, Ise temples, which were previously imperial, are reconstructed every 20 years. Therefore, it is now difficult to say what exactly the Shinto shrines of antiquity were like; we only know that the tradition of constructing such shrines appeared no later than the 6th century.

Part of the Toshogu Temple complex.

Temple complex to Oedipus.

Typically, a temple complex consists of two or more buildings located in a picturesque area, “integrated” into the natural landscape. The main building, the honden, is intended for the deity. It contains an altar where the shintai - “the body of the kami” - is kept, an object that is believed to be inhabited by the spirit of the kami. Shintai can be different objects: a wooden tablet with the name of a deity, a stone, a tree branch. Xingtai is not shown to believers; it is always hidden. Since the soul of a kami is inexhaustible, its simultaneous presence in the shintai of many temples is not considered something strange or illogical. There are usually no images of gods inside the temple, but there may be images of animals associated with a particular deity. If the temple is dedicated to the deity of the area where it is built (kami mountains, groves), then the honden may not be built, since the kami is already present in the place where the temple is built. In addition to the honden, the temple usually contains a haiden - a hall for worshipers. In addition to the main buildings, the temple complex may include a shinsenjo - a room for preparing sacred food, a haraijyo - a place for spells, a kaguraden - a stage for dancing, as well as other auxiliary buildings. All buildings of the temple complex are maintained in the same architectural style. There are several traditional styles in which temple buildings are built. In all cases, the main buildings have the shape of a rectangle, at the corners of which there are vertical wooden pillars supporting the roof. In some cases, a honden and a haiden may stand close to each other, with a common roof being built for both buildings. The floor of the main temple buildings is always raised above the ground, so a staircase leads into the temple. A veranda can be attached to the entrance. There are sanctuaries without buildings at all; they are a rectangular area with wooden pillars at the corners. The pillars are connected by a rope of straw, and in the center of the sanctuary there is a tree, stone or wooden post. In front of the entrance to the territory of the sanctuary there is at least one torii - structures similar to gates without doors. The torii is considered the gateway to the place that belongs to the kami, where the gods can manifest and communicate with them. There can be one tori, but there can be a large number of them. It is believed that a person who has successfully completed some truly large-scale undertaking must donate a torii to some temple. A path leads from the torii to the entrance to the honden, next to which there are stone basins for washing hands and mouth. In front of the entrance to the temple, as well as in other places where it is believed that kami are constantly present or may appear, shimenawa - thick ropes of rice straw - are hung.

Rituals.
The basis of the Shinto cult is the veneration of the kami, to whom the temple is dedicated. For this purpose, rituals are performed with the goal of establishing and maintaining a connection between believers and kami, entertaining the kami, and giving him pleasure. It is believed that this allows one to hope for his mercy and protection. The system of cult rituals has been developed quite meticulously. It includes the ritual of a single prayer of a parishioner, his participation in collective temple actions - purification (harai), sacrifice (shinsen), prayer (norito), libation (naorai), as well as complex rituals of matsuri temple festivals. According to Shinto beliefs, death, disease and blood violate the purity that is necessary for visiting the temple. Therefore, patients suffering from bleeding wounds, as well as those in grief after the death of loved ones, cannot visit the temple and participate in religious ceremonies, although they are not forbidden to pray at home or anywhere else.
The prayer ritual that is performed by those who come to churches is very simple. A coin is thrown into a wooden lattice box in front of the altar, then, standing in front of the altar, they “attract the attention” of the deity by clapping their hands several times, after which they pray. Individual prayers do not have established forms and texts; a person simply mentally addresses the kami with what he wants to tell him. Sometimes it happens that a parishioner reads a prepared prayer, but usually this is not done. It is characteristic that an ordinary believer says his prayers either very quietly or even mentally - only a priest can pray out loud when he performs an “official” ritual prayer. Shinto does not require the believer to visit temples frequently; participation in major temple festivals is quite enough, and the rest of the time a person can pray at home or in any other place where he deems it right. To offer prayer at home, a kamidana is set up - a home altar. A kamidana is a small shelf decorated with branches of pine or the sacred sakaki tree, usually placed above the door of the guest room in the house. Talismans bought in temples, or simply tablets with the names of the deities that the believer worships, are placed on the kamidana. Offerings are also placed there: usually sake and rice cakes. Prayer is performed in the same way as in a temple: the believer stands in front of the kamidan, clapping his hands several times to attract the kami, after which he silently communicates with him. The harai ritual consists of washing the mouth and hands with water. In addition, there is a procedure for mass ablution, which consists of sprinkling the believers with salt water and sprinkling with salt. The shinsen ritual is an offering to the temple of rice, clean water, rice cakes (“mochi”), and various gifts. The Naorai ritual usually consists of a communal meal of worshipers who eat and drink part of the edible offerings and thus, as it were, touch the kami's meal. Ritual prayers - norito - are read by the priest, who, as it were, acts as an intermediary between the person and the kami. A special part of the Shinto cult are holidays - matsuri. They are held once or twice a year and usually relate either to the history of the sanctuary or to the mythology surrounding the events that led to its creation. Many people are involved in the preparation and execution of matsuri. In order to organize a magnificent celebration, they collect donations, turn to the support of other temples and widely use the help of young participants. The temple is cleaned and decorated with branches of the sakaki tree. In large temples, a certain part of the time is allocated for the performance of sacred “kagura” dances. The central point of the celebration is the carrying out of the o-mikoshi, a palanquin representing a small image of a Shinto shrine. A symbolic object is placed in the o-mikoshi, decorated with gilded carvings. It is believed that in the process of moving the palanquin, the kami moves into it and sanctifies all participants in the ceremony and those who come to the celebration.

