The Land of the Rising Sun has always attracted with its mystery and closedness. For several centuries, Europeans tried to establish contacts with this mysterious country, and only in the 18th century did they manage to achieve relatively stable trade relations. Today there are no problems with visiting Japan, however, tourists often do not understand the indigenous inhabitants of the islands, because their behavior and mentality are radically different from European ones. And to answer this question, it is necessary to turn to the pages of history in order to understand what religion took root in Japan and what influence it had on the mentality of the Japanese.
The national religion of Japan was formed over a long period of time. The ancient people of the Land of the Rising Sun believed in spirits, magic and totems. This is how the first animistic idea of the world was formed among the ancient Japanese. They spiritualized all inanimate nature.
Shintoism in Japan
The Japanese Shinto religion states that a deity can be summoned near a sacred place by clapping the hands twice. Blood sacrifices were not practiced in Japan; each ritual was aimed at developing friendly relations with nature and the outside world.
The teachings of Shintoism are based on:
- Faith in the spirituality of nature. The Japanese believe that there is life in every object and subject of nature, be it a stone or a plant.
- Every object has a soul - kami.
- Stones are the patrons of clans and families. In general, stones among the Japanese personify not only clan and family, but also eternity (the indigenous population of Japan believes that after death a person’s soul is encased in a stone in order to protect his clan).
- The main spiritual principle of life is unity with nature and people. The material world is considered the only place where people and nature can interact.
- In Shinto there is no division between good and evil, as can be seen in other religions. For example, the confrontation between a tiger and its prey is a natural process for the Japanese, for this reason they do not brand the tiger “evil” for its desire to eat.
The traditional beliefs of the Japanese originate from 4-3 thousand BC, when the first Mongol tribes came to the territory of modern Japan. Primitive beliefs based on totemism, animism and magic remained mothballed until the 7th century, when they were incorporated into the philosophical movement - Shintoism. Simultaneously with the formation of the state religion Shinto, another teaching came to Japan - Buddhism.
Shinto
Being a Shintoist for a resident of traditional Japan and being Japanese are things of the same order. The opposite statement is also true: you cannot be a Shintoist without being Japanese. The word Shinto is written in two characters, where shin means “deities” and then means “path”. Unlike Buddhism or Christianity, which are called in Japanese the “teachings” of Bukkyo, literally “the teachings of Buddha,” and Kirisutokyo, literally “the teachings of Christ,” Shinto does not have a founder. By now, Shintoism has firmly established itself as the original Japanese religion, which is based on the veneration of numerous kami deities. The term “Shinto” first appears in the Nihon Shoki chronicle (720), where an entry for 586 states: “The Emperor believed in the teachings of the Buddha and revered the way of the gods.” However, ideas about kami deities living in rivers, mountains, trees, stones and even individual things appear much earlier. By the time the Nihon Shoki was compiled, one can already talk about the presence of a pantheon of deities and a close connection between Shinto and the state. Thus, the more ancient the deity from which this or that aristocratic family originated, the higher the level in the hierarchy it could claim.
In Shinto there is no concept of sin, but it is believed that performing certain actions can lead to ritual pollution called kegare. To cleanse from filth, oharae, rituals are performed and offerings are made to deities. It is not typical for Shinto to divide deities into good and evil, beneficial and harmful - all of them can benefit the believer when performing the correct rituals. Violating the rules of communication with kami can anger the deity and lead to tatare - revenge on his part. But even in these cases, ritual actions are provided to pacify him. The veneration of the kami is carried out by Shinto priests at shrines called yashiro or jinja. There are more than 80 thousand sanctuaries throughout the country. Shinto religious ceremonies and related celebrations are called matsuri. Matsuri have become an integral part of the daily life of the Japanese and have largely lost their sacred meaning.
