Shinto shrines, practices, and symbols in daily Japanese life: Shinto is Japan’s original religion and it is very much a part of everyday life in Japan, in cities and in the countryside. Shinto is the Japanese religion for this life and all positive rituals: weddings, births, good luck in anything and everything. [Note: Buddhism is much more about death and the next life with some important exceptions, especially at major “tourist temples.”]
The modern Japanese do not have a deep understanding or historical knowledge of Shinto (as many of us lack this depth in our religions!), but they call on the gods of Shinto almost every day in one way or another. Shinto for the average 21st century Japanese is still a world of superstitious beliefs and practices. It is also, for many, an acknowledgement of “Gaia mother nature,” in all her mysterious ways. Shinto is animism and devoted to the respect and “worship” of nature. It is a religion of the world of nature, of which humans are just one little part. The world of rain, wind, sun, rivers, fog, trees, plants, and people . . .
The most popular Shinto shrine sects in Japan are extremely popular. The Inari shrines provide “assistance” from the kamisama gods for the rice harvest, agriculture, and the business and government harvests (profits and power). Hachiman shrines are devoted to the god of archery and war devoted to Hachiman, a divine Shinto protector of Japan, its people and the Imperial Household.
Today, people come to these shrines to pray for strength and focus.
Tenmangu shrines are essential for all educational and academic pursuits, and thus crowded with students during key exam periods, etc. And last, but not least, there are the Ebisu shrines, for luck in love and business and life. There are about 3,500 Ebisu shrines across Japan (the mother shrine is Nishinomiya Shrine west of Osaka).
In its simplest form, Shinto is an ancient blend of animism, fertility cults, shamanism, and ancestor worship. In this sense, it can be likened to the spiritual beliefs of North American Indians; they are similar in many respects. Many of the Shinto gods do not have a human form, for example, mountains, rocks, trees, rivers. These “living” things are the guardian deities of a particular geographical area and Japanese clans that first ruled there.
And asking these deities for help meant the difference between a good harvest and semi starvation. In the end, without the gods and goddesses on your side how could humans ever prosper in a world of natural destruction and constant fluctuation? Learn more!