Gardens of the Spirit: Kodaiji Temple.

Clergymen.
Shinto priests are called kannushi. Nowadays, all kannusi are divided into three categories: clergy of the highest rank - the main priests of temples - are called guji, priests of the second and third ranks, respectively, negi and gonegi. In the old days, there were significantly more ranks and titles of priests, in addition, since the knowledge and position of the Kannusi were inherited, there were many clans of clergy. In addition to kannushi, kannushi’s assistants, miko, can take part in Shinto rituals. In large temples there are several kannusi, and in addition to them there are also musicians, dancers, and various employees who constantly work at the temples. In small sanctuaries, especially in rural areas, there may be only one kannusi for several temples, and he often combines the occupation of a priest with some kind of regular work - a teacher, an employee or an entrepreneur. The kannushi ritual attire consists of a white kimono, a pleated skirt (white or colored) and a black cap. They wear it only for religious ceremonies; in ordinary life, Kannusi wear ordinary clothes.
Kannusi.

Shintoism in modern Japan.
Shinto is a deeply national Japanese religion and, in a sense, personifies the Japanese nation, its customs, character and culture. The centuries-old cultivation of Shinto as the main ideological system and source of rituals has led to the fact that at present a significant part of the Japanese perceive rituals, holidays, traditions, life attitudes, and the rules of Shinto as not elements of a religious cult, but the cultural traditions of their people. This situation gives rise to a paradoxical situation: on the one hand, literally the entire life of Japan, all its traditions are permeated with Shinto, on the other hand, only a few Japanese consider themselves adherents of Shinto. In Japan today there are about 80 thousand Shinto shrines and two Shinto universities where Shinto clergy are trained: Kokugakuin in Tokyo and Kagakkan in Ise. In temples, prescribed rituals are regularly performed and holidays are held. Major Shinto holidays are very colorful and are accompanied, depending on the traditions of a particular province, by torchlight processions, fireworks, costumed military parades, and sports competitions. The Japanese, even those who are not religious or belong to other faiths, take part in these holidays en masse.
Modern Shinto priest.

The Golden Hall of Toshunji Temple is the tomb of representatives of the Fujiwara clan.

Itsukushima Shrine complex on Miyajima Island (Hiroshima Prefecture).

Todaiji Monastery. Big Buddha Hall.

Ancient Shinto shrine Izumo Taisha.

Horyuji Temple [Temple of the Prosperity of the Law] in Ikaruga.

An ancient pavilion in the inner garden of a Shinto shrine.

Temple of Hoodo (Phoenix). Buddhist monastery Byodoin (Kyoto Prefecture).

O. Bali, Temple on Lake Bratan.

Kofukuji Temple Pagoda.

Toshodaiji Temple - the main temple of the Ritsu school of Buddhism

Sites worth visiting.