Sale of utensils for a Buddhist altar. Photo by T. Enami. Yokohama, 1898–1905 © Okinawa Soba / flickr.com
Buddhism in Japan
Around the middle of the 6th century, Buddhism entered Japan through Tibet and China. The new religion began to quickly spread throughout the country, however, it failed to gain a strong foothold. At that time, wars began in the country to redistribute spheres of influence, and Japan, monolithic from a religious point of view, split; the religion of Buddhism quickly began to win back supporters of traditional beliefs.
The reasons for the strengthening of Buddhism in Japan were based on 4 basic truths of this belief:
- Belief in nirvana is an ideal state of body and soul.
- Belief in reincarnation.
- Buddhists were promised a better life after death.
- Simplicity in worship (Buddhists were not supporters of pompous ceremonies and complex rituals).
In the 7th and 8th centuries, Buddhist schools with different teachings began to appear in Japan. For example, the Hosso-shu school appeared (657), where believers were taught prayers that should lead them to salvation after death. This school did not practice meditation or study of sacred texts.
The second most popular was the Kusha school, founded in 660. Her students devoted most of their lives to the study of “Abihodharmakosa” - general Buddhist knowledge.
The coexistence of Buddhism and Shinto continued until the mid-19th century, when in 1868 the ancient Japanese religion, Shinto, became the state religion. Since that time, nationalist sentiments began to grow in the country. There was a belief in the special purpose of the Japanese nation, intolerance towards lower races - Koreans and Chinese. In a word, Japan began to build up its military power to seize the lands of China that once in the distant past belonged to the land of the rising sun.
Buddhism
The exact date of the Japanese acquaintance with Buddhism is also impossible to calculate, but information from ancient chronicles suggests that at the official level, the teachings of Buddha received support in 538, when the ruler of Baekje, one of the ancient Korean states, sent a statue of Buddha to the Japanese ruler for veneration. A dispute breaks out among the courtiers about whether Buddha should be venerated. The Emperor orders supporters of the “god of neighboring countries” to try to honor him. After the performance of Buddhist rituals, illnesses broke out. The officials decided that Buddha was to blame and threw the statue into a ditch. However, after this there was a fire in the imperial residence. Then they decided that there was no point in angering the “new deity” and began to worship him. The new is perceived through the familiar. Belief in the Buddha at an early stage differed little from belief in the kami. A high degree of syncretism of religious views and, as a consequence, religious tolerance are constant characteristics of Japanese culture and society. It is also impossible to talk about the only “correct” version of the Buddhist doctrine, which is represented in Japan by many schools that differ from each other in both doctrinal and ritual aspects.
Komuso are monks of the Fuke school of Zen. Early 20th century © Okinawa Soba / flickr.com
Christianity in Japan
The first missionaries appeared on the Japanese islands in the mid-16th century. The first Christian sermons in Japan are inseparably linked with the name of the Jesuit Francis Xavier.
In the early stages, the missionaries encountered problems:
- A total misunderstanding of Japanese ideas (Europeans were perplexed at how a Japanese could stand over a stone and look at it for hours).
- The sea route to Japan was long and dangerous (there were pirates everywhere in the waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans).
- Government persecution.
Nevertheless, Christians managed to penetrate the Japanese islands, however, the local authorities did not accept them. The Tokugawa shogunate in 1612 banned Christian teaching and ordered law enforcement agencies to pursue a repressive policy towards missionaries. Christians were forced to go deep underground. Those who did not have time to hide were sent home. In all other cases, defenseless missionaries were publicly executed, mocked and imprisoned.
This continued until 1859. This year, the country's government adopted the Ansei Treaty, according to which Christians received the right to freely come to the country, but preaching was prohibited. Missionaries who dared to violate this order were immediately and brutally executed.
Despite persecution, Christianity left a visible mark in Japan. The missionaries managed to convey ideas to the hearts of the Japanese:
- Mercy.
- Love.
- Freedom and equality (later this idea contributed to the formation of parliamentarism in the country).
