Shintoism is the traditional religion of Japan. Religion of Japan

Japan - country rising sun. Many tourists are very surprised by the behavior, customs and mentality of the Japanese. They seem strange, not like other people in other countries. Big role Religion plays a role in all this.

Religion of Japan

Since ancient times, the people of Japan believed in the existence of spirits, gods, worship and the like. All this gave rise to the religion of Shintoism. In the seventh century, this religion was officially adopted in Japan.

The Japanese don't have sacrifices or anything like that. Absolutely everything is based on mutual understanding and friendly relations. They say that the spirit can be summoned simply by clapping your hands twice while standing near the temple. The worship of souls and the subordination of the lower to the higher had no effect on self-knowledge.

Shintoism is purely national religion Japan, which is why you probably won’t find a country in the world where it flourishes so well.

Shinto teachings

1. The Japanese worship spirits, gods, and various entities.

In Japan they believe that any object is alive. Be it wood, stone or grass.

There is a soul in all objects; the Japanese also call it kami.

There is one belief among the indigenous people that after death, the soul of the deceased begins its existence in stone. Because of this, stones play a big role in Japan and represent family and eternity.

For the Japanese, the main principle is to unite with nature. They are trying to merge with her.

The most important thing about Shintoism is that there is no good and evil. It's like there are no completely evil or good people. They do not blame the wolf for killing its prey due to hunger.

In Japan, there are priests who “possess” certain abilities and are able to perform rituals to expel a spirit or tame it.

A large number of talismans and amulets are present in this religion. Japanese mythology plays a large role in their creation.

In Japan, various masks are created that are made based on images of spirits. Totems are also present in this religion, and all followers believe in magic and supernatural abilities, their development in man.

A person will “save” himself only when he accepts the truth of the inevitable future and finds peace with himself and those around him.

Due to the existence of kami in Japanese religion, they also have a main goddess - Amaterasu. It was she, the sun goddess, who created ancient Japan. The Japanese even “know” how the goddess was born. They say that the goddess was born from the right eye of her father, because the girl glowed and warmth emanated from her, her father sent her to rule. There is also a belief that the imperial family has family ties with this goddess, because of the son she sent to Earth.

As mentioned above, one of the translation options for the hieroglyph “shin” is “kami”. The essence of Shintoism is the belief in the existence of kami. But here, when trying to explain who the kami are, religious scholars are faced with a problem caused by the peculiarities of the Shinto religion. After all, Shinto is a communal religion in its subject, and in terms of the number of gods revered - polytheism - “polytheism”. On this soil was born famous saying that there are eight million deities in Japan. This expresses the peculiarity of Shinto as a polytheistic religion - there are many deities of kami.

The second difficulty in explaining the term kami lies in the communal subjectivity of Shinto. The peculiarity of communal religions is that they do not have an officially approved and consolidated semblance of a catechism (“creed”). Accordingly, there are no clear definitions of individual concepts that would allow them to be built into a clear system. Therefore, we do not find in Shinto a “canonical” definition of what a kami is. However, this uncertainty is characteristic feature for Japanese culture. This is the desire to avoid unambiguous interpretation, thereby leaving the opportunity for an endless overflow of meanings and meanings.

At the same time, it is obvious that the divine essences of the kami are invisibly present everywhere and participate in everything that happens; they exist everywhere, filling the surrounding landscape and inhabiting human homes. Kami is literally penetrated the world around us. But there are pitfalls here too: in Shinto there are no clear distinctions between people and kami. People, according to Shinto, descended directly from kami, live in the same world with kami and can become kami after death. Kami can even merge with humans, as exemplified by the divine personality of the emperor. Kami in Shintoism are characterized not only by holiness, but also by purity, so people, before approaching a kami, must undergo a purification ritual, which can be performed at home, in a shrine, 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 house where he lives Japanese family, itself is a sacred place, which is partly facilitated by the presence of kami in it. The two sacred books of Shinto, the Kojiki and the Nihongi, are the most important sources information about the beliefs of the ancient Japanese, but they cannot give an exact explanation of the term “kami”.