Introduction

When choosing a topic for an essay, I was faced with the problem of the subject of research. It seems that we already know a lot about the three major religions of the world, so I would like to cover some of the minor religions, and therefore my choice was Shinto. I was interested in who the “Kami” were and why Shintoism is the national religion of Japan.

The purpose of this work is to reveal the features of Shintoism and its role in Japanese culture. The main components of the Japanese national religion are the cult of ancestors (Shinto) and the deification of spirits (kami). This religion is called Shintoism. Shintoism ("way of the gods") is a traditional religion of Japan, which is based on the animistic beliefs of the ancient Japanese, the objects of worship of which are numerous deities and spirits of the dead. Shintoism experienced significant influence from Buddhism in its development. From 1868 to 1945 Shintoism was the state religion of Japan.

The relevance of this topic lies in the fact that the importance of Japan at the moment is incredibly great. In order to understand Japanese culture, it is necessary to understand the meaning and specificity of Shinto, which is an integral part of Japanese culture.

In my essay I will consider two questions, such as:

a.) Shintoism is the religion of Japan;

b.) History and mythology of Shintoism;

In the first question, I want to talk about the Japanese religion - Shintoism, as well as its principles and features.

In the second question, I would like to reveal its main historical stages, as well as talk about the mythology of Shintoism and its main ceremonies and rituals.

Shinto is a deeply national Japanese religion and, in a sense, personifies the Japanese nation, its customs, character and culture. The centuries-old cultivation of Shinto as the main ideological system and source of rituals has led to the fact that at present a significant part of the Japanese perceive rituals, holidays, traditions, life attitudes, and the rules of Shinto as not elements of a religious cult, but the cultural traditions of their people. This situation gives rise to a paradoxical situation: on the one hand, literally the entire life of Japan, all its traditions are permeated with Shinto, on the other hand, only a few Japanese consider themselves adherents of Shinto.

The study of Shinto is very important for employees of the Internal Affairs Bodies. The police often have to interact with people of this faith, and therefore a modern police officer needs to know the basic principles, concepts and features of this religion for a correct and tactful dialogue with adherents of Shintoism.

Therefore, the goal of my work is to reveal the features of Shintoism and understand its role in the formation of Japanese culture.

Shintoism japanese culture belief

Shintoism - religion of Japan

Shinto (“the way of the gods”), Shintoism is the national polytheistic religion of Japan, based on the totemistic ideas of antiquity, incorporating the cult of ancestors and developing under the influence of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.

Before we begin to analyze the concept of Shinto in Japanese culture, it is necessary to clarify a number of points related to the Japanese global understanding of the world. The first point is related to religiosity in the Japanese tradition. In this country, however, as in China and India, there is no concept of belonging to only one religious tradition. It is considered normal if a person simultaneously worships Shinto, Buddhist, and Taoist deities. In addition, all possible and existing religious cults in Japan are closely intertwined with each other. For example, the norm is to worship the kami by reciting Buddhist prayers before them, or to use Taoist fortune-telling practice at a Shinto festival.

The second point concerns the influence of Chinese culture on Japanese culture. They are often mixed or equated with each other, described as a Chinese-Japanese tradition. Although this expression can still be called more or less correct, nevertheless, it is worth clearly separating these two positions. Of course, Chinese culture had a strong influence on the Japanese tradition (at least hieroglyphic writing), but there is one very significant difference. His philosophical and religious theories are of a long-term nature, while the Japanese tradition, limited to the islands, has learned to seek meaning in the moment, here and now. This is the essence and root of their differences, which gives rise to other aspects.

The essence of Shintoism is that the Japanese believe in the existence of kami - deities, spirits inhabiting this world. It was created by them, like the Japanese islands, and the emperor is a direct descendant of the kami. Therefore, these mythological ideas formed the Japanese view of Japan as a sacred country, ruled by a sacred emperor and inhabited by people who have a special relationship with the kami.

