Religion of Japan Shintoism is the traditional national religion, culture and philosophy. Shintoism translates as the way of the gods. State Japanese Shintoism based on the rituals and animistic beliefs of the ancient Japanese. The Shinto religion, as Wikipedia points out, has many objects of worship called kami. Shintoism has many gods, but in it the cult includes not only gods, but also numerous ranked deities, spirits of the dead and forces of nature. The religion of Japan, Shinto, was influenced not only by Buddhism, but also by Taoism, Confucianism and even Christianity. To briefly describe Shinto, the religion of Japan is a symbiosis, with millions of objects of worship, as well as hundreds of new religions that appeared after the 18th century, not counting the influence of Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Of great, one might say decisive, importance is the ritual, that is, the practice that must be followed in a given situation.

Shinto as a religion in Japan cannot be called a highly organized religion, like Christianity, for example. Shintoism or Shinto, its essence lies in the deification of all kinds of natural forces and phenomena and the corresponding rituals of worship. It is also believed that many things have their own spiritual essence - kami. Shintoism describes kami precisely as spirituality, the spiritual essence of the subject. Kami in Shinto can exist on Earth in any material object, and not necessarily in one that is considered alive in the usual standard sense of the word. Shintoism states that kami is in everything, for example, in a tree, a stone, a sacred place, or one or another natural phenomenon. Shintoism also describes that under certain conditions a kami can attain divine dignity.