“In general, the word “kami” refers to the numerous deities of heaven and earth spoken of in ancient scriptures, as well as their tama spirits residing in the sanctuaries in which they are venerated. People are also called this way. Birds and animals, fields and grasses and all other nature, everything that is rare and unusual, that which has exceptional qualities and inspires awe, is called kami. The exceptional is not only what is honorable, good and good. The bad and strange, too, if it is exceptional and awe-inspiring, is called kami.”

These literary monuments are not similar to the canonical books of other religions, primarily because they are not religious books in literally of this word, but represent chronicle-mythological vaults. For the first time, they collected and recorded the surviving oral Japanese stories, legends and myths about the origin of the world, the birth of the first kami deities, the birth of the Japanese archipelago, the life and deeds of the deities, their exploits, victories and defeats in the constant flow of life.

“Let us note an important fact for the correct understanding of the edition of Japanese myths that has come down to us - this collection of Japanese myths did not appear as a result of spontaneous folk art and is not the creation of a brilliant poet. It wasn't saying modern language, private initiative. Japanese myths were collected together and written down by order of the state.”

These ancient manuscripts are also, in some way, collections of ritual instructions, because in the Shinto religion, ritual - a system of symbolic actions performed during a religious ceremony - is the basis that has survived to this day almost unchanged.

The meaning of Shinto rituals is to restore and strengthen the connection between man and the soul of the deity.

The most important Shinto rituals are purification (saikoi), sacrifice (shinsen), prayers (norito) and libation (naoret). Along with rituals, it is customary to organize ceremonies, among which matsuri is the most colorful and magnificent.

Dogmatics in Shinto occupies a very insignificant place in comparison with ritual, because initially there were no dogmas in Shinto at all, and only over time, under the influence of religious teachings borrowed from the continent, individual clergy tried to create dogmas. However, as a result, only a synthesis of Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian ideas arose - they existed independently of the Shinto religion itself, the main content of which remains rituals to this day.

Unlike other religions, Shinto does not contain moral principles. The place of ideas about good 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. A real sin in Shinto is considered to be a violation of the world order - tsumi, and for such a sin a person after death leads a painful existence in the Land of Darkness, surrounded by evil spirits. But the developed doctrine of the afterlife, hell, heaven or Last Judgment in Shinto no: death is seen as an inevitable extinction vitality, 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.

A follower of this religion is not required daily prayers and frequent visits to the temple.

It is quite enough to participate in temple festivals and perform traditional rituals associated with important events life, which is why the Japanese themselves often perceive Shinto as a set of national customs and traditions.

Some Japanese homes still have home altars - kamidana. At the same time, nothing prevents a Shintoist from professing any other religion or even considering himself an atheist. When asked about their religious affiliation, very few Japanese answer that they are Shintoists. And yet the performance of Shinto rituals is inseparable from everyday life Japanese from the moment of his birth until his death, it’s just that for the most part, rituals are not considered as a manifestation of religiosity.

Currently, most Shinto shrines in Japan are dedicated to the cult of a single kami, but at the same time there are temples that worship several kami at the same time. The priests of Shinto shrines are called kannushi (literally, “master of the kami”). Up to mid-19th V. all positions related to the practice of the Shinto cult were hereditary and passed from father to eldest son. This is how entire clans of clergy - the syake - arose. Two Shinto universities train Shinto clerics: Kokugakuin in To-io and Kagakkan in Ise.

