Shintoism
Japan's indigenous faith
Shintoism is the indigenous religion of Japan, centered on the worship of kami—spirits inhabiting natural phenomena, ancestors, and sacred places.
Shinto emphasizes ritual purity, reverence for nature, and veneration at shrines.
It coexists with Buddhism in Japanese spiritual life, often marking life events like births and weddings while Buddhism handles funerals.
Shintoism shaped Japanese culture for centuries.
Shinto place of worship
Shinto sun deity
Spirits inhabit all things
Removal of contaminants
- ablutionRitualized washing of body
- lustrationCleansing rite or vetting
- sanctificationMaking someone or something sacred
- cleansingRemoving dirt or toxins
kagura
Japanese sacred shrine dance
- toriiShinto shrine entrance
jinja
Shinto place of worship
Amaterasu
Shinto sun deity
animism
Spirits inhabit all things
purification
Removal of contaminants
- ablutionRitualized washing of body
- lustrationCleansing rite or vetting
- sanctificationMaking someone or something sacred
Yamato
Historic Japanese cultural core
- emperorMale ruler of empire
- East AsiaChina, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Korea
- religionChristianity, Islam, beliefs, Judaism, Hinduism
- religionsChristianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism
- beliefsbelief, beliefs, creed, creeds, faith
- Japanese religionkami, Buddhism, torii, jinja, Zen Buddhism
- Eastern PhilosophyTaoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism
ShintoismBuddhism
Enlightenment-seeking Eastern religion
Zen Buddhism · Pure Land Buddhism · Confucianism · Taoism · Christianity
Shintoismmonotheism
Belief in one god
Islam · Christianity · Judaism · Catholicism · Protestantism
Shintoismatheism
Rejection of deities
secular humanism · materialism · rationalism · physicalism · naturalism