Name: Shintoism (“way of the gods”)
Occurrence time: VI century

Shintoism is a traditional religion in Japan. Based on the animistic beliefs of the ancient Japanese, the objects of worship are numerous deities and spirits of the dead. She experienced significant influence in her development.

The basis of Shinto is the deification and worship of natural forces and phenomena. It is believed that many things have their own spiritual essence - kami. Kami can exist on Earth in a material object, and not necessarily in one that is considered alive in the standard sense, such as a tree, stone, sacred place or natural phenomenon, and under certain conditions can appear in divine dignity. Some kami are spirits of an area or of certain natural objects (for example, the spirit of a particular mountain), others personify global natural phenomena, such as Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess. Kami are revered - the patrons of families and clans, as well as the spirits of deceased ancestors, who are considered patrons and protectors of their descendants. Shinto includes magic, totemism, and belief in the effectiveness of various talismans and amulets. It is considered possible to protect against hostile kami or subdue them with the help of special rituals.

The main spiritual principle of Shinto is living in harmony with nature and people. According to Shinto beliefs, the world is a single natural environment where kami, people and the souls of the dead live side by side. Kami are immortal and included in the cycle of birth and death, through which everything in the world is constantly renewed. However, the cycle in its current form is not endless, but exists only until the destruction of the earth, after which it will take on other forms. In Shinto there is no concept of salvation; instead, everyone determines their natural place in the world through their feelings, motivations and actions.

Shinto cannot be considered a dualistic religion; it does not have the general strict law inherent in the Abrahamic religions. The Shinto concepts of good and evil differ significantly from European ones (), first of all, in their relativity and specificity. Thus, enmity between those who are naturally antagonistic or who harbor personal grievances is considered natural and does not make one of the opponents unconditionally “good” or the other – unconditionally “bad.” In ancient Shintoism, good and evil were denoted by the terms yoshi (good) and ashi (bad), the meaning of which is not a spiritual absolute, as in European morality, but the presence or absence of practical value and suitability for use in life. In this sense, Shinto understands good and evil to this day - both the first and the second are relative, the assessment of a specific act depends entirely on the circumstances and goals that the person committing it set for himself.

If a person acts with a sincere, open heart, perceives the world as it is, if his behavior is respectful and impeccable, then he is most likely to do good, at least in relation to himself and his social group. Virtue recognizes compassion for others, respect for elders in age and position, the ability to “live among people” - to maintain sincere and friendly relationships with everyone who surrounds a person and makes up his society. Anger, selfishness, rivalry for the sake of rivalry, and intolerance are condemned. Everything that disrupts social order, destroys the harmony of the world and interferes with the service of the kami is considered evil.

Thus, evil, in the Shinto view, is a kind of disease of the world or a person. Creating evil (that is, causing harm) is unnatural for a person; a person does evil when he is deceived or has been subjected to self-deception, when he cannot or does not know how to feel happy living among people, when his life is bad and wrong.

Since there is no absolute good and evil, only the person himself can distinguish one from the other, and for correct judgment he needs an adequate perception of reality (“a heart like a mirror”) and a union with the deity. A person can achieve such a state by living correctly and naturally, purifying his body and consciousness and approaching the kami through worship.

Already the initial unification of Shinto into a single national religion took place under the strong influence of the religion that penetrated Japan in the 6th-7th centuries. Because the

The national religion of Japan is Shintoism. The term "Shinto" means the way of the gods. Son or kami - These are gods, spirits that inhabit the entire world around humans. Any object can be the embodiment of a kami. The origins of Shinto go back to ancient times and include all forms of belief and cults inherent in peoples: totemism, animism, magic, fetishism, etc.

Development of syntonism

The first mythological monuments of Japan dating back to the 7th-8th centuries. AD, - Kojiki, Fudoki, Nihongi - reflected the complex path of formation of the system of Shinto cults. A significant place in this system is occupied by the cult of dead ancestors, the main of which was the clan ancestor ujigami, symbolizing the unity and cohesion of the members of the clan. The objects of veneration were the deities of the earth and fields, rain and wind, forests and mountains, etc.

In the early stages of development, Shinto did not have an orderly system of beliefs. The development of Shinto followed the path of forming a complex unity of religious and mythological ideas of various tribes - both local and those who came from the mainland. As a result, a clear religious system was never created. However, with the development of the state and the rise of the emperor, the Japanese version of the origin of the world, the place of Japan and its sovereigns in this world is formed. Japanese mythology claims that in the beginning there were Heaven and Earth, then the first gods appeared, among whom was a married couple Izanagi And Izanami, which played a major role in the creation of the world. They disturbed the ocean with a huge spear tipped with a precious stone, and seawater dripping from the tip formed the first of the Japanese islands. Then they began to run around the sky pillar and gave birth to other Japanese islands. After Izanami's death, her husband Izanagi visited the kingdom of the dead, hoping to save her, but was unable to. Returning, he performed a rite of purification, during which he produced the Sun Goddess from his left eye - Amaterasu - from the right - the god of the Moon, from the nose - the god of rain, who devastated the country with a flood. During the flood, Amaterasu went into a cave and deprived the earth of light. All the gods, having gathered, persuaded her to go out and return the Sun, but they succeeded with great difficulty. In Shintoism, this event is, as it were, reproduced in holidays and rituals dedicated to the arrival of spring.