The Shinto religion grew out of the ancient religious views of the Japanese, especially that set of beliefs and rituals that were associated with the deification of the forces of nature - the cult of the kami, but at the same time Shintoism quite freely absorbed Chinese and Buddhist influences. Gradually, Shinto combined in its teachings the ethical principles of Confucianism, the magical calendar and the associated beliefs of Taoism, as well as the philosophical concepts and ritual practices of Buddhists. As already mentioned, the word "Shinto" itself literally means "the path of many kami (spirits or deities)", and usually these kami either contributed to the emergence of various natural phenomena, or themselves acted in the forms of natural nature. The power of the kami, being a force that resides simultaneously outside and inside this world, was considered contained in various objects of the surrounding nature. Nature is not the creation of God’s hands, but it itself is often portrayed as the bearer of the divine principle. Kami are traditionally seen both as the force behind the landscape and as the force of political unity between the state and its people. Shintoism is a way of life according to the belief in kami. Individual Japanese families and entire villages, which were a community of several families living together, revered local kami as givers of grace, sanctifying farming (especially rice growing) and other aspects of their living together, and the emperor, as the personification of power and statehood, performed every season certain rituals that help spread the grace of the kami to the entire population of Japan.

One of the characteristic features of Shintoism is the very close and intimate relationship that exists between kami and people. In fact, kami can even merge with humans, as exemplified by the divine figure of the emperor or the holy founders of new religious movements. Kami exist everywhere, filling the surrounding landscape and inhabiting human homes. Kami are characterized not only by holiness, but also by purity, so people, before approaching the kami, must undergo a purification ceremony, which can be performed at home, in the sanctuary, and on the street. As a rule, the kami are not designated in any way (statue or image), they are simply implied, and in special cases, Shinto priests resort to special prescribed prayers (norito) to call the kami to the place of assembly of believers and transmit to them the power emanating from the kami. The home in which a Japanese family lives is itself a sacred place, which is partly facilitated by the presence of a kami in it. According to tradition, in the central part of the house there was a special shelf called kamidana (“kami’s shelf”). A miniature Shinto-type shrine was set up here, where food offerings were made every morning and every evening. In this symbolic way, the presence of kami in the house was ensured, to whom one could turn for help and protection.

Judging by early literary texts, the ancient Japanese considered the dead to be in the same world as the living. They treated their dead fellow tribesmen as if they were leaving for some other world, where the people and objects around them had to follow to accompany the dead. Both were made of clay and were buried in abundance along with the deceased (these ceramic products are called haniwa).

The objects of Shinto cult are both objects and natural phenomena, and the souls of the deceased, including the souls of ancestors - patrons of families, clans, and individual localities. The supreme deity ("kami") of Shintoism is considered to be Amaterasu Omikami (the Great Sacred Goddess Shining in the Sky), from whom, according to Shinto mythology, the imperial family originates. The main specific feature of Shintoism is deep nationalism. “Kami” did not give birth to people in general, but specifically to the Japanese. They are intimately connected with the Japanese nation, which is therefore distinguished by its unique character.

The most ancient forms of beliefs, such as magic, totemism, and fetishism, have been preserved and continue to live in Shinto. Unlike many other religions, Shinto cannot name its specific founder - either a person or a deity. In this religion there are no clear distinctions between humans and kami. People, according to Shinto, descended directly from kami, live in the same world with kami and can become kami after death, therefore Shinto does not promise salvation in some other world, but considers the harmonious existence of a person with the outside world, in a spiritual environment, as an ideal .

Another feature of Shinto is the many rituals that have remained virtually unchanged over the centuries. At the same time, Shinto dogma occupies a very insignificant place in comparison with ritual. In the beginning there were no dogmas in Shinto. Over time, under the influence of religious teachings borrowed from the continent, individual clergy tried to create dogmas. However, the result was only a synthesis of Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian ideas. They existed independently of the Shinto religion, the main content of which remains rituals to this day.

Unlike other religions, Shinto does not contain moral principles. The place of ideas about goodness and evil here is taken by the concepts of pure and unclean. If a person has “dirty”, that is, done something inappropriate, he must go through a cleansing ritual. The real sin of Shinto is considered to be a violation of the world order - tsumi, and a person will have to pay for such a sin after death. He goes to the Land of Darkness and there leads a painful existence surrounded by evil spirits. But there is no developed teaching about the afterlife, hell, heaven or the Last Judgment in Shinto. Death is seen as the inevitable extinction of vital forces, which are then reborn again. The Shinto religion teaches that the souls of the dead are somewhere nearby and are not fenced off in any way from the human world. For a Shinto follower, all major events take place in this world, which is considered to be the best of all worlds.

