Shinto
y Topic (1) z
Shinto is the indigenous religion of
Japan. Shinto gods are still sometimes
worshiped at shrines. Early Japanese regarded
the blessings of nature as the grace
of the gods. So they felt all that had influence
on them to be the workings of the
gods. In this way there are a large number
of gods in Japan.
We can find in Japanese mythology the
word eYaoyorozuf, or eight million.
This signifies emajority.f But, in fact,
there doesn't exist eight million gods.
We count more than one thousand gods in classics
of Shinto and gods who were
believed to be amongst the people and gods
from old China and India.
From the 19th century, the Japanese began
to regard Shinto as their national
religion. After World War‡U, however, the
practice of religion was separated from
the function of state.
People go to shrines when a child is
born or when they have entrance exams. And
they conduct weddings according to Shinto
rites. Every shrine has its own religious
festivals, and families go to famous religious
festivals each year.
People have a deep relation to the shrines,
but the majority of the Japanese have
no interest in the tenets of Shinto, and
the influence of the religion on the thought
of Japanese people nowadays is small.
y Topic (2) z
It is often said that the Japanese are
inconstant in religion. We go to shrines
or temples on New Year's day while we celebrate
Christmas. Originally, we visited
village shrines, but now some people visit
temples, too. It is natural that Japanese
should believe in Shinto which is an old
cult in Japan, on the other hand, it seems
strange that we recognize events and festivals
of Buddhism and Christianity.
Shinto grew out of the life of our community
and had no doctrine. We think it
natural to live with bright, pure honest,
and sincere hearts and to thank and respect
the many gods in the universe. Therefore,
as a part of our daily life we hold hands
in prayer in front of the household Shinto
altar, and Buddhists join the festivals of
village shrines regardless of their sects.
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