According to mythology, Amaterasu sent her grandson Ninigi to earth so that he could control people. The Japanese emperors, who are called tenno(heavenly sovereign) or Mikado. Amaterasu gave him “divine” regalia: a mirror - a symbol of honesty, jasper pendants - a symbol of compassion, a sword - a symbol of wisdom. These qualities are attributed to the highest degree to the personality of the emperor. The main temple complex in Shintoism was the shrine in Ise - Ise jingu. In Japan, there is a myth according to which the spirit of Amaterasu, who lives in Ise Jingu, helped the Japanese in the fight against the Mongol conquerors in 1261 and 1281, when the divine wind " kamikaze"Twice destroyed the Mongolian fleet heading to the shores of Japan. Shinto shrines are rebuilt every 20 years. It is believed that the gods enjoy being in one place for just that long.

Levels of syntonism

In Shinto, there are several levels, which are determined by the objects and subjects of the cult.

Dynasty Shinto is the property of the imperial family. There are gods that only family members can invoke and rituals that can only be performed by family members.

Emperor cult(tennoism) - obligatory for all Japanese.

Temple Shinto - worship of general and local gods, which exist in every locality and protect people living under their protection.

Homemade Shinto - worship of tribal gods.

At the beginning of the 6th century. in Japan and become known. Gradually, Buddhism begins to play a significant role in the life of Japan; Buddhism and Shinto interpenetrate and complement each other. The deities of Buddhism are accepted in Shintoism, and vice versa. Shintoism, with its collectivistic nature, serves the needs of the community, while Buddhism, which is personal in nature, focuses on the individual. A situation arises that is called rebusinto(double path of the gods). Buddhism and Shintoism have coexisted peacefully for several centuries.

Shintoism

Shintoism. Translated from Japanese, “Shinto” means the way of the gods - a religion that arose in early feudal Japan not as a result of the transformation of a philosophical system, but from many tribal cults, based on animistic, totemistic ideas of magic, shamanism, and the cult of ancestors.

The Shinto pantheon consists of a large number of gods and spirits. The concept of the divine origin of emperors occupies a central place. Kami, supposedly inhabiting and spiritualizing all of nature, are able to incarnate into any object, which later became an object of worship, which was called shintai, which in Japanese means the body of a god. According to Shintoism, man traces his origins to one of the countless spirits. The soul of the deceased under certain circumstances is capable of becoming a kami.

During the formation of class society and the state, the idea of ​​a supreme deity and a creative act emerged, as a result of which, according to Shinto beliefs, the sun goddess Amaterasu appeared - the main deity and ancestor of all Japanese emperors.

Shinto does not have church canon books. Each temple has its own myths and ritual instructions that may be unknown in other temples. Myths common to Shinto are collected in the book Kojiki (Records of Ancient Affairs), which arose from oral traditions in the early 8th century. It contains the basic ideas of nationalism, which were elevated to the rank of state religion: the superiority of the Japanese nation, the divine origin of the imperial dynasty, and the foundation of the Japanese state. And the second sacred book “Nihon seki” (which translates as “Annals of Japan”).

Shintoism is deeply nationalistic. The gods gave birth only to the Japanese. People of other nationalities cannot practice this religion. The cult of Shintoism itself is also unique. The goal of life in Shintoism is proclaimed to be the implementation of the ideals of the ancestors: “salvation” is achieved in this, and not the other world, through spiritual merging with the deity through prayers and rituals performed in a temple or at home. Shintoism is characterized by lavish festivals with sacred dances and processions. A Shinto service consists of four elements: purification (harai), sacrifice (shinsei), short prayer (norito) and libation (naorai).

In addition to regular services in temples and various ritual ceremonies, local Shinto holidays and Buddhist holidays are widely celebrated. The most important rituals began to be performed by the emperor, who became the high priest of Shinto in the 7th century. Only the most significant local holidays number about 170 (New Year, All Souls' Day, Boys' Day, Girls' Day, etc.). All these holidays are accompanied by religious ceremonies in temples. The ruling circles encourage their behavior in every possible way, trying to make these holidays a means of promoting the exclusivity of the Japanese nation.

In the 17th - 18th centuries, the so-called “historical school” began its activities, led by its founders M. Kamo and N. Matoori, who set as their goal to strengthen Shintoism, revive the cult and full power of the emperor.

In 1868, Shintoism was proclaimed the state religion of Japan. To strengthen the influence of the official religion on the population, a bureaucratic body was created - the Department of Shinto Affairs (later transformed into a ministry). The content of religion is gradually changing. Instead of the cult of several guardian spirits, the cult of the emperor comes to the fore. The structure of the religious system is also changing. Shinto began to be divided into temple, home and common. Clergymen begin to preach not only in churches, but also through non-church channels - schools and the press.

On January 1, 1946, the Japanese Emperor publicly renounced his divine origin, so the 1947 constitution made Shinto equal to all other cults of Japan and thus ceased to be the state religion. In December 1966, by government decision, “the day of the founding of the empire - kigensetsu (February 11) - the day when, according to Shinto myths, Jimisu in 660, was restored as a national holiday. BC. ascended the throne.