- Love for neighbors (after the end of World War II, the Japanese renounced their claims to the lands of Manchuria).
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Shintoism, Shinto (Japanese 神道, Shinto, “way of the gods”) is the traditional religion of Japan. Based on the animistic beliefs of the ancient Japanese, the objects of worship are numerous deities and spirits of the dead. In its development it experienced a significant influence of Buddhism. There is another form of Shinto called the "thirteen sects". In the period before the end of World War II, this type of Shinto had distinctive features from the state one in its legal status, organization, property, and rituals. Sectarian Shintoism is heterogeneous. This type of Shintoism was characterized by moral purification, Confucian ethics, the deification of mountains, the practice of miraculous healings, and the revival of ancient Shinto rites. Shinto philosophy. The basis of Shinto is the deification and worship of natural forces and phenomena. It is believed that everything that exists on Earth is, to one degree or another, animate, deified, even those things that we are accustomed to consider inanimate - for example, a stone or a tree. Each thing has its own spirit, a deity - kami. Some kami are spirits of the area, others personify natural phenomena and are patrons of families and clans. Other kami represent global natural phenomena, such as Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess. Shinto includes magic, totemism, and belief in the effectiveness of various talismans and amulets. The main principle of Shinto is to live in harmony with nature and people. According to Shinto ideas, the world is a single natural environment where kami, people, and the souls of the dead live side by side. Life is a natural and eternal cycle of birth and death, through which everything in the world is constantly renewed. Therefore, people do not need to seek salvation in another world; they should achieve harmony with the kami in this life. Goddess Amaterasu. History of Shintoism. Origin. Shinto, as a religious philosophy, is a development of the animistic beliefs of the ancient inhabitants of the Japanese islands. There are several versions of the origin of Shinto: the export of this religion at the dawn of our era from continental states (ancient China and Korea), the emergence of Shinto directly on the Japanese Islands since the time of Jomon, etc. It can be noted that animist beliefs are typical of all known cultures at a certain stage of development , but of all any large and civilized states, only in Japan were they not forgotten over time, but became, only partially modified, the basis of the state religion. An association. The formation of Shinto as the national and state religion of the Japanese dates back to the period of the 7th-8th centuries AD. e., when the country was united under the rule of the rulers of the central Yamato region. In the process of unifying Shinto, a system of mythology was canonized, in which the sun goddess Amaterasu, declared the ancestor of the ruling imperial dynasty, was at the top of the hierarchy, and local and clan gods took a subordinate position. The Taihoryo code of laws, which appeared in 701, approved this provision and established the Jingikan, the main administrative body, which was in charge of all issues related to religious beliefs and ceremonies. An official list of state religious holidays was established. Empress Genmei ordered the compilation of a collection of myths of all the peoples living on the Japanese Islands. According to this order, in 712 the chronicle “Records of the Deeds of Antiquity” (Japanese: 古事記, Kojiki) was created, and in 720, “Annals of Japan” (Japanese: 日本書紀, Nihon Shoki or Nihongi). These mythological codes became the main texts in Shinto, some semblance of sacred scripture. When compiling them, the mythology was somewhat corrected in the spirit of the national unification of all Japanese and the justification of the power of the ruling dynasty. In 947, the code “Engishiki” (“Code of Rituals of the Engi Period”) appeared, containing a detailed presentation of the ritual part of state Shinto - the order of rituals, the necessary accessories for them, lists of gods for each temple, texts of prayers. Finally, in 1087, an official list of state temples supported by the imperial house was approved. State temples were divided into three groups: the first included seven sanctuaries directly associated with the gods of the imperial dynasty, the second included seven temples of greatest importance from the point of view of history and mythology, and the third included eight temples of the most influential clan and local gods. Shintoism and Buddhism. Already the initial unification of Shinto into a single national religion took place under the strong influence of Buddhism, which penetrated Japan in the 6th-7th centuries. Since Buddhism was very popular among the Japanese aristocracy, everything was done to prevent inter-religious conflicts. At first, kami were declared the patrons of Buddhism; later, some kami began to be associated with Buddhist saints. Ultimately, the idea developed that kami, like people, may need salvation, which is achieved in accordance with Buddhist canons. Shinto shrine.