The Japanese religion of Shinto describes that some kami are spirits of a particular area or of certain natural objects, for example, the spirit of a particular mountain. Kami of other levels represent global natural phenomena, and besides them there is the central goddess of Shintoism - Amaterasu Omikami, the goddess of the Sun. Shinto also honors kami as patrons of families and clans; among the kami there are also spirits of deceased ancestors, who are considered patrons and protectors of their descendants. The Shinto religion of Japan also includes magic, totemism, and belief in the effectiveness of various protective talismans and amulets. It is also considered possible in Shintoism to protect against hostile kami or subjugate them with the help of special rituals and spells.
Briefly, the essence of Shintoism can be described as a spiritual principle - it is life in harmony with nature and the people around you. According to the ideas of Shinto adherents, the whole world is a single natural harmonious environment where kami, people and the souls of dead people live side by side with each other. Shintoism holds that kami are immortal and included in the cycle of birth and death. Shintoism claims that through such a cycle there is a constant renewal of everything in the world. Shinto also claims that today's cycle in its current form is not endless, it will only exist until the destruction of the earth, after which this process will take on other forms. In Shinto there is no concept of salvation as such, as in Christianity. Here, each believer himself determines his natural place in the world around us through his feelings, motivations and actions.
State Japanese Shintoism cannot be considered a dualistic religion. Shinto does not share the same strict law as the Abrahamic religions. The Shinto concepts of good and evil differ significantly from European traditional Christian ones, first of all, in their relativity and specificity. One can give an example of how enmity between two antagonistic by nature or harboring personal grievances is considered completely natural and does not make one of the opponents unconditionally bright or good, and the other dark or absolutely bad. In ancient Shintoism, light and dark forces or good and evil were denoted by the terms yoshi, which means good, and ashi, which means bad. Shintoism fills these definitions with meaning not as a spiritual absolute in Christianity, but only what should be avoided and what should be strived for in order to avoid tsumi, which is socially condemned, harmful to people around, distorting human nature actions, motives and actions.
Japanese Shintoism states that if a person acts with a sincere, open heart, perceives the world as it is, if his behavior is respectful and impeccable, and his motives are pure, then he is most likely to do good, at least in relation to himself and your social group, which is extremely important. Shinto recognizes as virtues compassion for others, respect for elders in age and position, the important ability to live harmoniously among people and maintain sincere and friendly relationships with everyone who surrounds a person and makes up his society here and now. Shintoism in Japan condemns anger, human selfishness, competition for the sake of competition itself, as well as intolerance towards other people's views and opinions. In Shintoism, everything that violates the established social order, destroys the harmony of the surrounding world itself and interferes with the service of the kami and the spirits of the dead or the forces of nature is considered evil.
The Shinto religion defines the human soul as the original good, because it is sinless, and the world is initially good, that is, it is correct, although not necessarily good. Shinto states that evil invades from without, evil is brought in evil spirits who take advantage of various weaknesses of a person, his various temptations and unworthy thoughts and motives. Thus, evil in Shintoism is a kind of disease of the world, as well as of man himself.
Shinto thus shows that the process of creating evil, that is, deliberately or unconsciously causing harm to a person, is generally unnatural, because a person creates evil only when he is deceived or has been subjected to self-deception. A person does evil when he cannot or does not know how to feel happy, to distinguish evil from good, living among people, when his life is bad and wrong, burdened with bad thoughts and negative motives that have invaded a person’s life.
Traditional Japanese Shintoism shows that there is no absolute good and evil, and only a person himself can and should be able to distinguish one from the other, and for a correct judgment he needs an adequate perception of reality. Shintoism defines adequacy very poetically, that is, a person must have a heart like a mirror, and there must be a union between man and God. Such high condition any person can achieve by living rightly and not committing evil deeds.
Traditional Japanese state Shintoism as a religious philosophy is a development of the animistic beliefs of the ancient inhabitants of the Japanese islands. There is no consensus on how Shintoism arose. There are several traditional versions of the origin of Shintoism. One of these versions talks about the export of this religion at the dawn of our era from continental states such as ancient China and Korea. There is also a version about the origin of Shintoism directly on the Japanese Islands. It can also be noted that animistic beliefs are typical of all known cultures in the world at a certain stage of development, but of all the large and civilized states, only in Japan were they not forgotten over time, but became, only partially modified, the basis of the state religion of Japan, Shintoism.
Shintoism or the way of the gods as the national and state religion of the Japanese dates back to the period of the 7th-8th centuries AD. BC, when Japan was unified under the rule of the rulers of the central Yamato region. During the unification process, the state religion of Japan was canonized, and the system of internal mythology received main goddess Shintoism. The goddess of Shintoism is the sun goddess Amaterasu, declared the ancestor of the ruling imperial dynasty, and local and clan gods took a corresponding subordinate position. The Shinto religion has a hierarchy that is similar to the government ranks of government officials.
Shintoism was formed into the state religion of Japan, and Buddhism helped it in this. Shintoism initially united into a single religion of Japan in the 6th-7th centuries. Since Buddhism had penetrated Japan by this point, it was very popular primarily among the Japanese aristocracy. At this moment, the authorities did everything to prevent inter-religious conflicts. In Shintoism, kami were first declared the patrons of Buddhism, and later some kami began to be associated with Buddhist saints. Ultimately, as a result of such religious mergers, the idea emerged that kami, like people, may need salvation, which is achieved in accordance with Buddhist canons. Buddhism and Shintoism in Japan can be seen to be quite intertwined from the very beginning.
It can also be noted that various Buddhist temples began to be located on the territory of Shinto temple complexes, where corresponding religious ceremonies were held. Thus, Buddhist sutras were now read directly at Shinto shrines. Shintoism recognizes the emperor as the direct follower of god on earth. A particularly strong influence of Buddhism began to manifest itself starting from the 9th century. At this time Buddhism became state religion Japan. At this time, the Japanese state apparatus transferred many cult elements from Buddhism to Shintoism.
Various images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas began to appear in Shinto shrines. New holidays began to be celebrated in Shintoism, details of various rituals, ritual objects, as well as architectural features of buildings and temples were borrowed. At this time, various mixed Shinto-Buddhist teachings appeared, such as Sanno-Shinto and Ryobu Shinto, viewing spiritual kami as manifestations of the Buddhist Vairocana, that is, the Buddha himself, permeating the entire Universe, that is, the primary Buddha, and the kami as their Japanese incarnations.