In recent years, reactionary forces have been fighting to restore Shinto as the state religion of Japan, but so far these attempts have not been crowned with success.

Hinduism

Hinduism is the oldest national religion of India. Its origins are usually traced back to the time of the existence of the Proto-Indian (Harappan) civilization, i.e. to the 2nd-3rd millennium BC Consequently, by the turn of the new era, it had already counted more than one millennium of its existence. We, perhaps, will not see such a long and full-blooded existence of religion in any other place on the globe except India. At the same time, Hinduism still preserves the laws and foundations of life established since ancient times, extending into modern times cultural traditions that arose at the dawn of history.

In terms of the number of adherents (there are over 700 million), Hinduism is one of the most widespread religions in the world. Its adherents make up about 80 percent of the Indian population. Followers of Hinduism also live in other countries of South and Southeast Asia: in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangla Desh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, South Africa and other places. By the end of this century, Hinduism crossed national borders and became popular in a number of countries in Europe and America, claiming recognition as one of the world religions.

India has numerous religions and beliefs, including all world ones - Buddhism, Islam, Christianity - but, nevertheless, it was and remains a country of Hinduism, par excellence. It was around him that its cultural, political and social unity was built in all centuries.

As a religious phenomenon, Hinduism is complex and contradictory, to say the least, confusing and chaotic. The very definition of the term “Hinduism” poses a serious historical and cultural problem. There is still no satisfactory definition or even explanation of what is considered Hinduism proper, what is the content and boundaries of this concept.

Over several thousand years of its history, Hinduism has developed as a synthesis of social organization, religious and philosophical doctrine and theological views. It permeates all spheres of life of its adherent: ideological, social, legal, behavioral, etc., right down to the deeply intimate spheres of life. In this sense, Hinduism is not only and not so much a religion as a way of life and an integral behavioral standard.

Hinduism did not know, and to this day, does not know a single organization (like the Christian church) either on a local or on an all-Indian scale. Temples, which began to be built in India, around the end of the ancient period, were autonomous entities and were not subordinate to any higher clergy ordained. Various kinds of priests, teachers-acharyas, mentors-gurus served and now serve individual families, sects, kings, individuals, etc., but they were never organizationally connected with each other; They are not like that now. In the entire history of Hinduism, all-India councils have never been convened to establish general norms, principles and rules of conduct or to codify texts.

Hinduism is also alien to proselytism: one cannot become a Hindu, one can only be born one. The main thing for a Hindu was and remains to follow ancient traditions, the commandments of ancestors and adherence to ritual and behavioral norms, which, according to legend, were proclaimed by the gods, captured in myths and confirmed by the authority of sacred texts.

Shintoism, Shinto (Japanese 神道, Shinto, “way of the gods”) is the traditional religion of Japan. Based on the animistic beliefs of the ancient Japanese, the objects of worship are numerous deities and spirits of the dead. In its development it experienced a significant influence of Buddhism. There is another form of Shinto called the "thirteen sects". In the period before the end of World War II, this type of Shinto had distinctive features from the state one in its legal status, organization, property, and rituals. Sectarian Shintoism is heterogeneous. This type of Shintoism was characterized by moral purification, Confucian ethics, the deification of mountains, the practice of miraculous healings, and the revival of ancient Shinto rites.

Shinto philosophy.
The basis of Shinto is the deification and worship of natural forces and phenomena. It is believed that everything that exists on Earth is, to one degree or another, animate, deified, even those things that we are accustomed to consider inanimate - for example, a stone or a tree. Each thing has its own spirit, a deity - kami. Some kami are spirits of the area, others personify natural phenomena and are patrons of families and clans. Other kami represent global natural phenomena, such as Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess. Shinto includes magic, totemism, and belief in the effectiveness of various talismans and amulets. The main principle of Shinto is to live in harmony with nature and people. According to Shinto beliefs, the world is a single natural environment where kami, people, and the souls of the dead live side by side. Life is a natural and eternal cycle of birth and death, through which everything in the world is constantly renewed. Therefore, people do not need to seek salvation in another world; they should achieve harmony with the kami in this life.
Goddess Amaterasu.

History of Shintoism.
Origin.
Shinto, as a religious philosophy, is a development of the animistic beliefs of the ancient inhabitants of the Japanese islands. There are several versions of the origin of Shinto: the export of this religion at the dawn of our era from continental states (ancient China and Korea), the emergence of Shinto directly on the Japanese Islands since the time of Jomon, etc. It can be noted that animist beliefs are typical of all known cultures at a certain stage of development , but of all any large and civilized states, only in Japan were they not forgotten over time, but became, only partially modified, the basis of the state religion.
An association.
The formation of Shinto as the national and state religion of the Japanese dates back to the period of the 7th-8th centuries AD. e., when the country was united under the rule of the rulers of the central Yamato region. In the process of unifying Shinto, a system of mythology was canonized, in which the sun goddess Amaterasu, declared the ancestor of the ruling imperial dynasty, was at the top of the hierarchy, and local and clan gods took a subordinate position. The Taihoryo code of laws, which appeared in 701, approved this provision and established the jingikan, the main administrative body, which was in charge of all issues related to religious beliefs and ceremonies. An official list of state religious holidays was established.
Empress Genmei ordered the compilation of a collection of myths of all the peoples living on the Japanese Islands. According to this order, in 712 the chronicle “Records of Ancient Deeds” (Japanese: 古事記, Kojiki) was created, and in 720, “Annals of Japan” (Japanese: 日本書紀, Nihon Shoki or Nihongi). These mythological codes became the main texts in Shinto, some semblance of sacred scripture. When compiling them, the mythology was somewhat corrected in the spirit of the national unification of all Japanese and the justification of the power of the ruling dynasty. In 947, the code “Engishiki” (“Code of Rituals of the Engi Period”) appeared, containing a detailed presentation of the ritual part of state Shinto - the order of rituals, the necessary accessories for them, lists of gods for each temple, texts of prayers. Finally, in 1087, an official list of state temples supported by the imperial house was approved. State temples were divided into three groups: the first included seven sanctuaries directly associated with the gods of the imperial dynasty, the second included seven temples of greatest importance from the point of view of history and mythology, and the third included eight temples of the most influential clan and local gods.

