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The history of Shinto can be traced back to ancient times. It was fostered naturally along with the development of Japanese culture and life-cycle ceremonies. There is no founder of Shinto.
Yes, to some extent. Jinja Honcho belongs to ‘Shrine Shinto’ the main denomination practiced by most Shinto shrines and Japanese. However, there are some Shinto sects formed in the modern period around the late 19th century.
Shinto has no scriptures. However there are some Japanese myths described in ancient history books such as the “Kojiki” and the “Nihon-Shoki”. From these myths we have gained much knowledge of Japanese deities.
The ancient Japanese had a notion that everything in this world was a sacred being and this is why Shinto has an enormous number of deities as objects of worship. They include not only mythical kami (deities) but also Tenno (the Emperor), and historical figures. Kami is sometimes translated into the English word ‘god’. Yet, the concept of kami is different from the western idea of ‘god’. Among numerous deities of Shinto, Amaterasu-Omikami is revered most highly but Shinto has no concept of the one absolute god or a hierarchy among deities.
There are about 80,000 shrines and about 20,000 priests in Japan. Therefore some priests take care of more than one shrine.
Basically, every Japanese person is a parishioner of a local shrine, no matter whether he/she is conscious of it. Local shrines are called Ujigami and are considered as guardians of the village.
Yes. There are shrines in places where Japanese people have emigrated to such as Hawaii, Brazil, and the U.S.A.
Yes. It is necessary to pass an exam or to complete a special course at a specific educational organization in order to be qualified as a Shinto priest.
There are no particular days but the Japanese people frequently go to Shinto shrines to pray for good health and happiness, and to thank the deities for daily life. Also, various rituals and events are held at shrines when people are at major turning points in their life, such as hatsumiya-mode (the first visit of a new born baby), Shichi-Go-San (Seven-Five-Three Celebration) and traditional wedding ceremonies.
It represents the border between the secular and the sacred worlds. Torii can simply be defined as an entrance to a Shinto shrine precinct.
Yes, basically you can take photos, but in some cases it might be forbidden. Please follow the instructions of the shrine staff.
The main difference is religion. Shinto shrines are for Shinto, and temples are for Buddhism. Each Shinto shrine has a Torii at the entrance and is the main symbol that distinguishes a Shinto shrine from a temple.
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