Shinto ( Japanese : 神道 ) is a form of Japanese animism . It has many kami , translated as gods or nature spirits . Some "kami" are just spirits of certain places, and some are the overall "kami" (like "Amaterasu", the Sun goddess). The word "Shinto" comes from the Japanese words " 神 ", shin ?the word for spirit or god , and " 道 ", t? ?the word for "the way" or "path". So, Shinto means "the way of the gods."

State Shinto was the main religion of Japan before World War II . During the period 1868 to 1945 the Japanese government used Shinto for propaganda . All Japanese were forced to register with their local shrine. All Shinto priests worked for the government. War was seen as a sacred duty. The Emperor of Japan was seen as a god. Japanese Buddhism was also involved with the war effort (See Zen at War ).

Shinto has many rituals and customs , and some are done every day. Festivals are frequent. Some people mix Shinto and Buddhist rituals and beliefs.

• Although Jinja-Honcho manages almost all shrines, some, such as Yasukuni , are run separately.

• Amaterasu , the Sun Goddess, is seen as the holiest of all Shinto kami. Her shrine is in Ise , Japan .

Related pages [ change | change source ]

• Shinto shrine

Other websites [ change | change source ]

• Kokugakuin University Encylopedia of Shinto Archived 2009-04-03 at the Wayback Machine

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