Shintoism and Buddhism.
Already the initial unification of Shinto into a single national religion took place under the strong influence of Buddhism, which penetrated Japan in the 6th-7th centuries. Since Buddhism was very popular among the Japanese aristocracy, everything was done to prevent inter-religious conflicts. At first, kami were declared the patrons of Buddhism; later, some kami began to be associated with Buddhist saints. Ultimately, the idea developed that kami, like people, may need salvation, which is achieved in accordance with Buddhist canons.
Shinto shrine.

Buddhist temple.

Buddhist temples began to be located on the territory of Shinto temple complexes, where appropriate rituals were held; Buddhist sutras were read directly in Shinto shrines. The influence of Buddhism especially began to manifest itself starting from the 9th century, when Buddhism became the state religion of Japan. At this time, many cult elements from Buddhism were transferred to Shintoism. Images of Buddhas and bodhisattvas began to appear in Shinto shrines, new holidays began to be celebrated, details of rituals, ritual objects, and architectural features of temples were borrowed. Mixed Shinto-Buddhist teachings emerged, such as Sanno-Shinto and Ryobu-Shinto, which consider kami as manifestations of the Buddhist Vairocana - “the Buddha who permeates the entire Universe.”
In ideological terms, the influence of Buddhism was manifested in the fact that in Shinto there appeared the concept of achieving harmony with the kami through purification, which meant the elimination of everything unnecessary, superficial, everything that prevents a person from perceiving the world around him as it really is. The heart of a person who has purified himself is like a mirror; it reflects the world in all its manifestations and becomes the heart of a kami. A person who has a divine heart lives in harmony with the world and the gods, and the country where people strive for purification prospers. At the same time, with the traditional Shinto attitude to rituals, real action was put in first place, and not ostentatious religious zeal and prayers:
“It can be said that a person will find harmony with the deities and the Buddha if his heart is straight and calm, if he himself honestly and sincerely respects those above him and shows compassion for those below him, if he considers the existing existing, and non-existent - non-existent and accept things as they are. And then a person will gain the protection and patronage of the deities, even if he does not perform prayers. But if he is not straightforward and sincere, heaven will leave him even if he prays every day." - Hojo Nagauji.

Shintoism and the Japanese state.
Despite the fact that Buddhism remained the state religion of Japan until 1868, Shinto not only did not disappear, but all this time continued to play the role of the ideological basis uniting Japanese society. Despite the respect shown to Buddhist temples and monks, the majority of the Japanese population continued to practice Shinto. The myth of the direct divine descent of the imperial dynasty from the kami continued to be cultivated. In the 14th century, it was further developed in Kitabatake Chikafusa’s treatise “Jino Shotoki” (“Record of the True Genealogy of the Divine Emperors”), which asserted the chosenness of the Japanese nation. Kitabatake Chikafusa argued that the kami continue to live in the emperors, so that the country is governed in accordance with the divine will. After the period of feudal wars, the unification of the country carried out by Tokugawa Ieyasu and the establishment of military rule led to the strengthening of Shinto's position. The myth of the divinity of the imperial house became one of the factors ensuring the integrity of the united state. The fact that the emperor did not actually rule the country did not matter - it was believed that the Japanese emperors entrusted the administration of the country to the rulers of the Tokugawa clan. In the 17th-18th centuries, under the influence of the works of many theorists, including followers of Confucianism, the doctrine of kokutai (literally “body of the state”) emerged. According to this teaching, kami live in all Japanese people and act through them. The Emperor is the living embodiment of the goddess Amaterasu, and should be revered along with the gods. Japan is a family state in which subjects are distinguished by filial piety towards the emperor, and the emperor is distinguished by parental love for his subjects. Thanks to this, the Japanese nation is the chosen one, superior to all others in strength of spirit and has a certain higher purpose.
After the restoration of imperial power in 1868, the emperor was immediately officially proclaimed the living god on Earth, and Shinto received the status of a compulsory state religion. The emperor was also the high priest. All Shinto temples were united into a single system with a clear hierarchy: the highest position was occupied by the imperial temples, first of all the Ise temple, where Amaterasu was revered, then the state, prefectural, district, and village ones. When freedom of religion was established in Japan in 1882, Shinto nevertheless retained its status as the official state religion. Its teaching was compulsory in all educational institutions. Holidays were introduced in honor of the imperial family: the day of the emperor's accession to the throne, the birthday of Emperor Jimmu, the day of remembrance of Emperor Jimmu, the day of remembrance of the father of the reigning emperor, and others. On such days, educational institutions performed a ritual of worshiping the emperor and empress, which took place in front of portraits of rulers with the singing of the national anthem. Shinto lost its state status in 1947, after the adoption of a new constitution for the country, formed under the control of the occupying American authorities. The Emperor ceased to be considered a living god and high priest, remaining only as a symbol of the unity of the Japanese people. State churches lost their support and special position. Shintoism became one of the religions widespread in Japan.