Buddhist temple.
Buddhist temples began to be located on the territory of Shinto temple complexes, where appropriate rituals were held; Buddhist sutras were read directly in Shinto shrines. The influence of Buddhism especially began to manifest itself starting from the 9th century, when Buddhism became the state religion of Japan. At this time, many cult elements from Buddhism were transferred to Shintoism. Images of Buddhas and bodhisattvas began to appear in Shinto shrines, new holidays began to be celebrated, details of rituals, ritual objects, and architectural features of temples were borrowed. Mixed Shinto-Buddhist teachings emerged, such as Sanno-Shinto and Ryobu-Shinto, which consider kami as manifestations of the Buddhist Vairocana - “the Buddha who permeates the entire Universe.” In ideological terms, the influence of Buddhism was manifested in the fact that in Shinto there appeared the concept of achieving harmony with the kami through purification, which meant the elimination of 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 of a 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 the traditional Shinto attitude to rituals, real action was put in first place, and not ostentatious religious zeal and prayers: “We can say that a person will find harmony with the deities and the Buddha if his heart is straight and calm, if he himself will honestly and sincerely respect those above him and show compassion to those below him if he considers what exists as existing and what does not exist as non-existent and accepts things as they are. And then a person will gain the protection and patronage of the deities, even if he does not perform prayers. But if he is not upright and sincere, heaven will leave him even if he prays every day.” - Hojo Nagauji. 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 the ideological basis uniting Japanese society. Despite the respect shown to 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, it was further developed in Kitabatake Chikafusa’s treatise “Jino Shotoki” (“Record of the True Genealogy of the Divine Emperors”), which asserted the chosenness of the Japanese nation. 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 the 17th-18th 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. After the restoration of imperial power in 1868, the emperor was immediately officially proclaimed the living god on Earth, and Shinto received the status of a compulsory state religion. The emperor was also the high priest. All Shinto temples were united into a single system with a clear hierarchy: the highest position was occupied by the imperial temples, first of all the Ise temple, where Amaterasu was revered, then the state, prefectural, district, and village ones. When freedom of religion was established in Japan in 1882, Shinto nevertheless retained its status as the official state religion. Its teaching was compulsory in all educational institutions. Holidays were introduced in honor of the imperial family: the day of the emperor's accession to the throne, the birthday of Emperor Jimmu, the day of remembrance of Emperor Jimmu, the day of remembrance of the father of the reigning emperor, and others. On such days, educational institutions performed a ritual of worshiping the emperor and empress, which took place in front of portraits of rulers with the singing of the national anthem. Shinto lost its state status in 1947, after the adoption of a new constitution for the country, formed under the control of the occupying American authorities. The Emperor ceased to be considered a living god and high priest, remaining only as a symbol of the unity of the Japanese people. State churches lost their support and special position. Shintoism became one of the religions widespread in Japan. A Japanese samurai prepared to perform the ritual of seppuku (harakiri). This ritual was carried out by ripping open the abdomen with a sharp wakajishi blade.