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 religious life countries, 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 primarily 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.

Kami are revered - the patrons of families and clans, as well as the spirits of deceased ancestors, who are considered patrons and protectors of their descendants. Shinto includes magic, totemism, and belief in the effectiveness of various talismans and amulets. It is considered possible to protect against hostile kami or subdue them with the help of special rituals.

The main spiritual principle of Shinto is living 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. Kami are immortal and included in the cycle of birth and death, through which everything in the world is constantly renewed. However, the cycle in its current form is not endless, but exists only until the destruction of the earth, after which it will take on other forms. In Shinto there is no concept of salvation; instead, everyone determines their natural place in the world through their feelings, motivations and actions.

Shinto cannot be considered a dualistic religion; it does not have the general strict law inherent in the Abrahamic religions. Shinto concepts of good and evil differ significantly from European (Christian) ones, first of all, in their relativity and specificity. Thus, enmity between those who are naturally antagonistic or who harbor personal grievances is considered natural and does not make one of the opponents unconditionally “good” or the other – unconditionally “bad.” In ancient Shintoism, good and evil were denoted by the terms yoshi (Japanese: 良し, good) and asi (Japanese: 悪し, bad), the meaning of which is not a spiritual absolute, as in European morality, but presence or absence practical value and suitability for use in life. In this sense, Shinto understands good and evil to this day - both the first and the second are relative, the assessment of a specific act depends entirely on the circumstances and goals that the person committing it set for himself.

If a person acts with a sincere, open heart, perceives the world as it is, if his behavior is respectful and impeccable, then he is most likely to do good, at least in relation to himself and his social group. Virtue recognizes compassion for others, respect for elders in age and position, the ability to “live among people” - to maintain sincere and friendly relationships with everyone who surrounds a person and makes up his society. Anger, selfishness, rivalry for the sake of rivalry, and intolerance are condemned. Everything that disrupts social order, destroys the harmony of the world and interferes with the service of the kami is considered evil.

The human soul is initially good and sinless, the world is initially good (that is, correct, although not necessarily good), but evil (Japanese: 禍 magician) , invading from outside, brought by evil spirits (Japanese: 禍津日 magatsuhi) , taking advantage of a person’s weaknesses, his temptations and unworthy thoughts. Thus, evil, in the Shinto view, is a kind of disease of the world or a person. Creating evil (that is, causing harm) is unnatural for a person; a person does evil when he is deceived or has been subjected to self-deception, when he cannot or does not know how to feel happy living among people, when his life is bad and wrong.

Since there is no absolute good and evil, only the person himself can distinguish one from the other, and for correct judgment he needs an adequate perception of reality (“a heart like a mirror”) and a union with the deity. A person can achieve such a state by living correctly and naturally, purifying his body and consciousness and approaching the kami through worship.

History of Shinto

Origin

Not all Shinto theorists agreed with attempts to place Shinto in a subordinate position in relation to Buddhism. Since the 13th century, there have been movements of the opposite kind, affirming Shinto deities in the dominant role. Thus, the Yui-itsu teaching, which appeared in the 13th century and developed in the 15th century by Kanemoto Yoshida (for which it is also called “Yoshida Shintoism”), proclaimed the slogan: “Kami is primary, Buddha is secondary.” Ise Shintoism (Watarai Shinto), which appeared in the same period, also was tolerant of Buddhism and insisted on the primacy of Shinto values, first of all, sincerity and simplicity. He also completely rejected the idea that the primary noumena are the Buddhas. Later, on the basis of these and several other schools, “pure” Shintoism of the Renaissance was formed, the most outstanding representatives of which are considered to be Motoori Norinaga (1703-1801) and Hirata Atsutane (1776-1843). Renaissance Shintoism became, in turn, the spiritual basis for the separation of Buddhism from Shintoism produced during the Meiji Restoration.

