shinto

Way of gods

Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan, centered on the worship of kami—spirits associated with natural phenomena, ancestors, and sacred places.

The word combines the Japanese for "spirit" and "way." Shinto emphasizes ritual purity, reverence for nature, and honoring ancestors through shrine visits and ceremonies.

It coexists with Buddhism in Japanese religious practice: The wedding followed Shinto traditions. (Also capitalized as Shinto.)

religion

kami

Shinto sacred spirits

harmony · spirits · animism · sacred · reverence · divinity · mythology · polytheism · syncretism · Buddhism

Categories
Opposites
religious tradition in japan

shintoBuddhism

Enlightenment-seeking Eastern religion

Zen Buddhism · Pure Land Buddhism · Christianity · Catholicism · Islam

theological worldview

shintomonotheism

Belief in one god

Christianity · Islam · Judaism · atheism · orthodoxy

Phrases
Family

Shintoist, Shintoism

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