Mythology of Shintoism. The main sources of Shinto mythology are the aforementioned collections “Kojiki” and “Nihongi”, created, respectively, in 712 and 720 AD. They included combined and revised tales that had previously been passed down orally from generation to generation. In records from the Kojiki and Nihongi, experts note the influence of Chinese culture, mythology, and philosophy. The events described in most myths take place in the so-called “era of the gods” - the period from the emergence of the world to the time immediately preceding the creation of the collections. Myths do not determine the duration of the era of the gods. At the end of the era of the gods, the era of the reign of emperors - the descendants of the gods - begins. Stories about events during the reign of ancient emperors complete the collection of myths. Both collections describe the same myths, often in different forms. In Nihongi, in addition, each myth is accompanied by a list of several variants in which it occurs. The first stories tell about the origin of the world. According to them, the world was originally in a state of chaos, containing all the elements in a mixed, formless state. At some point, the primordial chaos was divided and Takama-nohara (High Sky Plain) and the Akitsushima Islands were formed. At the same time, the first gods arose (they are called differently in different collections), and after them divine couples began to appear. In each such pair there was a man and a woman - brother and sister, personifying various natural phenomena. Very indicative for understanding the Shinto worldview is the story of Izanagi and Izanami - the last of the divine couples to appear. They created the island of Onnogoro - the Middle Pillar of the Whole Earth, and married each other, becoming husband and wife. From this marriage came the Japanese islands and many kami who populated this land. Izanami, having given birth to the god of Fire, fell ill and after some time died and went to the Land of Darkness. In desperation, Izanagi cut off the head of the Fire God, and new generations of kami arose from his blood. The grieving Izanagi followed his wife to return her to the world of High Sky, but found Izanami in a terrible state, decomposing, was horrified by what he saw and fled from the Land of Darkness, blocking the entrance to it with a rock. Enraged by his flight, Izanami promised to kill a thousand people a day; in response, Izanagi said that he would build huts every day for one and a half thousand women in labor. This story perfectly conveys the Shinto ideas about life and death: everything is mortal, even the gods, and there is no point in trying to bring back the dead, but life conquers death through the rebirth of all living things. From the time described in the myth of Izanagi and Izanami, myths begin to mention people. Thus, Shinto mythology dates the appearance of people to the time when the Japanese islands first appeared. But the very moment of the appearance of people in myths is not specifically noted; there is no separate myth about the creation of man, since Shinto ideas generally do not make a strict distinction between people and kami. Returning from the Land of Darkness, Izanagi purified himself by washing in the waters of the river. When he performed ablution, many kami appeared from his clothes, jewelry, and drops of water flowing from him. Among others, from the drops that washed Izanagi’s left eye, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu appeared, to whom Izanagi gave the High Sky Plain. From the drops of water that washed the nose - the god of storm and wind Susanoo, who received the Plain of the Sea under his power. Having received parts of the World under their power, the gods began to quarrel. The first was the conflict between Susanoo and Amaterasu - the brother, having visited his sister in her domain, behaved violently and unrestrainedly, and in the end Amaterasu locked herself in a heavenly grotto, bringing darkness to the world. The gods (according to another version of the myth - people) lured Amaterasu out of the grotto with the help of birdsong, dancing and loud laughter. Susanoo made an atoning sacrifice, but was still expelled from the High Sky Plain and settled in the country of Izumo, the western part of the island of Honshu. After the story of the return of Amaterasu, the myths cease to be consistent and begin to describe separate, unrelated plots. They all talk about the struggle of kami with each other for dominion over a particular territory. One of the myths tells how Amaterasu's grandson, Ninigi, came to earth to rule the peoples of Japan. Together with him, five more deities went to earth, giving rise to the five most influential clans of Japan. Another myth says that a descendant of Niniga, Iwarehiko (who bore the name Jimmu during his lifetime), undertook a campaign from the island of Kyushu to Honshu (the central island of Japan) and subjugated all of Japan, thus founding an empire and becoming the first emperor. This myth is one of the few that has a date; it dates the Jimmu campaign to 660 BC. e., although modern researchers believe that the events reflected in it actually took place no earlier than the 3rd century AD. It is on these myths that the thesis about the divine origin of the imperial family is based. They also became the basis for the Japanese national holiday - Kigensetsu, the day of the founding of the empire, celebrated on February 11. Cult of Shintoism. Temples. A Shinto temple or shrine is a place where rituals are performed in honor of the gods. There are temples dedicated to several gods, temples that honor the spirits of the dead of a particular clan, and the Yasukuni Shrine honors Japanese military personnel who died for Japan and the emperor. But most shrines are dedicated to one specific kami. 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. Part of the Toshogu temple complex.