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 an ideological basis uniting Japanese society. Despite the respect shown 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 he received further development in Kitabatake Chikafusa's treatise "Jinno Shotoki" (Japanese: 神皇正統記 jinno: sho:to:ki, "Recording the True Bloodline of the Divine Emperors"), where the chosenness of the Japanese nation was asserted. 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 XVII-XVIII 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.

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.

Typically, a temple complex consists of two or more buildings located in a picturesque area, “integrated” into the natural landscape. Main building - honden, - intended for a deity. It contains an altar where shintai- “kami body” - an object that is believed to be inhabited by a spirit kami. Shintaem there can be different objects: a wooden tablet with the name of a deity, a stone, a tree branch. Xingtai is not demonstrated to believers, it is always hidden. Because the soul kami inexhaustible, its simultaneous presence in shintai Many temples are 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 located ( kami mountains, groves), then honden may not be built, because kami and so is present in the place where the temple is built.

Home 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. Home prayer is held before kamidana. Before performing prayer kamidana it is cleaned and wiped down, fresh branches and offerings are placed there: usually sake and rice cakes. On days associated with the commemoration of deceased relatives, on kamidana Items that were important to the deceased can be placed: a university diploma, a monthly salary, an order for promotion, and so on. Having cleaned himself up, washed his face, mouth and hands, the believer stands opposite kamidana, makes one short bow, then two deep ones, then claps his hands several times at chest level to attract the kami, prays mentally or very quietly with his palms folded in front of him, after which he bows twice deeply again, makes another shallow bow and moves away from the altar. The described order is an ideal option, but in reality, in many families the procedure is simplified: usually someone from the older generation tidies up the kamidana on the right days, arranges decorations, talismans and offerings. Those family members who take religious traditions more seriously approach the altar and stand in silence in front of it for a while, bowing their heads, indicating their respect for the kami and the spirits of their ancestors. After the prayers are completed, the edible gifts are removed from the kamidan and subsequently eaten; It is believed that in this way believers join the meal of spirits and kami.

Praying in the temple

The main way for a Shinto practitioner to communicate with the kami is to offer a prayer when visiting a shrine. Even before entering the temple territory, the believer must put himself in the appropriate state: prepare internally for a meeting with the kami, clear his mind of everything vain and unkind. 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.

Upon entering the temple territory, the parishioner walks along a path on which there must be a place to perform the harai ritual - symbolic cleansing. If a believer has brought any special offerings, he can place them on the offering tables or give them to the clergyman.

The believer then goes to the honden. He throws a coin into a wooden lattice box in front of the altar (in rural areas, a pinch of rice wrapped in paper can be used instead of a coin). If a bell is fixed in front of the altar, the believer can ring it; The meaning of this action is interpreted differently: according to some ideas, the ringing of the bell attracts the attention of the kami, according to others it scares away evil spirits, according to others it helps to cleanse the mind of the parishioner. Then, standing in front of the altar, the believer bows, claps his hands several times (this gesture, according to Shinto beliefs, attracts the attention of the deity), and then prays. Individual prayers do not have established forms and texts; a person simply mentally turns to 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. After completing the prayer, the believer bows and leaves the altar.

On the way back to the exit from the temple, the believer can buy temple talismans (this could be a sign with the name of the kami, shavings taken from the logs of the old temple building during its last renovation, some other items) to put them on the kamidana at home. It is curious that, although Shintoism does not condemn trade and commodity-money relations as such, the receipt of temple talismans for money by believers is not formally trade. It is believed that the believer receives talismans as a gift, and the payment for them is his voluntary donation to the temple, which is made as reciprocal gratitude. Also, for a small fee, a believer can take from a special box a strip of paper on which is printed a prediction of what awaits him in the near future. If the prediction is favorable, this strip should be wrapped around the branch of a tree growing in the temple grounds, or around the bars of the temple fence. Unfavorable predictions are left near the figures of mythical guardians.