A Japanese samurai prepared to perform the ritual of seppuku (harakiri). This ritual was carried out by ripping open the abdomen with a sharp wakajishi blade.

Mythology of Shintoism.
The main sources of Shinto mythology are the aforementioned collections “Kojiki” and “Nihongi”, created, respectively, in 712 and 720 AD. They included combined and revised tales that had previously been passed down orally from generation to generation. In records from the Kojiki and Nihongi, experts note the influence of Chinese culture, mythology, and philosophy. The events described in most myths take place in the so-called “era of the gods” - the period from the emergence of the world to the time immediately preceding the creation of collections. Myths do not determine the duration of the era of the gods. At the end of the era of the gods, the era of the reign of emperors - the descendants of the gods - begins. Stories about events during the reign of ancient emperors complete the collection of myths. Both collections describe the same myths, often in different forms. In Nihongi, in addition, each myth is accompanied by a list of several variants in which it occurs. The first stories tell about the origin of the world. According to them, the world was originally in a state of chaos, containing all the elements in a mixed, formless state. At some point, the primordial chaos was divided and Takama-nohara (High Sky Plain) and the Akitsushima Islands were formed. At the same time, the first gods arose (they are called differently in different collections), and after them divine couples began to appear. In each such pair there was a man and a woman - brother and sister, personifying various natural phenomena. Very indicative for understanding the Shinto worldview is the story of Izanagi and Izanami - the last of the divine couples to appear. They created the island of Onnogoro - the Middle Pillar of the Whole Earth, and married each other, becoming husband and wife. From this marriage came the Japanese islands and many kami who populated this land. Izanami, having given birth to the god of Fire, fell ill and after some time died and went to the Land of Darkness. In desperation, Izanagi cut off the head of the Fire God, and new generations of kami arose from his blood. The grieving Izanagi followed his wife to return her to the world of High Sky, but found Izanami in a terrible state, decomposing, was horrified by what he saw and fled from the Land of Darkness, blocking the entrance to it with a rock. Enraged by his flight, Izanami promised to kill a thousand people a day; in response, Izanagi said that he would build huts every day for one and a half thousand women in labor. This story perfectly conveys the Shinto ideas about life and death: everything is mortal, even the gods, and there is no point in trying to bring back the dead, but life conquers death through the rebirth of all living things. From the time described in the myth of Izanagi and Izanami, myths begin to mention people. Thus, Shinto mythology dates the appearance of people to the time when the Japanese islands first appeared. But the very moment of the appearance of people in myths is not specifically noted; there is no separate myth about the creation of man, since Shinto ideas generally do not make a strict distinction between people and kami.
Returning from the Land of Darkness, Izanagi purified himself by washing in the waters of the river. When he performed ablution, many kami appeared from his clothes, jewelry, and drops of water flowing from him. Among others, from the drops that washed Izanagi’s left eye, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu appeared, to whom Izanagi gave the High Sky Plain. From the drops of water that washed the nose - the god of storm and wind Susanoo, who received the Plain of the Sea under his power. Having received parts of the World under their power, the gods began to quarrel. The first was the conflict between Susanoo and Amaterasu - the brother, having visited his sister in her domain, behaved violently and unrestrainedly, and in the end Amaterasu locked herself in a heavenly grotto, bringing darkness to the world. The gods (according to another version of the myth - people) lured Amaterasu out of the grotto with the help of birdsong, dancing and loud laughter. Susanoo made an atoning sacrifice, but was still expelled from the High Sky Plain and settled in the country of Izumo - the western part of the island of Honshu.
After the story of the return of Amaterasu, the myths cease to be consistent and begin to describe separate, unrelated plots. They all talk about the struggle of kami with each other for dominion over a particular territory. One of the myths tells how Amaterasu's grandson, Ninigi, came to earth to rule the peoples of Japan. Together with him, five more deities went to earth, giving rise to the five most influential clans of Japan. Another myth says that a descendant of Niniga, Iwarehiko (who bore the name Jimmu during his lifetime), undertook a campaign from the island of Kyushu to Honshu (the central island of Japan) and subjugated all of Japan, thus founding an empire and becoming the first emperor. This myth is one of the few that has a date; it dates the Jimmu campaign to 660 BC. e., although modern researchers believe that the events reflected in it actually took place no earlier than the 3rd century AD. It is on these myths that the thesis about the divine origin of the imperial family is based. They also became the basis for the Japanese national holiday - Kigensetsu, the day of the founding of the empire, celebrated on February 11.