Shintoism is a set of beliefs and cults of the Japanese, which is often called the original Japanese religion. The term “Shinto” appeared in the Middle Ages (6th-7th centuries) and means “the way of the gods.”
Shin, or kami, are gods, spirits who, according to the ideas of the ancient Japanese, inhabit the entire world around humans - sky, stars, earth, mountains, rivers and trees. Any object can be the embodiment of a kami; the most common embodiment of “divine power” is a stone. These objects, the shintai (god's body), usually represent a symbol of holiness and an object of worship.
The mythological tradition contained in the first written monuments of Japan (“Kojiki”, “Nihop seki”, etc.) reflected difficult path formation of a system of Shinto cults. It included both the deities of the tribes of Northern Kyushu, who came to central Japan, and the gods of the aboriginal population who lived here. Local gods lost their priority position; the goddess Amaterasu (Ama-tarasu-o-mikami), who “created” the Japanese archipelago and laid the foundation for the “divine” imperial dynasty, became the supreme deity.
There are many kami in Shinto, but the ancestral deities ujigami (“uji” - clan, “kami” - deity) were of paramount importance for the ancient Japanese. The activities of the ujigami were of a protective nature; they patronized the life and activities of members of the clan. Deities were also revered - lords of various natural elements - hurricanes, earthquakes, typhoons and snow storms, numerous. gods of local significance (god of a specific mountain, forest, lake), the protective power of which extended to the surrounding area and, as a rule, exceeded the capabilities of the main deities of the Shinto pantheon.
Shintoism is distinguished by the absence of both a real or mythological founder and a dogmatic basis. Canons and a strict system of rituals did not exist in initial stage the formation of Shintoism, when there was a unification of heterogeneous cults of nature, cults of clan and tribal deities. The emergence of the Japanese state contributed to the unification of different cults and the creation of a single religion. systems. Although a clear system excluding heterogeneity was not created, the influence of other religions that penetrated Japan led to the emergence of certain common external features in the activities of heterogeneous temple objects and in the ritual system.
At the center of Shinto religious worship is the cult of ancestors with ancestry back to the solar goddess Amaterasu. Since the world of man is not separated from the world of kami, man, in a certain sense, is also kami, and for him there is no task of seeking salvation in other world. Salvation lies in giving thanks to the kami and one’s ancestors and living in harmony with nature, in constant spiritual connection with the deity.
To a certain extent, it is extremely simple for a Japanese to become familiar with Shintoism, which does not require special mental work in understanding the tenets of the religion, in mastering complex religions. ethics, became the basis for the extraordinary tenacity of this religion, which has come down from ancient times and retains its position in modern times. Japan.
In con. 5 - beginning 6th centuries in Central Japan, the struggle between clans for supremacy in the general tribal association intensified. In their quest for power, the influential Soga family used Buddhism, the first followers of which arrived in the country in 538 as part of the embassy of the Korean state of Baekje. Confucianism also penetrated the Japanese islands. The Confucian ethical program, with a clear division of society and fixation of the place and responsibilities of everyone in it, corresponded to the views of the royal elite and its aristocratic entourage.
After Soga's victory with Ser. 6th century The widespread spread of Buddhism in the country and the construction of Buddhist monasteries and temples begin.
Buddhas and bodhisattvas, who entered the Shinto pantheon as new gods, were endowed by the Japanese with the same magical properties Like the kami, they were approached with specific requests - to protect from diseases, send a rich harvest, protect from evil, etc.
Shintoism arose as the religion of the agricultural community and was a reflection of its collective views.

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….3
Shinto philosophy………………………………………………………..4
History of Shintoism……………………………………………………………8
Mythology of Shintoism……………………………………………………….13
Cult of Shinto………………………………………………………………..17
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………...23
References……………………………………………………….….24
Introduction

