What is shintoism? I know the Japanese follow it, but I don't know if it's a form of Buddhism or not.?

Answer 1

Here is a weblink that may help you. Good luck!

http://www.bridgewater.edu/~dhuffman/soc306/I98grp3/

Answer 2

Shintoism are the native religions of Japan before outside religions like Buddhism sent missionaries in. It involves ancestor worship, and the worship of native Japanese Gods.
Shinto (神道, shintō?) is a native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. It is a form of animism. It involves the worship of kami (神), gods. Some kami are local and can be regarded as the spiritual being/spirit or genius (mythology) of a particular place, but others represent major natural objects and processes, for example, Amaterasu, the Sun goddess. The word Shinto was created by combining two kanji: "神" (shin), meaning gods or spirits (the character can also be read as "kami" in Japanese), and "道" (tō), meaning way or path in a philosophical sense (the same character is used for the Chinese word Dao). As such, Shinto is commonly translated as "the Way of the Gods".

Answer 3

Shintoism is a religion native to Japan that is not related to Buddhism. It is a polytheistic belief system with a goddess at the top. The Japanese race is said to have decended from this goddess and the Japanese Emperors are her closest descendents.

Answer 4

Indigenous religion of Japan, based on the worship of spirits known as kami. Founded in 660 BC, at the time of Buddhism, it was Japan's state religion until 1945.


"Shinto" means "way of the gods" ("kami no michi"), and it is a "cosmic religion", that finds in the beauty and symmetry of nature manifestations of the gods.

The essence of Shintoism is kami, the divine spirit found in all things in heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, sun and moon, plants, animals, and human beings... and very specially at Mount Fuji, the cherry blossoms, bonsai trees, formal gardens, and the Sakaki (the holy tree).

Shinto accepts the material world as good, while Buddhism view the world as evil, yet both religions are practiced in Japan... and often at the same time: They celebrate weddings in Shinto "shrines", and funerals in Buddhist "temples".
The main deity is Goddess Amaterasu, a sun goddess of fertility, reputed to be the founder of the ruler dynasty in Japan, so the Emperor is divine... and Shintoism was the state religion until World War II (1945).
God Jino is the protector of property, usually found in the gardens at home

The Number of Shintoists, varies with different sources:
Encyclopedia Britannica: 1974: 63 million
Ministry of Education: 1974: 90 million; 1978: 99 million in Japan, with 88 million Buddhists, and 1 million Christians.
Sacred Texts:
"Kojiki", ancient masters (710 AC); The Kojiki
"Nihon Shoki", chronicles of Japan (720.A.C). Nihon Shoki, 31 volumes
TRADITIONS:
1- Jinga, the state religion until 1945.
2- Kyoko, follows the teachings of a leader.

Symbol: A torii is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry to a Shinto shrine. It has two upright supports and two crossbars on the top, and is frequently painted vermilion.. The origin of the torii is said to come from an old Japanese legend, when the sun goddess became extremely annoyed with her prankster brother. She hid herself in a cave and sealed the entrance with a rock, causing an eclipse. The people were afraid that if the sun never returned, they all would die. So, per the advice of a token wise old man, they built a large bird perch out of wood and placed all the town's roosters on this perch. They all started to crow noisily, causing the curious sun goddess to peek out of her cave. Having opened the door a crack, a large sumo wrestler from the town ran up and pushed the rock away, letting the sun out and thus the world was saved. That bird perch was the first torii gate. From then on, the torii became a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, and spread all over Japan.

Shintoism and the Bible:

Shintoism concurs with the Bible that God created everything in heavens and on earth, and every creature is beautiful and perfect, made by God, and God can only create beautiful and perfect creatures, manifestations of the greatness of God, heavens and earth are full of your glory.

In that sense, Every Shintoist would be very happy to be a "Franciscan", with the loving brother sun, sister mountain, brother dog, sister flower, brother neighbor, brother wolf...

However, there are no several gods in the Bible, even the Emperor is not God, he can not create stars nor insects, not even an atom. To adore or give cult or trust to any god that is not the real God is an idolatry, a sacrilegious sin.


Shrine visitors write their wishes on these wooden plates and then leave them at the shrine in the hope that their wishes come true. Most people wish for good health, success in business, passing entrance exams, love or wealth.

Answer 5

Shinto is an ancient Japanese religion. Starting about 500 BCE (or earlier) it was originally "an amorphous mix of nature worship, fertility cults, divination techniques, hero worship, and shamanism." 4 Its name was derived from the Chinese words "shin tao" ("The Way of the Gods") in the 8th Century CE. At that time:

The Yamato dynasty consolidated its rule over most of Japan.
Divine origins were ascribed to the imperial family.
Shinto established itself as an official religion of Japan, along with Buddhism.

The complete separation of Japanese religion from politics did not occur until just after World War II. The Emperor was forced by the American army to renounce his divinity at that time.

***Unlike most other religions, Shinto has no real founder, no written scriptures, no body of religious law, and only a very loosely-organized priesthood.***

*

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world, being exceeded in numbers only by Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. It was founded in Northern India by the first known Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. In 535 BCE, he attained enlightenment and assumed the title Lord Buddha (one who has awakened)

As Buddhism expanded across Asia, it evolved into two main forms, which evolved largely independently from each other:

Theravada Buddhism (sometimes called Southern Buddhism; occasionally spelled Therevada) "has been the dominant school of Buddhism in most of Southeast Asia since the thirteenth century, with the establishment of the monarchies in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Laos."
Mahayana Buddhism (sometimes called Northern Buddhism) is largely found in China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Mongolia.

To which might be added:

Tibetan Buddhism, which developed in isolation from Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism because of the remoteness of Tibet.

Since the late 19th century:

Modern Buddhism has emerged as a truly international movement. It started as an attempt to produce a single form of Buddhism, without local accretions, that all Buddhists could embrace.

Answer 6

I don't think it's a form of Buddhism.

I lived in Japan for six years, and Shinto as a religion isn't widely practiced there anymore -- although there are certainly a lot of Shinto elements to their festivals and cultural practices and so on.

Answer 7

It's animism. Spirits in everything. It's older than buddhism but adopted some of buddhism's beliefs.

Answer 8

It's an animistic religion native to Japan, and was the state religion of Japan until the end of WWII. There are details available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto

Answer 9

The Eastern "Religions" are more philosiphies of life...ways to exist and live rather than how to believe like the Western Religions. PEACE!

Answer 10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shintoism