Cult of Shintoism.
Temples.
A Shinto temple or shrine is a place where rituals are performed in honor of the gods. There are temples dedicated to several gods, temples that honor the spirits of the dead of a particular clan, and the Yasukuni Shrine honors Japanese military personnel who died for Japan and the emperor. But most shrines are dedicated to one specific kami.
Unlike most world religions, in which they try, if possible, to preserve old ritual buildings unchanged and build new ones in accordance with the old canons, in Shinto, in accordance with the principle of universal renewal, which is life, there is a tradition of constant renovation of temples. The shrines of the Shinto gods are regularly updated and rebuilt, and changes are made to their architecture. Thus, Ise temples, which were previously imperial, are reconstructed every 20 years. Therefore, it is now difficult to say what exactly the Shinto shrines of antiquity were like; we only know that the tradition of constructing such shrines appeared no later than the 6th century.

Part of the Toshogu Temple complex.

Temple complex to Oedipus.

Typically, a temple complex consists of two or more buildings located in a picturesque area, “integrated” into the natural landscape. The main building, the honden, is intended for the deity. It contains an altar where the shintai - “the body of the kami” - is kept, an object that is believed to be inhabited by the spirit of the kami. Shintai can be different objects: a wooden tablet with the name of a deity, a stone, a tree branch. Xingtai is not shown to believers; it is always hidden. Since the soul of a kami is inexhaustible, its simultaneous presence in the shintai of many temples is not considered something strange or illogical. There are usually no images of gods inside the temple, but there may be images of animals associated with a particular deity. If the temple is dedicated to the deity of the area where it is built (kami mountains, groves), then the honden may not be built, since the kami is already present in the place where the temple is built. In addition to the honden, the temple usually contains a haiden - a hall for worshipers. In addition to the main buildings, the temple complex may include a shinsenjo - a room for preparing sacred food, a haraijyo - a place for spells, a kaguraden - a stage for dancing, as well as other auxiliary buildings. All buildings of the temple complex are maintained in the same architectural style. There are several traditional styles in which temple buildings are built. In all cases, the main buildings have the shape of a rectangle, at the corners of which there are vertical wooden pillars supporting the roof. In some cases, a honden and a haiden may stand close to each other, with a common roof being built for both buildings. The floor of the main temple buildings is always raised above the ground, so a staircase leads into the temple. A veranda can be attached to the entrance. There are sanctuaries without buildings at all; they are a rectangular area with wooden pillars at the corners. The pillars are connected by a rope of straw, and in the center of the sanctuary there is a tree, stone or wooden pillar. In front of the entrance to the territory of the sanctuary there is at least one torii - structures similar to gates without leaves. The torii is considered the gateway to the place that belongs to the kami, where the gods can manifest and communicate with them. There can be one tori, but there can be a large number of them. It is believed that a person who has successfully completed some truly large-scale undertaking must donate a torii to some temple. A path leads from the torii to the entrance to the honden, next to which there are stone basins for washing hands and mouth. In front of the entrance to the temple, as well as in other places where it is believed that kami are constantly present or may appear, shimenawa - thick ropes of rice straw - are hung.

Rituals.
The basis of the Shinto cult is the veneration of the kami, to whom the temple is dedicated. For this purpose, rituals are performed with the goal of establishing and maintaining a connection between believers and kami, entertaining the kami, and giving him pleasure. It is believed that this allows one to hope for his mercy and protection. The system of cult rituals has been developed quite meticulously. It includes the ritual of a single prayer of a parishioner, his participation in collective temple actions - purification (harai), sacrifice (shinsen), prayer (norito), libation (naorai), as well as complex rituals of matsuri temple festivals. According to Shinto beliefs, death, disease and blood violate the purity that is necessary for visiting the temple. Therefore, patients suffering from bleeding wounds, as well as those in grief after the death of loved ones, cannot visit the temple and participate in religious ceremonies, although they are not forbidden to pray at home or anywhere else.
The prayer ritual that is performed by those who come to churches is very simple. A coin is thrown into a wooden lattice box in front of the altar, then, standing in front of the altar, they “attract the attention” of the deity by clapping their hands several times, after which they pray. Individual prayers do not have established forms and texts; a person simply mentally addresses the kami with what he wants to tell him. Sometimes it happens that a parishioner reads a prepared prayer, but usually this is not done. It is characteristic that an ordinary believer says his prayers either very quietly or even mentally - only a priest can pray out loud when he performs an “official” ritual prayer. Shinto does not require the believer to visit temples frequently; participation in major temple festivals is quite enough, and the rest of the time a person can pray at home or in any other place where he deems it right. To offer prayer at home, a kamidana is set up - a home altar. A kamidana is a small shelf decorated with branches of pine or the sacred sakaki tree, usually placed above the door of the guest room in the house. Talismans bought in temples, or simply tablets with the names of the deities that the believer worships, are placed on the kamidana. Offerings are also placed there: usually sake and rice cakes. Prayer is performed in the same way as in a temple: the believer stands in front of the kamidan, clapping his hands several times to attract the kami, after which he silently communicates with him. The harai ritual consists of washing the mouth and hands with water. In addition, there is a procedure for mass ablution, which consists of sprinkling the believers with salt water and sprinkling with salt. The shinsen ritual is an offering to the temple of rice, clean water, rice cakes (“mochi”), and various gifts. The Naorai ritual usually consists of a communal meal of worshipers who eat and drink part of the edible offerings and thus, as it were, touch the kami's meal. Ritual prayers - norito - are read by the priest, who, as it were, acts as an intermediary between the person and the kami. A special part of the Shinto cult are holidays - matsuri. They are held once or twice a year and usually relate either to the history of the sanctuary or to the mythology surrounding the events that led to its creation. Many people are involved in the preparation and execution of matsuri. In order to organize a magnificent celebration, they collect donations, turn to the support of other temples and widely use the help of young participants. The temple is cleaned and decorated with branches of the sakaki tree. In large temples, a certain part of the time is allocated for the performance of sacred “kagura” dances. The central point of the celebration is the carrying out of the o-mikoshi, a palanquin representing a small image of a Shinto shrine. A symbolic object is placed in the o-mikoshi, decorated with gilded carvings. It is believed that in the process of moving the palanquin, the kami moves into it and sanctifies all participants in the ceremony and those who come to the celebration.