A follower of this religion is not required to perform daily prayers or frequent visits to the temple. It is quite enough to participate in temple festivals and perform traditional rituals associated with important life events. Therefore, the Japanese themselves often perceive Shinto as a set of national customs and traditions. In principle, nothing prevents a Shintoist from professing another religion or even considering himself an atheist. And yet, the performance of Shinto rituals is inseparable from the daily life of a Japanese person from the moment of his birth until his death, it’s just that for the most part the rituals are not considered as a manifestation of religiosity.

In Japan, there are about 80 thousand Shinto shrines (jinja), in which over 27 thousand clergy (kannushi) perform rites. While large temples are served by dozens of kannusi, several dozen small ones have one priest each. Most kannushi combine service to Shinto with secular pursuits, working as teachers, employees of local municipalities and other institutions. Jinja, as a rule, consists of two parts: a honden, where an object symbolizing the object of worship (shintai) is kept, and a haiden - a hall for worshipers. A mandatory attribute of a jinja is a U-shaped arch, a torii, installed in front of it.

The main source of income for large temples are traditional New Year's pilgrimages, when the number of visitors to each of them ranges from hundreds of thousands to millions. Trade in amulets, spells, and fortune telling also brings substantial profits. At the same time, some of them “specialize” in preventing road accidents, others “protect” from fires, others “ensure” passing exams for educational institutions, etc. The halls for wedding ceremonies run by temples also bring impressive income to the Shinto clergy.

Shinto cult is not limited to Jinja. Its object can be any object, the “holiness” of which is indicated by a rope woven from rice straw - shimenawa. Many families have home altars - kamidana, in which tablets with the names of ancestors serve as objects of veneration.

The Shinto ritual begins with purification, which consists of washing the mouth and hands with water. Its obligatory element is the reading of prayers addressed to the deity. The ceremony ends with a ritual during which the kannusi and the believers drink a sip of rice mash, which symbolizes eating “together with the deity” the offerings made to him.

From 1868 to 1945 Shintoism was the state religion of Japan. The foundations of Shintoism are laid in the mythology of Shintoism.

Ancient Shinto myths retained their own, actually Japanese, version of ideas about the creation of the world. According to him, there were originally two gods, more precisely, a god and a goddess, Izanagi and Izanami. However, it was not their union that gave birth to all living things: Izanami died when she tried to give birth to her first child, the deity of fire. The saddened Izanagi wanted to save his wife from the underground kingdom of the dead, but was unsuccessful. Then he had to make do alone: ​​from his left eye the sun goddess Amaterasu was born, whose descendants were destined to take the place of the emperors of Japan.

The Shinto pantheon is huge, and its growth, as was the case in Hinduism or Taoism, was not controlled or limited. Over time, the primitive shamans and heads of clans who performed cults and rituals were replaced by special priests, kannusi (“masters of spirits,” “kami masters”), whose positions were, as a rule, hereditary. Small temples were built to perform rituals, prayers and sacrifices, many of which were regularly rebuilt, erected in a new place almost every twenty years (it was believed that this was the period of time that it was pleasant for the spirits to be in a stable position in one place).

A Shinto shrine is divided into two parts: an inner and closed part (honden), where the kami symbol (shintai) is usually kept, and an outer prayer hall (haiden). Those visiting the temple enter the haiden, stop in front of the altar, throw a coin into the box in front of it, bow and clap their hands, sometimes say words of prayer (this can also be done silently) and leave. Once or twice a year there is a solemn holiday at the temple with rich sacrifices and magnificent services, processions and palanquins, into which at this time the spirit of the deity moves from the sintai. These days, the priests of Shinto shrines look very formal in their ritual robes. On other days, they devote a little time to their temples and spirits, do everyday things, merging with ordinary people.

Intellectually, from the point of view of philosophical understanding of the world, theoretical abstract constructions, Shintoism, like religious Taoism in China, was insufficient for a vigorously developing society. It is not surprising, therefore, that Buddhism, which penetrated from the mainland to Japan, quickly took a leading position in the spiritual culture of the country.