Matsuri

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. In preparation and conduct matsuri many people are involved. 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 dances "kagura".

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.

Clergy

Shinto priests are called kannusi. 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. Besides kannusi, assistants can take part in Shinto rituals kannusi - miko.

In large churches there are several kannusi, and besides 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 temple per temple. kannusi, and he often combines the occupation of a priest with some kind of regular work - a teacher, an employee or an entrepreneur.

Ritual vestments kannusi consists of a white kimono, a pleated skirt (white or colored) and a black cap eboshi, or, for high-ranking priests, a more elaborate headdress kanmuri. Miko wear a white kimono and a bright red skirt. White traditional Japanese socks are put on the feet tabi. For services outside the temple, high-ranking priests wear asa-gutsu- patent leather shoes made from a single piece of wood. Low-ranking priests and mikos wear regular sandals with white straps. The vestments of clergy are not attributed any symbolic meaning. Basically, its style is copied from the court clothing of the Heian era. It is worn only for religious ceremonies, in ordinary life kannusi wear ordinary clothes. In cases where a layman has to perform the duties of a representative of the temple during divine services, he also dresses in the clothes of a priest.

There are no principles in Shinto that restrict women from being official kami servants, but in fact, in accordance with patriarchal Japanese traditions, temple priests in the past were almost exclusively men, with women assigned the role of assistants. The situation changed during World War II, when many priests were called to military service, and their responsibilities in the temples fell on their wives as a result. Thus, a female clergyman ceased to be something unusual. Currently, women priests serve in some churches, their number is gradually growing, although the majority of priests, as before, are men.

Shinto and death

Death, illness, blood, according to Shinto ideas, are misfortune, but not bad. However, death, injury or illness destroys the purity of body and soul, which are a necessary condition for temple worship. As a result, a believer who is ill, suffering from a bleeding wound, or has recently experienced the death of a loved one should not participate in temple worship or temple festivals, although, as in all religions, he may pray at home, including asking the kami to help him get well soon or turn to the spirits of the dead, who, according to Shinto canons, will protect their living relatives. Also, a priest cannot conduct a service or participate in a temple holiday if he is sick, injured, or suffered the death of loved ones or a fire the day before.

Due to the attitude towards death as something that is incompatible with active communication with the kami, traditionally Shinto priests did not perform funeral ceremonies in temples and, moreover, did not bury the dead on the territory of temples (as opposed to Christianity, where a cemetery on the territory of a church is common case). However, there are examples of the construction of temples in places where the graves of especially revered people are located. In this case, the temple is dedicated to the spirit of the person buried in this place. In addition, Shinto beliefs that the spirits of the dead protect the living and at least periodically remain in human world, led to the emergence of traditions of constructing beautiful tombstones on the graves of the dead, as well as traditions of visiting the graves of ancestors and bringing offerings to the graves. These traditions are still observed in Japan, and have long since taken the form of general cultural rather than religious ones.

Shintoism also includes rituals that are performed in connection with the death of a person. In the past, these rituals were performed mainly by the relatives of the deceased themselves. Now priests conduct ritual ceremonies for the dead, but, as before, such ceremonies are never held in temples and the dead are not buried on the territory of temples.

Shintoism in modern Japan

Organization

Before the Meiji Restoration, the conduct of rituals and the maintenance of temples was essentially pure public matter, to which the state had nothing to do. Temples dedicated to clan deities were maintained by the respective clans, temples local kami were maintained by the community of local residents praying there. Natural migration of the population gradually “eroded” the traditional geographical habitats of certain clans; clan members moving far from their native places did not always have the opportunity to periodically return to the temples of their clan, which is why they founded new temples of clan deities in the places of their new residence. As a result, “clan” temples appeared throughout Japan and, in fact, turned into an analogue of the temples of local kami. A community of believers also formed around these temples, maintaining the temple, and priests from traditional clans of clergy served in them. The only exceptions were a few important temples controlled by the family of the Emperor of Japan.