Gardens of the Spirit: Kodaiji Temple.

Clergymen.
Shinto priests are called kannushi. Nowadays, all kannusi are divided into three categories: clergy of the highest rank - the main priests of temples - are called guji, priests of the second and third ranks, respectively, negi and gonegi. In the old days, there were significantly more ranks and titles of priests, in addition, since the knowledge and position of the Kannusi were inherited, there were many clans of clergy. In addition to kannushi, kannushi’s assistants, miko, can take part in Shinto rituals. In large temples there are several kannusi, and in addition to them there are also musicians, dancers, and various employees who constantly work at the temples. In small sanctuaries, especially in rural areas, there may be only one kannusi for several temples, and he often combines the occupation of a priest with some kind of regular work - a teacher, an employee or an entrepreneur. The kannushi ritual attire consists of a white kimono, a pleated skirt (white or colored) and a black cap. They wear it only for religious ceremonies; in ordinary life, Kannusi wear ordinary clothes.
Kannusi.

Shintoism in modern Japan.
Shinto is a deeply national Japanese religion and, in a sense, personifies the Japanese nation, its customs, character and culture. The centuries-old cultivation of Shinto as the main ideological system and source of rituals has led to the fact that at present a significant part of the Japanese perceive rituals, holidays, traditions, life attitudes, and the rules of Shinto as not elements of a religious cult, but the cultural traditions of their people. This situation gives rise to a paradoxical situation: on the one hand, literally the entire life of Japan, all its traditions are permeated with Shinto, on the other hand, only a few Japanese consider themselves adherents of Shinto. In Japan today there are about 80 thousand Shinto shrines and two Shinto universities where Shinto clergy are trained: Kokugakuin in Tokyo and Kagakkan in Ise. In temples, prescribed rituals are regularly performed and holidays are held. Major Shinto holidays are very colorful and are accompanied, depending on the traditions of a particular province, by torchlight processions, fireworks, costumed military parades, and sports competitions. The Japanese, even those who are not religious or belong to other faiths, take part in these holidays en masse.
Modern Shinto priest.

The Golden Hall of Toshunji Temple is the tomb of representatives of the Fujiwara clan.

Itsukushima Shrine complex on Miyajima Island (Hiroshima Prefecture).

Todaiji Monastery. Big Buddha Hall.

Ancient Shinto shrine Izumo Taisha.

Horyuji Temple [Temple of the Prosperity of the Law] in Ikaruga.

An ancient pavilion in the inner garden of a Shinto shrine.

Temple of Hoodo (Phoenix). Buddhist monastery Byodoin (Kyoto Prefecture).

O. Bali, Temple on Lake Bratan.

Kofukuji Temple Pagoda.

Toshodaiji Temple - the main temple of the Ritsu school of Buddhism

Sites worth visiting.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF RUSSIA

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution

higher professional education

Volga State Social and Humanitarian Academy

History department

Department of General History and Teaching Methods

Shintoism

Performed by a first year student of group 11

Full-time study specialty: 050401.65 history

Fomicheva Yulia Vladimirovna

Work plan

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………3

Origin of Shintoism………………………...4

Mythology of Shintoism……………………….………………………..……7

Cult in this religion, main rituals and holidays……………...9

Temples……..…………..……………………………………………………………...….11

The current state of this religion………..………..…………..21

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………...………24

List of used literature……………………………………………………………..25

Introduction

Shinto is a traditional Japanese religion. The term “Shinto” or “Shinto” means “way of the gods.” Shinto is a pagan religion. It is based on the cult of ancestors and the worship of the forces of nature. Shinto is the national religion and is purely Japanese. It is aimed at the elevation of the imperial house, their deification.

The most ancient forms of beliefs, such as magic, totemism, and fetishism, have been preserved and continue to live in Shinto. Shintoism has no founder, like Buddhism or Christianity. According to Shinto legends, religion does not give people salvation; it does not even raise this question. Its ideal is the existence of man in harmony with nature.

The purpose of the study is to study the Shinto religion.

Tasks include:

finding out the history of the origin of this religion;

familiarization with the mythology of Shintoism;

studying the main rituals and holidays of Shintoism;

familiarization with the structure of temples;

clarification of the current state of this religion.