Ethnographic data indicate the existence of a persistent belief that the soul of the deceased could fly far away and not for long, so the deceased was not immediately considered dead. They tried to revive him with the help of magic - “pacification” or “summoning the soul” (tamasizume, tamafuri). So, the hidden world of the dead, the world of ancestors, turned out to be an invisible part of the world of the living and was not separated from them by an impenetrable wall.

It is also important to note that Japanese art has its own specificity, formed under the influence of Chinese culture and art, Shintoism, based on the cult of nature, clan, the emperor as the viceroy of God, Buddhist irrationalism and the artistic forms of India. This specificity is clearly revealed when comparing the art of Europe and Japan. The stanzas of Alcaeus, the sonatas of Petrarch, the statues of Praxiteles and Michelangelo are perfect in form, which is in harmony with the spirituality of the content. There is nothing superfluous in them; adding even one stroke to them leads to the loss of the artist’s worldview embodied in them. The main goal of European artists, sculptors, and poets was to create an ideal of beauty based on the principle “man is the measure of all things.” Japanese poets, painters, calligraphers and tea ceremony masters have a different goal. They proceed from the principle “nature is the measure of all things.” In their work, true beauty, the beauty of nature, is only guessed; it contains the code of the Universe. In the process of comprehending the beauty of nature as a concrete given, a kind of aesthetic intuition arises, allowing a person to comprehend the deep foundations of existence.

Yes. Shintoism has had a significant influence on art in Japan. For example, in ancient Japan, symbols of deity were natural objects and phenomena, where, according to the deep conviction of the Japanese, spirits live:

The peaks of amazingly beautiful mountains, from behind which the sun rises and hides;

Terrible typhoons, sweeping away everything in their path;

Wisterias that provide unsurpassed cascades of color;

The bottomless depths of the seas, frightening and at the same time attractive;

Waterfalls of extraordinary beauty, like a gift from heaven.

Shintoism turned all this into objects of worship and deification. It is here that the main distinguishing feature of Shintoism from other religions lies: not the simple animation of nature, but its deification.

SINTO (in Japan) - THE WAY OF THE GODS - KAMI: everything in nature is animate, which means it is endowed with holiness.

SINTO should not be confused with DAO, which arose in China in the 6th century. BC. DAO - THE WAY OF NATURE, the universal law of nature, the deep basis of all things, the forefather of all things, the general Path of human development through merging with nature, with the surrounding life.

Despite their similarities, SINTO AND DAO are very different. The deification of nature in Japan was more pronounced than in other Eastern countries. Hence the attitude towards her was more subtle, reverent and sublime.

The deification of natural forms and elements during the Shinto period led to the creation of the first altars - original sculptural compositions, where the role of a sacred monument was played by a giant stone in the center of a cleared area. Often this area was bordered by sea boulders or rocks (ivasaka), in the center of which there were one or several stones (ivakura), tied over the entire “divine brow” with a straw rope (shimenawa). The attempt to represent the deity in the form of natural objects was the beginning of the emergence of the first landscape compositions in ancient Japan. They became not only objects of worship, but also objects of aesthetic contemplation. These first stone groups, born of Shinto rituals, were nothing more than distant prototypes of Japanese gardens, the first symbolic landscapes of Japan.

This makes clear the special attitude in Japan towards stone and its importance in creating gardens. And today, for any Japanese, a stone is a living creature in which the divine spirit is present.

Thus, in the first question, I revealed the concept of “Shintoism”, examined its basic principles and features, I also found out who the “kami” are and what role they play in Shintoism. I also looked at the influence of Shinto on Japanese art.

The national religion of Japan is Shintoism. The term "Shinto" means the way of the gods. Son or kami - These are gods, spirits that inhabit the entire world around humans. Any object can be the embodiment of a kami. The origins of Shinto go back to ancient times and include all forms of belief and cults inherent in peoples: totemism, animism, magic, fetishism, etc.

Development of syntonism

The first mythological monuments of Japan dating back to the 7th-8th centuries. AD, - Kojiki, Fudoki, Nihongi - reflected the complex path of formation of the system of Shinto cults. A significant place in this system is occupied by the cult of dead ancestors, the main of which was the clan ancestor ujigami, symbolizing the unity and cohesion of the members of the clan. The objects of veneration were the deities of the earth and fields, rain and wind, forests and mountains, etc.