Temple complex to Oedipus. Typically, a temple complex consists of two or more buildings located in a picturesque area, “integrated” into the natural landscape. The main building, the honden, is intended for the deity. It contains an altar where the shintai - “the body of the kami” - is kept, an object that is believed to be inhabited by the spirit of the kami. Shintai can be different objects: a wooden tablet with the name of a deity, a stone, a tree branch. Xingtai is not shown to believers; it is always hidden. Since the soul of a kami is inexhaustible, its simultaneous presence in the shintai of many temples is 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 built (kami mountains, groves), then the honden may not be built, since the kami is already present in the place where the temple is built. In addition to the honden, the temple usually has a haiden - a hall for worshipers. In addition to the main buildings, the temple complex may include a shinsenjo - a room for preparing sacred food, a haraijyo - a place for spells, a kaguraden - a dance stage, as well as other auxiliary buildings. All buildings of the temple complex are maintained in the same architectural style. There are several traditional styles in which temple buildings are built. In all cases, the main buildings have the shape of a rectangle, at the corners of which there are vertical wooden pillars supporting the roof. In some cases, a honden and a haiden may stand close to each other, with a common roof being built for both buildings. The floor of the main temple buildings is always raised above the ground, so a staircase leads into the temple. A veranda can be attached to the entrance. There are sanctuaries without buildings at all; they are a rectangular area with wooden pillars at the corners. The pillars are connected by a rope of straw, and in the center of the sanctuary there is a tree, stone or wooden pillar. In front of the entrance to the shrine territory there is at least one torii - structures similar to gates without doors. The torii is considered the gateway to the place that belongs to the kami, where the gods can manifest and communicate with them. There can be one tori, but there can be a large number of them. It is believed that a person who has successfully completed some truly large-scale undertaking must donate a torii to some temple. A path leads from the torii to the entrance to the honden, next to which there are stone basins for washing hands and mouth. In front of the entrance to the temple, as well as in other places where it is believed that kami are constantly present or may appear, shimenawa - thick ropes of rice straw - are hung. Rituals. The basis of the Shinto cult is the veneration of the kami, to whom the temple is dedicated. For this purpose, rituals are performed with the goal of establishing and maintaining a connection between believers and kami, entertaining the kami, and giving him pleasure. It is believed that this allows one to hope for his mercy and protection. The system of cult rituals has been developed quite meticulously. It includes the ritual of a single prayer of a parishioner, his participation in collective temple actions - purification (harai), sacrifice (shinsen), prayer (norito), libation (naorai), as well as complex rituals of matsuri temple festivals. 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. The prayer ritual that is performed by those who come to churches is very simple. A coin is thrown into a wooden lattice box in front of the altar, then, standing in front of the altar, they “attract the attention” of the deity by clapping their hands several times, after which they pray. Individual prayers do not have established forms and texts; a person simply mentally addresses the 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 typical 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. 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. To offer prayer at home, a kamidana is set up - a home altar. A kamidana is a small shelf decorated with branches of pine or the sacred sakaki tree, usually placed above the door of the guest room in the house. Talismans bought in temples, or simply tablets with the names of the deities that the believer worships, are placed on the kamidana. Offerings are also placed there: usually sake and rice cakes. Prayer is performed in the same way as in a temple: the believer stands in front of the kamidan, clapping his hands several times to attract the kami, after which he silently communicates with him. The harai ritual consists of washing the mouth and hands with water. In addition, there is a procedure for mass ablution, which consists of sprinkling the believers with salt water and sprinkling with salt. The shinsen ritual is an offering to the temple of rice, clean water, rice cakes (“mochi”), and various gifts. The Naorai ritual usually consists of a communal meal of worshipers who eat and drink part of the edible offerings and thus, as it were, touch the kami's meal. Ritual prayers - norito - are read by the priest, who, as it were, acts as an intermediary between the person and the kami. 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. Many people are involved in the preparation and execution of matsuri. 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 “kagura” dances. 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. Gardens of the Spirit: Kodaiji Temple.
