What is Shintoism? Understanding Japan's Native Religion
The Deep Connection Between Shinto and Kami (神)
Have you ever wondered why there is a Torii gate in the middle of the ocean? or why at shrines there are ropes around a tree?
To understand these things and more, one has to understand the nature of Shintoism and kami (神). This is because it is impossible to separate Shintoism from kami. If you want to understand one, you need to understand the other.
Shinto in Japanese literally translates to “the way of Kami.” The term is written with two characters: shin (神), which means “spirit” or “god”, and tō (道), which means “way”, “road” or “path.”
The term goes back to some of the earliest written records in Japan such as the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Happenings) and Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan).
In addition, throughout history other terms have been used in conjunction with Shinto; these include kami no michi (神の道), kannagara no michi (神ながらの道, 随神の道, 惟神の道), Kodō (古道), Daidō (大道), and Teidō (帝道).
What is clear in all these terms is that Shinto is essentially connected to Kami and a way or practice of life as both characters feature in the terms used.
Dō / Tō (道) might be familiar from its appearance in other words in Japanese. Here are a few examples:
柔道 — Judo — Martial Arts
書道 — Shodo — Calligraphy
剣道 — Kendo — Swordsmanship
弓道 — Kyudo — Archery
華道 — Flower arranging, also called Ikebana.
In all these cases Dō / Tō (道) is used to describe how one does something. In the case of Kendo (剣道), it means how one is supposed to use a sword.
So, if we apply this to Shinto, it means how one properly ‘follows’ or ‘practice’ kami. How does one do this?
In order to answer this question let’s first take a look at the nature of kami.
What are Kami?
Kami (神) is translated in English as a ‘god’ or spirit’. While this translation has been disputed, it is largely accepted by scholars as a proper translation of the term.
However, what we need to be careful about is what Shinto means in saying something is a spirit or god. We cannot simply import western theisitc notions, for example, on to the concept of kami. To understand the shinto concept of a god/spirit we must consider the nature of religion itself.
Religion has at its roots a connection to the mysterious and wonderful. This is the reason why a natural phenomena such as lighting is ascribed to a god (namely Zeus) in Ancient Greece or fertility to the goddess Ceres in Ancient Rome. Even in modern times, religion is connected to what happens after you die and how the world came to be; both being very mysterious things.
These experiences, both the good and the bad, strike us with a sense of awe and cause us to push beyond the surface level; questioning the very nature of reality and ourselves.
In Shinto, such experiences can be generated from a wide variety of things such as; natural phenomenon, man-made objects, and even other people.
Such awe inspiring experiences are called tama, mi, or mono. The thing which causes the experience is called kami.
Kami are then: those things which invoke in us a sense of awe or wonder. It is clear from this definition how one might call a kami a god; as gods certainly invoke a sense of wonder.
However, there is more to the concept of kami and it is perhaps best to proceed by using a concrete example.
The Wedded Rocks at Futami, or Meoto Iwa 夫婦岩, are perhaps one of the most well known images often associated with shinto. The rocks are located off the coast of Ise in Mie prefecture and not far from the famous Ise Shrine. They are connected by a sacred rope (shimenawa) with a torii gate on the larger stone.
Looking at the below picture, what would you say is the thing that inspires awe?
Is it the larger rock? The smaller rock? The combination of the two? The two rocks together with the surrounding scenery?
The last option is the closest to Shinto thinking. However, there is still one important aspect missing. You, the observer. The tama is a result of the interconnectedness of the two rocks, the scenery, and those observing it (in this case the local villagers who first noticed the rocks).
This is because, according to Shinto, the world is “kami-filled” in that the world and kami are interconnected in such a way that one could not exist without the other.
Thomas Kasulis, in his book Shinto: The Way Home, uses the analogy of the ocean to explain how the world is “kami-filled” according to Shinto. When we usually hear that something is filled with something, we think of an external relationship. In the case of the ocean, a scoop of water is filled with sand. We can see the thousands of peices swirling around in it. However, if we worked very hard (or just let the sand settle), we could eventually separate the sand and the water.
Shinto, however, says that the world is “kami-filled” in the way that water and salt are combined in the ocean. We don't experience salt and water in like we do sand in water. Rather, the salt and water are experienced at the same time as sea water. We could, with even more difficulty than sand, separate the two, but in doing so we would also destroy the experience; that is, there would be no more sea water left.
Back to our example, it is not possible to remove just the larger rock, the scenery, or the observer from the experience without destroying the kami; and vice versa, it is not possible to remove the kami without destroying what it is to be the rocks, ocean, or the subject.
This means that the Torii and the sacred rope are meant to reveal this inherent connectedness that exists rather than create it. Kasulis says that the sacred rope (shimenawa) rather than marrying the rocks is more like an anniversary ring celebrating the marriage that has always existed.
Defining Shinto — A Mirror
Thus, the “way of kami” (i.e. Shinto) is how one goes about interacting with awe inspiring experiences, in which one is an essential part, in the proper way. To understand this proper way, it is useful to use another important image in Shinto; the mirror.
One of the sacred artifacts enshrined at Ise Shrine is a mirror and mirrors are found at almost every shrine in Japan.
This is because in Shinto one is supposed to reflect kami not reflect on kami.
Mirrors are a perfect metaphore for this. To fully appreciate the awe inspiring experience of kami, we must become perfect mirrors. Any uncleanliness on our part will lead to an imprefect experience of kami, not only for ourselves, but for others as well.
This idea can be seen in the daily customs of Japanese people. Japan puts a strong emphasis on being clean. Japanese bath regularly, cover almost everything in plastic, often wear white gloves while working, not to mention having water at the enterence of shrines and temples.
If one is to fully experience life in all its splendor and glory, one must be clean in order to do so.
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References
Thomas P. Kasulis, Shinto: The Way Home (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2004).
John K. Nelson, A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine (Washington: University of Washington Press, 1996).
Stuart D. B. Picken, Essentials if Shino: A Analytical Guide to Principle Teachings (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 1994).