Shinto: A Religion Unique To The Japanese People

WHAT IS SHINTO Shinto is a religion unique to the Japanese people. Shinto is undeniably a religion unique to the Japanese people. It is a natural religion born and nurtured in the Japanese islands, unlike Buddhism or Christianity, which are world religions that have come to Japan from foreign countries. Certainly, the influences on Shinto from Buddhism, Confucianism or Chinese culture cannot be denied. Their influences on Shinto have been very distinctive, particularly in the area of language. This is so because from the third century onwards the influence of foreign cultures led to the introduction of a written script, and with that a grammatical structure and a system of philosophical reasoning. This is why it is often said that Shinto has no identity of its own and that it is simply a …show more content…
Many foreigners visiting Japan are moved when they witness the traditional festivals and visit the shrines. So they naturally ask, “what is the meaning of this?” Usually they end up getting vague answers, such as “we are doing this because we have always done this and this is our ancestral tradition.” Or they might simply be told that “we are supposed to do this,” without any reason being offered for exactly why. So it is not unusual to find Shinto characterized as merely a series of manners and customs. Inquirers quickly discover that most Japanese don’t have a clear way of explaining Shinto’s view of the world or what Shinto really is. Shinto, however, certainly has its own way of thinking and feeling as well as its own distinctive world view that cannot be adequately contained within the western concept of religion. Underneath an array of expressions that apparently have no pattern, Shinto is filled with a rich world of faith. This aspect of Shinto makes it especially worthy of consideration in a modern age when religion, in its conventional forms, has lost much of its attraction and