Clergymen. Shinto priests are called kannushi. 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. In addition to kannushi, kannushi’s assistants, miko, can take part in Shinto rituals. In large temples there are several kannusi, and in addition to 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 kannusi for several temples, and he often combines the occupation of a priest with some kind of regular work - a teacher, an employee or an entrepreneur. The kannushi ritual attire consists of a white kimono, a pleated skirt (white or colored) and a black cap. They wear it only for religious ceremonies; in ordinary life, Kannusi wear ordinary clothes. Kannusi.
Shintoism in modern Japan. 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. In Japan today there are about 80 thousand Shinto shrines and two Shinto universities where Shinto clergy are trained: Kokugakuin in Tokyo and Kagakkan in Ise. In temples, prescribed rituals are regularly performed and holidays are held. Major Shinto holidays are very colorful and are accompanied, depending on the traditions of a particular province, by torchlight processions, fireworks, costumed military parades, and sports competitions. The Japanese, even those who are not religious or belong to other faiths, take part in these holidays en masse. Modern Shinto priest. The Golden Hall of Toshunji Temple is the tomb of representatives of the Fujiwara clan. Itsukushima Temple complex on Miyajima Island (Hiroshima Prefecture).
Todaiji Monastery. Big Buddha Hall.
Ancient Shinto shrine Izumo Taisha.
Horyuji Temple [Temple of the Prosperity of the Law] in Ikaruga.
An ancient pavilion in the inner garden of a Shinto shrine.
Temple of Hoodo (Phoenix). Buddhist monastery Byodoin (Kyoto Prefecture).
O. Bali, Lake Bratan Temple.
Kofukuji Temple Pagoda.
Toshodaiji Temple - the main temple of the Ritsu school of Buddhism
Sites worth visiting: https://www.shinto.ru/ https://www.pravidya.ru/ https://samurai-japan.narod.ru/
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Modern Japan
Nowadays, two religions have become widespread in Japan: Buddhism and Shintoism. Almost 97% of the population are Buddhists and Shintoists. Nevertheless, the main religion in Japan is atheism, since most of the population only formally belongs to two religions - Buddhism and Shintoism. Only 30% of the total population identifies themselves as believers.
As for Christianity, it accounts for only 2% of the total population of Japan. The traditional religion of Japan at the present stage is almost not developing, but, on the contrary, is in decline. Traditional beliefs are revered in very narrow circles. In total, religious scholars number no more than 120 thousand Old Believers in Japan.
Japanese religions - general features
According to the latest sociological survey, in 2010, more than 100 million Japanese considered themselves Shintoists, 85 million were Buddhists, and 1.9 million people declared adherence to Christianity. At the same time, the total population of Japan at that time was 128 million people. A situation in which the number of believers exceeds the population of a country is unthinkable for Western cultures and completely natural for Japan . Even as a Christian, the Japanese do not deny themselves the pleasure of participating in Shinto festivals or asking Tenjin, the patron deity of education and scientists, for help in passing exams.
Despite significant ritual and doctrinal differences, Shinto and Japanese Buddhism share several common features. These include: polytheism, the absence of a canonical text, a developed cult of ancestors, the presence of local cults, the close connection of rituals with the agricultural cycle, the absence of a dominant school, and an orientation toward gaining “profit in this world” (genze riyaku). Of course, there are many more differences between Shinto and Buddhism. Thus, already in the Middle Ages, a certain division of ritual duties developed between Buddhist monks and Shinto priests, which remains in general terms to the present day. The birth of a child is accompanied by the performance of Shinto rites, while the funeral is carried out by Buddhist monks.
