shintoism

Shintoism, more commonly called Shinto, is the indigenous religious tradition of Japan. The term Shinto derives from Chinese characters meaning “way of the kami.” It has no single founder, no universal creed, and no single sacred scripture. Instead, it comprises a family of practices and beliefs centered on kami, sacred powers that inhabit natural phenomena, places, and ancestral spirits.

Core practices include kami worship at shrines (jinja) marked by torii gates, purification rites (harae and misogi), offerings of food and drink, prayers, and seasonal festivals (matsuri). Household rituals such as kamidana (household altars), ema (wooden plaques), and omamori (amulets) are also common. Omikuji (fortune-telling) and visits to shrines for personal rites of passage, blessings, and gratitude are typical. Shinto emphasizes purity, harmony with nature, and rituals that mark life events, harvests, and celebrations.

History and interaction with Buddhism have shaped Shinto. Ancient Japanese practices absorbed Buddhist and other East Asian influences, a blending known as shinbutsu-shūgō ( kami worship and Buddhism mixed). In the Meiji period, Shinbutsu bunri separated Shinto from Buddhism and promoted Shinto as a state ideology; after World War II, state sponsorship of Shinto was ended. Today Shinto is practiced across Japan in numerous shrines, with organizations such as the Association of Shinto Shrines (Jinja Honchō) guiding many rites and shrine activities.

Beliefs about the afterlife vary, and Shinto generally emphasizes living in harmony with the present world. Ancestor veneration and reverence for kami persist in daily life, but there is no single unified doctrine. The tradition is diverse, regional, and embedded in Japanese culture and practice.