11. What is Shinto?

Religiously Literate

With so many religions in the world it can be hard to keep up with what everyone believes. Religiously Literate is here to help! Join Jay and Ryan on this episode as we learn about one of Japan's major religious traditions.

In this episode, we discuss Shinto, including an overview of history, general beliefs, practices, and its significance with Japanese nationalism.

SHOW NOTES:

Key terms:

Kami: “divine powers of the cosmos in the form of deities, features of nature, and exceptional humans (emperors and ancestors, for example)”
Kojiki: Record of Ancient Matters, central Shinto text
Nihongi (Nihon shoki): Chronicles of Japan, central Shinto text
Izanami and Izanagi: Male and female kami revered for the creation of the Japanese archipelago
Amaterasu: sun goddess, associated with the imperial family and the Shrine at Ise
Jinja: dwelling places of the kami, otherwise known as shrines
Torri: red, arbor-like structures found at Shinto shrines
Shimenawa: rope often made with rice straw, demarcating sacred spaces
Shide: lightning bolt shaped paper often hung on shimenawa
Shrine Shinto: The most prevalent kind, includes practices at shrines to demonstrate “faith” in kami
Lived/Popular/Folk Shinto: Everyday practices of people that reflect faith/belief in kami; includes a lot of regional variation and overlap with bigger Shinto practices
State Shinto: Started in the nineteenth century, declared Shinto as state religion; gave rise to some nationalistic beliefs; established the emperor as a “living kami” and direct descendent of Amaterasu
Matsuri: Shinto festivals

https://artsandculture.google.com/streetview/itsukushima-shinto-shrine/6QE34GxKVEkyTQ?sv_lng=132.3184711655607&sv_lat=34.29696387465894&sv_h=324.19&sv_p=5.060000000000002&sv_pid=0PDJMeu0ov36Joqinhu6KA&sv_z=1

Shinto by Helen Hardacre
A new history of Shinto by John Breen and Mark Teeuwen.
Shinto, a short history by Inoue Nobutaka (editor), Itō Satoshi, Endō Jun and Mori Mizue ; translated and adapted by Mark Teeuwen and John Breen.
Vaughn, Lewis. Anthology of World Religions: Sacred Texts and Contemporary Perspectives. (2017) Oxford University Press: New York.

Music used in this episode includes “City of Jewels” by Destiny & Time as well as Ishikari Lore by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100192)