Shinto is one of the worlds most interesting and ancient religions in the world. In many ways to be Japanese is to be Shinto. And to be Shinto you must be Japanese (Picken, 4). This religion has been engrained in Japanese society for generations, and is key to Japanese culture and politics. In this paper the following topics will be discussed: gender issues with the deities and priests, the interplay of religious systems within the study, and the political relationship between the Japanese government and Shinto. .
The Shinto priesthood is an institution that traces back to ancient Japan. The priesthood goes back many generations, and is hereditary. The duties of the priests are to serve the kami, engage in religious activity and they are in charge of administering the Shinto shrines( Picken 187). .
The Shinto priests have a very rich tradition. The garb the priest wear are symbolic of their rank in the priesthood. The priests rank is denoted by the color of their Hakama (the lower part of the priestly costume). The name of the ranking system is called Kai-i. The rank is as follows:.
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Jokai: Purity; this is granted to priests who serve 20 years or more. .
Meikai: Brightness. This rank and the two below are granted on the basis of education, general learning. .
Sekai: Righteousness.
Chokkai: uprightness.
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There is also a rank for priesthood within each Jinja, (a jinja is a sacred place where kami is present and is revered. That rank is as follows:.
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Guji: the chief priest of a shrine.
Gon-Guji: the assistant chief prist of a shrine.
Negi: senior priest.
Gon-negi: assistant senior priest.
Kannushi: priest.
Miko: shrine maiden who assist at rituals and performs sacred dances.
Itsuki-no-miya, or Saishu: the highest rank of all priests, traditionally a female of the imperial family, who was know as the princess devoted to the kami. These office exists now only at the Grand Shrines of Ise (Picken, 188).
"Shinto" harmonizes people with the natural world (216)." Shinto is a polytheistic religion in which each sanctuary has its own specific deity. ... "In Shinto, the sacred is both immanent and transcendent (218)." ... Shintoism has been blended slightly with both Buddhism and Confucian. ... Followers of Confucianism began to study and interpret the beliefs and traditional ways of Shintoism. ...
The reason for this is that Japanese children go to school and study more than students in most other countries. ... Furthermore, most students go to "cram schools" to study even more after the regular school day is over. ... "Japanese may employ Shinto rites when they marry and Buddhist funeral rites when they die" (Morton, 263). ... Worship in Shinto is done to show gratitude to the gods and to secure their continued favor. Since Shinto has no scriptures or moral codes, worship has always had a central place in the religion. ...
The blend is mainly made up of Shinto, Buddhism, Confucius, Taoist and Folk Traditions. The people all belong to both a Shinto Shrine and Buddhist Temple. ... Several other researchers also seem to felt the same admiration for these women as I do because of the vast number of books and articles I came across during the course of my own study. ... The Shinto tradition is the oldest tradition in Japan. ... Buddhism is, unlike Shinto, a religion that requires ...
As a result of this course of study I have a new perspective on religion. ... In Japan, Shinto, which is the national religion, is the most widely practices religion. If I had to make a comparison I would say that Shinto is more like the religions of China since there is no belief in one God as a creator. ... The Shinto religion does have a similarity to Christianity in that commitment and loyalty is a guiding principle of both religions. ... During class we referred to Christianity often but we did not study it in-depth. ...
Fuji, the tea ceremony, and the sacred objects of nature revered in Shintoism. ... The symbolism of the Japanese Emperor is very powerful and is wrapped up in a mix of religion (Shintoism) and myths. According to Shintoism the current Emperor is the direct descendent of the Sun Goddess who formed the islands of Japan out of the Ocean in ancient times.Footnote1 According to these myths the Japanese Emperor unlike a King is a living descendent of the Gods and even today he is thought of as the High Priest of Shinto. ... The head of the Tokugawa clan died in 1867 and was replace...
Shinto and Buddhism are two of the most popular religions in the country. ... Shinto is as old as the Japanese culture, while Buddhism was imported from the mainland in the 6th century. ... There are also many other centers that offer pure language study at low costs, which would be helpful to fully master the Japanese language. ... Gender Equality As modern as it is as a nation, Japan has one of the worst levels of gender equality in the developed world unfortunately, coming below that of Tajikistan and Indonesia at the 104th position out of 142 assessed countries in 2014, in a study re...
Primary Education Japanese elementary and junior high school students study such subjects as art, homemaking, the japanese language, mathematics, moral education, music, physical education, science and social studies. In addition, many junior high school students study English or another foreign language. ... Religon and Asthetics Religon and other belief systems As below Relationship with the people Just about every single person is a Shinto and three quarters of people are also buddhists. ... Which religons are prominent Buddhism and Shinto are the two most prominent religons in Japan by a l...
Fuji, the tea ceremony, and the sacred objects of nature revered in Shintoism. ... The symbolism of the Japanese Emperor is very powerful and is wrapped up in a mix of religion (Shintoism) and myths. According to Shintoism the current Emperor is the direct descendent of the Sun Goddess who formed the islands of Japan out of the Ocean in ancient times.Footnote1 According to these myths the Japanese Emperor unlike a King is a living descendent of the Gods and even today he is thought of as the High Priest of Shinto. ... The head of the Tokugawa clan died in 1867 and was replaced ...