§1 Origin of Shintoism

The name of the religion “Shinto” consists of two characters: “shin” and “to”. The first is translated as “deity” and has another reading – “kami”, and the second means “path”. Thus, the literal translation of “Shinto” is “the way of the gods.”

Since time immemorial, the Japanese have believed in and worshiped kami. This is the national religion that arose in mythical ancient times. It is the indigenous religion of the people who built the Japanese state and created Japanese culture. The Kami religion has been refined over the centuries and continues to evolve today.

Gods-kami are, first of all, the gods of Heaven-Earth and their souls, revered in shrines, as well as human beings, birds and animals, trees and plants, seas and mountains, which have special power and naturally become the object of worship. The concept of kami includes not only good and beneficent creatures, but also evil spirits that have a special nature and are worthy of veneration.

The word Shinto is the term used today for the Kami religion. This term is quite ancient, although it was not widely used in ancient times either among the population or among theologians. It is first found in written sources in the Nihon seki - “Annals of Japan”, written at the beginning of the 8th century. There it was used to distinguish the traditional local religion from Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, continental beliefs that had entered Japan in previous centuries. Since about the 13th century, the word Shinto has been used to refer to the kami religion to distinguish it from Buddhism and Confucianism, which were widespread in the country. It is still used in this meaning today.

Unlike Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, Shintoism does not have a founder such as the enlightened Gautama, the messiah Jesus or the prophet Muhammad; There are no sacred texts in it, such as the sutras in Buddhism, the Bible or the Koran. From a personal perspective, Shinto involves faith in the kami, observance of customs in accordance with the mind of the kami, and spiritual life achieved through worship of the kami and merging with them. For those who worship the kami, Shinto is a collective name for all beliefs. It is an all-encompassing term covering a wide variety of religions, interpreted according to the idea of ​​kami. Therefore, Shintoists use this term differently than is customary

use the word “Buddhism” when talking about the teachings of Buddha and the word “Christianity” when talking about the teachings of Christ.

Broadly speaking, Shintoism is more than just a religion. This is a fusion of views, ideas and spiritual methods that over more than two millennia have become an integral part of the path of the Japanese people. Thus, Shintoism is both a personal belief in kami and a corresponding social way of life. Shintoism was formed over many centuries under the influence of various merging ethnic and cultural traditions, both indigenous and foreign, and thanks to it the country achieved unity under the rule of the imperial family.

Shinto does not have scriptures like those found in many other religions. This fact characterizes Shintoism as a faith. However, there are ancient texts considered authoritative that outline the historical and spiritual foundations of Shintoism.

The oldest of these texts were compiled under the direction of the imperial family, and they contain myths and early historical chronicles of Japan. The oldest surviving monument of Japanese writing is the Kojiki, “Records of Ancient Deeds,” dating back to 712 AD. The Kojiki describes events up to the year 628. The text is written in Chinese characters, but the writing style is ancient colloquial Japanese, thanks to which you can learn about the style of oral speech that existed earlier and was passed on from generation to generation. This is why this written source is extremely valuable. Another text called Nihongi, or Nihon shoki - "Annals of Japan", which appeared eight years later, in 720, recounts events that took place before 697. It is written in Chinese and therefore in a different style. This manuscript, unlike the Kojiki, has more detail; some events have mythological explanations and interpretations, which is very important, since there are no such details in the Kojiki. Shintoists value these two documents especially highly, since they contain the only ancient information that has reached us about the imperial family and several clans that gave rise to the Japanese nation.

The texts talk about the origins of the imperial throne, the genealogies of certain clans, and much more that formed the basis of the Japanese social system and traditions. In addition, these sources contain a wealth of information about ancient Shinto rituals and customs, as well as the duties and

the unshakable rights of individual clans with regard to their participation in religious rites. These duties and rights expressed the special claims of certain clans to a role in the social structure of Japan, without which the clan system itself would almost inevitably collapse. Kujiki - --- "Chronicles of Ancient Events", Kogo-shui - "Selected Stories from Antiquity" and Engi Shiki - "Code of the Engi Era" are also considered reliable sources. It is believed that Kujiki was written around 620, i.e. a hundred years before the appearance of Nihongi. Kogoshui's book, written in 807, adds further information on early Shintoism. Published in 927, the Engi Shiki is a fundamental source of knowledge about early Shintoism, ceremonies, prayers, rituals, and methods of managing church affairs.

It should be emphasized again that, unlike Christianity and Islam, none of the manuscripts listed above are considered sacred texts. These are primarily historical records which, in addition to their political and dynastic significance, reveal ancient forms of belief in the kami. In Shintoism, no canonical set of religious rules arose, since at first the temples were only ritual intermediaries between people and the kami deities, and later, when these temples began to be perceived as symbols of faith of a certain community of people, there was no need to create any doctrines and instructions. Moreover, throughout history there are only a few cases where people professing Shinto shunned their public duty. It must be admitted that there were times when forced opposition to foreign religions and the fear of losing one’s traditions gave rise to talk about the need to create canons; however, the circumstances were never serious enough to bring the matter to an end. Modern changes in society and confusion in religions no less require deepening and strengthening the doctrine of shrine Shintoism. However, there is no indication yet that this will be done.