In the early stages of development, Shinto did not have an orderly system of beliefs. The development of Shinto followed the path of forming a complex unity of religious and mythological ideas of various tribes - both local and those who came from the mainland. As a result, a clear religious system was never created. However, with the development of the state and the rise of the emperor, the Japanese version of the origin of the world, the place of Japan and its sovereigns in this world is formed. Japanese mythology claims that in the beginning there were Heaven and Earth, then the first gods appeared, among whom was a married couple Izanagi And Izanami, which played a major role in the creation of the world. They disturbed the ocean with a huge spear tipped with a precious stone, and seawater dripping from the tip formed the first of the Japanese islands. Then they began to run around the sky pillar and gave birth to other Japanese islands. After Izanami's death, her husband Izanagi visited the kingdom of the dead, hoping to save her, but was unable to. Returning, he performed a rite of purification, during which he produced the Sun Goddess from his left eye - Amaterasu - from the right - the god of the Moon, from the nose - the god of rain, who devastated the country with a flood. During the flood, Amaterasu went into a cave and deprived the earth of light. All the gods, having gathered, persuaded her to go out and return the Sun, but they succeeded with great difficulty. In Shintoism, this event is, as it were, reproduced in holidays and rituals dedicated to the arrival of spring.

According to mythology, Amaterasu sent her grandson Ninigi to earth so that he could control people. The Japanese emperors, who are called tenno(heavenly sovereign) or Mikado. Amaterasu gave him “divine” regalia: a mirror - a symbol of honesty, jasper pendants - a symbol of compassion, a sword - a symbol of wisdom. These qualities are attributed to the highest degree to the personality of the emperor. The main temple complex in Shintoism was the shrine in Ise - Ise jingu. In Japan, there is a myth according to which the spirit of Amaterasu, who lives in Ise Jingu, helped the Japanese in the fight against the Mongol conquerors in 1261 and 1281, when the divine wind " kamikaze"Twice destroyed the Mongolian fleet heading to the shores of Japan. Shinto shrines are rebuilt every 20 years. It is believed that the gods enjoy being in one place for just that long.

Levels of syntonism

In Shinto, there are several levels, which are determined by the objects and subjects of the cult.

Dynasty Shinto is the property of the imperial family. There are gods that only family members can invoke and rituals that can only be performed by family members.

Emperor cult(tennoism) - obligatory for all Japanese.

Temple Shinto - worship of general and local gods, which exist in every locality and protect people living under their protection.

Homemade Shinto - worship of tribal gods.

At the beginning of the 6th century. in Japan and become known. Gradually, Buddhism begins to play a significant role in the life of Japan; Buddhism and Shinto interpenetrate and complement each other. The deities of Buddhism are accepted in Shintoism, and vice versa. Shintoism, with its collectivistic nature, serves the needs of the community, while Buddhism, which is personal in nature, focuses on the individual. A situation arises that is called rebusinto(double path of the gods). Buddhism and Shintoism have coexisted peacefully for several centuries.

In the minds of residents of European countries, the Land of the Rising Sun is shrouded in an aura of mystery and exoticism. The customs, traditions, religions and way of life of the Japanese are very different from the morals, orders and customs accepted in European society, so most of the Europeans who decide to move to Japan for permanent residence feel like strangers in this island state for the rest of their lives. Undoubtedly, in order to better understand the philosophy and morals of the Japanese, it is necessary to study the culture and religion of the citizens of the land of the rising sun, because it is beliefs and cultural traditions that have a key impact on the formation and determination of one’s place and role in society.

Religion of ancient Japan

Japanese society has always been closed, and although the Japanese had trade and political ties with the Chinese, Indians and citizens of some other states, strangers were rarely allowed into their society, much less into government. Therefore, the religion of Japan was formed within a closed society, and until the Middle Ages AD it was practically not influenced by the beliefs of other peoples. The religious beliefs of ancient Japan fully reflected all the mores and traditions of the patriarchal tribal society.