With the advent of the Meiji era, the situation changed radically. Temples were nationalized, priests became civil servants appointed by the relevant institutions. After the end of World War II, the Shinto Directive was passed in 1945, prohibiting state support Shintoism, and a year later the provision on the separation of church and state was reflected in the new Constitution of Japan. State bodies governing temples were abolished in 1945, but three appeared public organizations, dealing with religious issues: Jingi Kai (association of Shinto priests), Koten Kokyu Sho (research institute for Japanese classics) and Jingu Hosai Kai (association for the support of the Great Temple). On February 3, 1946, these organizations were dissolved, and their leaders established the Jinja Honcho (Association of Shinto Shrines) and encouraged local shrine priests to join it. Most of the temples joined the Association, about a thousand temples remained independent (of which only 16 temples are of all-Japanese significance), in addition, about 250 temples united into a number of small associations, among which the most famous are Hokkaido Jinja Kyokai (Association of Temples of Southern Hokkaido), Jinja Honkyo ( Kyoto Temple Association), Kiso Mitake Honkyo (Nagano Prefecture Temple Association).

The Shinto Shrine Association is governed by a council of representatives from the local associations of the 46 prefectures (Jinjacho). The council is headed by an elected executive secretary. The Council makes all major political decisions. The association has six departments and is located in Tokyo. Its first president was the high priest of the Meiji Shrine, Nobusuku Takatsukasa, who was succeeded in this post by Yukidata Sasaku, formerly the high priest of the Great Ise Shrine. The Honorary President of the Association is Mrs. Fusako Kitashirakawa, High Priestess of Ise Shrine. The Association is in contact with other religious organizations in Japan and is closely associated with Kokugakuin University, the only educational institution in a country where Shinto is studied. The Association's unofficial publication is the weekly Jinja Shinpo (Shinto News).

At the local level, temples, as in the pre-Meiji Restoration era, are run by priests and elected committees made up of parishioners. Temples are registered with local authorities as legal entities, own land and buildings, the basis of their economy is funds created through donations and gifts from parishioners. Small local churches in rural areas, often without even a permanent priest, often exist entirely on a voluntary basis, supported exclusively by the local population.

Shintoism and other religions of Japan

Modern shrine Shintoism, in accordance with the general principles of maintaining the spirit of harmony, unity and cooperation, declares the principles of tolerance and friendliness towards all other religions. In practice, interaction between Shinto organizations and other churches does occur at all levels. The Association of Shinto Shrines is affiliated with Nihon Shukyo Renmei (League of Japanese Religions), along with Zen Nippon Bukkyo Kai (Japanese Buddhist Federation), Nihon Kyoha Shinto Renmei (Federation of Shinto Sects), Kirisutokyo Rengo Kai (Committee of Christian Associations) and Shin Nippon Shukyo Dantai Rengo Kai (Union of New Religious Organizations of Japan). To support interaction with all Japanese religious associations at the local level, there is the Nihon Shukyo Kyoryo Kyogi Kai (Japanese Council for Interreligious Cooperation), the Association encourages the participation of local Shinto shrines in this council.

Shrine Shintoism views its faith and its temples as something completely special, specifically Japanese and fundamentally different from the faith and churches of other religions. As a result, on the one hand, dual faith is not condemned and is considered normal, when parishioners of Shinto temples are simultaneously Buddhists, Christians or followers of other branches of Shintoism, on the other hand, the leaders of temple Shintoism approach interreligious contacts with some caution, especially at the international level, expressing concern that too widespread development of such contacts could lead to the recognition of Shinto as a religion like any other, with which they categorically disagree.

Shintoism in Japanese folk traditions

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.