Shinto

Shinto (Japanese, “way of the gods”), indigenous religion of Japan originally based on worship of nature's forms and forces. As this worship evolved, entering a stage of polytheism, its most revered deity became the sun goddess, Ama terasu-o-mi-kami, from whom it was believed the emperors descended. They were regarded as chief priests by divine right, until the disavowal of divinity by Emperor Hirohito in 1946. The blending of church and state occurred in 1882, when the religion was organized into state shrines (supervised by the government) and sectarian shrines. (The imperial shrine is at Ise.) State Shinto was used by the militarists of Japan until its dismantling after World War II. Shinto beliefs, rituals, and prayers, transmitted orally before the introduction of writing by the Chinese in the 5th century, are recorded in 3 texts: the Kojiki, the Nihongi, and the Yengishiki. Today Shinto, influenced by Buddhism and Confucianism, is practiced through rituals and customs involving celebration of festivals, pilgrimages to shrines, and the honoring of ancestors. The practice of pure Shinto involves prayer, food offerings, and dances.

See also: Religion.