Shintoism, or Shinto, is the traditional religion of Japan, based on animistic beliefs, that is, the belief in the existence of spirits, as well as in the animation of all nature.
Currently Japan is industrialized developed country With high technology, but everyone also values ​​the traditions and beliefs of their ancestors.
Three main religions coexist in Japan: Shintoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. The last two religions were brought to Japan from China, while Shintoism is a development of the beliefs of the ancient inhabitants Japanese Islands.
Shintoism in Japan is practiced by the majority of people: Shinto shrines have about 109 million parishioners in this country (the country's population is 127 million people). For comparison: Buddhist parishes - 96 million adherents, Christian parishes - approximately 1.5 million people. About 1.1 million people unite various sects mixed type. But the vast majority of Japanese are not limited to adherence to any one religion or belief. On occasion, a person can go to pray at a Buddhist pagoda, a Shinto shrine, or Catholic Church.
The purpose of this work is to reveal the essence of Shintoism.
Tasks:
1. reveal the basic philosophical ideas underlying Shintoism;
2. trace the history of the formation of Shintoism as a religion;
3. reveal the basic concepts of Shinto mythology;
4. describe the main rituals.

Shinto philosophy

Shinto is a national religion addressed only to the Japanese, and not to all humanity.
The word "Shinto" is made up of two characters: "shin" and "to". The first is translated as "deity", the second means "path". Thus, literal translation"Shinto" is the "way of the gods." In Shintoism, gods and nature spirits have great value. It is believed that there are eight million deities in Japan - kami. These include the divine ancestors of the Japanese people, spirits of mountains, rivers, stones, fire, trees, wind, patron deities of certain areas and crafts, deities personifying various human virtues, spirits of the dead. Kami are invisibly present everywhere and everywhere, participating in everything that happens. They literally permeate the world around us.
Shintoism formed among the Japanese a special view of the world of things, nature, and relationships. This view is based on five concepts.
The first concept states that everything that exists is the result of the self-development of the world: the world appeared on its own, it is good and perfect. The regulating power of existence, according to the Shinto doctrine, comes from the world itself, and not from some supreme being, as with Christians or Muslims. The religious consciousness of the ancient Japanese rested on this understanding of the universe, who was surprised at the questions of representatives of other faiths: “What is your faith?” or even more so - “Do you believe in God?”
The second concept emphasizes the power of life. Everything that is natural, according to this principle, must be respected; only the “unclean” is not respected, but any “impure” can be purified. This is precisely what the rituals of Shinto shrines are aimed at, developing in people a tendency to adapt and adapt. Thanks to this, the Japanese were able to accept almost any innovation or modernization after it had been purified, adjusted, and coordinated with Japanese tradition.
The third concept asserts the unity of nature and history. In the Shinto view of the world there is no division into living and nonliving; for a Shinto adherent, everything is living: animals, plants, and things; the deity kami lives in everything natural and in man himself. Some believe that people are kami, or rather, kami are located in them, or ultimately they can later become kami, etc. According to Shinto, the world of kami is not an otherworldly abode, different from the world of people. Kami are united with people, so people do not need to seek salvation somewhere in another world. According to Shinto, salvation is achieved by merging with the kami in everyday life.
The fourth concept is related to polytheism. Shinto arose from local cults of nature, the worship of local, clan and tribal deities. The primitive shamanic and witchcraft rituals of Shinto began to come to a certain uniformity only from the 5th - 6th centuries, when the imperial court began to take control of the activities of Shinto temples. At the beginning of the 8th century. A special department for Shinto affairs was created at the imperial court.
The fifth concept of Shinto is related to the national psychological basis. According to this concept, the gods of Shinto, the kami, did not give birth to people in general, but only to the Japanese. In this regard, the idea that he belongs to Shinto takes root in the minds of the Japanese from the very first years of his life. This implies two most important factors in the regulation of behavior. Firstly, the assertion that the kami are most intimately connected only with the Japanese nation; secondly, the Shinto point of view, according to which it is funny if a foreigner worships the kami and practices Shinto - such behavior of a non-Japanese is perceived as absurd. At the same time, Shinto does not prevent the Japanese themselves from professing any other religion. It is no coincidence that almost all Japanese, in parallel with Shintoism, consider themselves adherents of some other religious doctrine. Currently, if you sum up the number of Japanese according to their belonging to individual faiths, you will get a number that exceeds total population countries.