The oldest religion in Japan was the belief in deities kami - countless patron spirits of the clan, ancestors, earth, elements. Kami, translated from ancient Japanese, meant “supreme, superior,” so every Japanese revered spirits, prayed to them and made sacrifices to them in temples, sacred places and in their own home. The intermediaries between the spirit gods and ordinary people were the priests who served at the temples, but each clan also had its own priest, since each Japanese family, in addition to the supreme kami, also honored its patron spirit. This is explained by the fact that the ancient Japanese believed that each family descended from one of countless deities, so all families had their own patron spirits. From the 5th-6th centuries, the emperor began to be considered the main priest, and it was the imperial court that supervised the activities of the main temples.

However, it cannot be said that the ancient Japanese were overly religious - they paid attention, first of all, to worldly affairs and family matters, as well as to matters for the benefit of Japan. For Japanese emperor was and remains sacred to this day, since according to their beliefs, the founder of the dynasty of rulers of the state was the supreme goddess Amaterasu-o-mi-kami - the goddess of the Sun, who stood above other kami. The laws, decrees and orders of the emperor were undeniable for Japanese of all classes, and disobedience or betrayal of the emperor was punishable by death.

During the early Middle Ages, when trade and political ties between Japan and China were established, the religion of the Japanese began to be influenced by Buddhism - one of them. During the same period of time, the religion of Japan acquired its name, because it was the Chinese who began to call the belief in spirit deities kami Shintoism . In the sixth to eighth centuries AD, quite a lot of Chinese traders moved to the islands of Japan, and it was they who contributed to the spread of Buddhism and Confucianism in the land of the rising sun. However, the vast majority of the Japanese did not abandon their religion, but introduced some tenets of Buddhism into Shintoism - for example, the prohibition of cruelty towards. Even in those days, it was often possible to see temples in which both Buddha and kami were worshiped at the same time.

Unlike most religions, Shintoism does not have many clearly defined rules, norms and prohibitions that adherents of this belief must follow. The Japanese themselves explain this circumstance by the fact that their people have high moral and ethical qualities in their blood, and Shintoists do not need religious prohibitions in order not to commit immoral acts. As for the cult rituals of worshiping gods in Shintoism, they have 4 levels:

1. Dynasty Shinto - a cult accessible only to the emperor and members of his family, because according to belief, only people from the dynasty of the rulers of Japan can turn to the supreme gods and perform rituals related to requests and offerings to them.

2. Tennoism - the cult of the emperor, obligatory for all Shintoists, based on veneration and belief in the superior origin of the dynasty of rulers.

3. Temple Shinto - a cult that includes the worship of common gods and guardian spirits of a certain territory; Such worship and rituals are held at local temples, with each region of Japan honoring both common and private kami.

4. Homemade Shinto - worship of the patron gods of the clan; Since each family has its own patron spirit, the head of the family (clan) conducts the corresponding rites and rituals at home.

Like other “eastern” religions, Shintoism does not reject the possibility of reincarnation, but Shintoists are confident that after death a person can not only inhabit another living creature or object, but also become a kami or a guardian angel. In order for the further path of the soul to be easier and for it to reach the divine level, the Japanese hold funeral rites. Also, according to belief, people who gave their lives for the emperor or died defending the honor and interests of their homeland or family immediately become kami, and it was on this belief that some traditions of the samurai in the Middle Ages and kamikaze soldiers during the Second World War were based.

Religions of modern Japan

Shinto was recognized as the official religion of Japan at the end of the 18th century, and had this status until the end of World War II. Post-war doctrine included a clause on the separation of religion and state, and Japan is now officially considered a secular country. However, most Japanese practice Shintoism and adhere to the traditions of their ancestors, and despite the stunning achievements of the Japanese people in science, high-tech production and economics, the Japanese themselves remain supporters of conservative views.

The second religion in Japan after Shinto is Buddhism, and many Japanese do not share these two beliefs, but consider themselves adherents of both Shinto and Buddhism at the same time. In addition to Shintoists and Buddhists, in the land of the rising sun there are communities of Muslims and Christians, as well as followers of Confucianism, Hinduism, Judaism, etc. Along with Shintoism and the three world religions in Japan since the beginning of the Middle Ages, there have been numerous ones that oppose themselves to all other beliefs. The most famous of these sects is the Soka Gakkai, whose members are active in the political arena. However, in general, the Japanese are a very tolerant nation, therefore, despite the activities of adherents of individual destructive cults, no one violates the freedom of religion of each person established by law, and the Japanese themselves prefer not to impose their religious preferences on others.