Divine Wind: An Introduction to Shinto Quiz

Answer: animism

Animistic religions believe that all material phenomena - not only living beings - possess a life force, a kind of soul ("anima" in Latin - hence the name). The origins of Shinto (a word of Chinese origin, meaning "way of the gods/spirits") lie in the animistic spirituality of ancient Japan, in which kami were the divine forces of nature that assisted the early inhabitants of the islands in their daily lives. A wide range of objects and phenomena - such as rivers, trees, mountains, heavenly bodies, and weather events - are identified as kami. Not all natural phenomena, however, are believed to possess kami nature, but only those that evoke a specific response (such as wonder, awe, or fear) in human beings. Conversely, many kami - such as heroic figures, or the spirits of venerated ancestors - have human origin.

The 8th-century text known as the "Kojiki" (Record of Ancient Matters) lists over 300 types of "kami", classified according to their function. They are described as invisible, mobile, and capable of both benevolent and destructive actions. Though kami are often depicted as anthropomorphic - much like the deities worshipped by other polytheistic religions - they do not appear to be omnipotent, omniscient, or immortal. In modern Shinto, there is no limit to what can be considered kami. They are not separate from nature, but an integral part of nature.

"Divine wind" is the English translation of the well-known Japanese word "kamikaze" which originally referred to the two typhoons that put an end to the Mongol invasion of Japan in 1274.

Pantheism is a doctrine that identified God with the universe, while deism is the belief in the existence of a supreme being non involved with humankind's affairs. Spiritism, on the other hand, deals with the relationship between spirits and human beings.

This soulful question was reverently compiled by LadyNym.

Answer: It is merged from two (or more) religions

Dating back to the 6th century CE, when Buddhism was introduced to Japan from China, there was an amalgamation of these two belief systems. This is, however, disputed by some scholars, who contend that Shinto arose from Buddhism during the Middle Ages. Nevertheless, the two religions were intertwined to such an extent that Buddhist temples were alongside Shinto shrines with worship of both Buddhas and kami. One of the linking aspects was that like the worshippers, the kami were needing to be "freed" through Buddhism. During the Meiji Restoration, which commenced in 1868, there was an edict, the Shinbutsu Hanzenrei, that formally separated the two religions - which created significant social upheaval and some persecution of the Buddhists. However, despite this attempt, syncretization prevailed. Buddhism itself is syncretic, with aspects and gods drawn from different religions.

Most homes maintain a Buddhist altar and a Shinto shrine. The two religions have existed in a syncretic, even harmonious manner, even when Shinto became "state Shinto" in 1868. After WWII the new constitution allowed religious freedom, but most households continued to practise both.

This question was pondered upon by Phoenix Rising member MikeMaster, who is enjoying learning more about how syncretism has influenced religion through the ages.

Answer: harmony

"Wa", meaning benign harmony, is inherent in nature and in social relationships. Disturbing this harmony is considered to be a poor act. This concept of "wa" also emphasizes the subordination of self for the good of the group/society. Some scholars believe this arose in pre-Buddhist times, with the rice harvest which provided essential food for the community, but also required community co-operation to ensure the harvest was successful. In contemporary times, this concept has led to a strong interest in environmentalism and the protection of forests to maintain harmony with the kami.

This question was carefully placed in this quiz by MikeMaster99 who is always keen to learn more about how actions are shaped by beliefs on a personal and national scale.

Answer: Structure to house the gods

People unfamiliar with Shinto tend to equate kami with "gods", though the term is more complex than that. As pointed out in Q.1, kami can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or the spirits of venerated dead people, such as ancestors. Ancient Japanese councils sought the advice of ancestors and kami. and developed ways to call them. These 'tools' were called yorishiro, and were conceived to give kami a physical space. These councils were held in the forests or even mountains and natural objects such as large trees serve as yorishiro. Yorishiro gradually developed into shrines.

Shrines arose with the domestication of agriculture. The need to attract kami to ensure plentiful harvests was important. These shrines were temporary. Buddhism came to Japan in the sixth century. Many Buddhist temples were built next to shrines (Jingu-ji) to help priests come to terms with local kami. These became permanent shrines and, whilst over the years they have been rebuilt many times, care has been taken to preserve the original styles.

A Shinto shrine is usually represented by a "honden". This is a building where the kami is enshrined. This may not exist where the shrine for example stands on sacred ground which 'houses' the kami. There may be another building, a "haiden". This is a smaller secondary building for worship, as the honden is used solely for the safekeeping of sacred objects. The honden contains the sacred objects called "shintai", physical objects in which the kami resides. Common shintai can be human artefacts such as mirror, swords jewels, wands, and kami sculptures but they can also include natural objects such as rocks, mountains, trees, and waterfalls. The influence of Buddhism cannot be underestimated, as the "romon", or tower gate, the haiden, the "toro" (stone lanterns that adorn the shrine), and the "komainu" (stone lion-dogs that guard the shrine) are all concepts borrowed from Buddhism.

Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 has written this question with the hope he has explained the Shinto shrine elements concisely and accurately.

Answer: rice

Given the first shrines were established to ensure a good harvest, it is perhaps no surprise that Inara shrines are the most popular. The deity is also associated with foxes, well-being in the household and prosperity. "Inari" is a shortened form of "Ine Nari", which means "reaping of rice".

An Inari shrine is instantly recognisable, as its entrance will be marked with at least one vermillion painted torii and pairs of white fox ("kitsune") statues. Sometimes these foxes hold a symbolic item in their mouth or front paw. These items may include a key (to the granary), a sheaf of rice, or a fox cub. The foxes wear a red bib, red being the colour of the gods and is said to ward off disease and malevolent energy. Offerings of rice, sake, or Inari-zushi (fried tofu sushi roll shaped like a fox ear) are given at the shrine to appease and please the kitsune messengers, who in turn, will then advocate to Inari on the worshipper's behalf.

Fushimi Inari-taisha is the head shrine of the kami Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, on the edge of the mountains in southern Kyoto. The shrine is as the base of Inari Mountain, 233 m (764 ft) above sea level. There are trails 4 km (2.5 mi) long which wind around to the summit. The shrine can trace its history back to 711AD. The main gate and honden (see Q.5) are at the base of the mountain. In the middle of the mountain is the inner shrine and at the top of the mountain are thousands of mounds ("tsuka") for private worship. Along the way are literally thousands of parallel vermillion torii gates arranged in rows. This is known as the Senbon Torii. During the Edo Period (1603-1868), it became a custom to donate a torii in the hope that a wish would come true. This was not just for farmers hoping for a bountiful harvest, but merchants who wished for prosperity.

Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 has visited the Fushimi Inari Shrine, and its reverence and beauty are far greater than what he was able to record here.

Answer: sake

Purification is an essential part of any activities involving the kami. As in other religions, ritual washing the hands and body with water ("misogi": whole body) is practiced, along with prayer and fasting to cleanse the body and the mind. Sometimes people undertaking misogi may make a pilgrimage to a sacred waterfall, river or lake: in these activities mouthfuls of sake may be spat into the water; however, sake or other forms of alcohol would not be regarded as principal cleansing agents.

"Harae" is the term for ritual purification in Shinto. Purifying sins and uncleanliness utilises symbolic washing with water and the use of an "onusa" (or "heikahu", a wand/paper shaker) by a priest. [Interested readers should search "Shinto onusa" as describing it is difficult.] Sprinkling of salt is another Shinto practice. Salt is seen as a cleanser and its use is frequently seen in Sumo wrestling when combatants purify the ring before a match. Fire is a powerful element, used to connect the known and spiritual worlds. Ritual fires (including bonfires) symbolise the destruction of evil.

Phoenix Rising member psnz contributed this question to the quiz.

Answer: to entertain/to serve

As the Shinto religion has its origins in Japanese agriculture, many festivals relate to farming seasons and events, while others began as historic Chinese ones from centuries past. Most places have a matsuri related to the rice harvest. Some festivals are nationwide (although there are no specific matsuri days for the entire country), others local to a particular shrine or prefecture.

Matsuri is when thanks and praise are given to kami at a shrine. The wider meaning relates to entertaining and serving. Solemn rituals and celebration are both part of Shinto festivals. Often the focus of a festival is a specific kami who is regarded as the guest of honour. Some of the events seen at these celebrations include processions (possibly with floats), drama, sumo wrestling, carnival games, fireworks, and feasts. Popular matsuri may even be televised.

Phoenix Rising's psnz celebrated when completing this question.

Answer: True

Almost 90% of Japanese funerals are conducted as a seamless blend of Buddhist and Shinto traditions and practices, and are seen as complementary. After death, the funeral is held as quickly as possible (but not the second day of the lunar cycle).

When death occurs, the altar and shrine are closed and covered to keep the spirits of the dead person from entering them. A small table, with flowers, incense and a candle, is placed next to the bed of the deceased who remains in the family home at this stage. The arrangements are typically made by the eldest son or eldest male relative. There is a very strict ancient tradition, involving 20 steps with no deviation permitted. A purification process is essential for the spirit to move from the body into the spirit world. The family home must also be purified.

The first four steps include "matsugo no mizu" the washing of the lips. The "yugan" follows, the washing of the body which includes several family members. "Kiyo hokuku" follows, which is the death announcement to the spirit world through prayer and memorialisation at the family shrine. The fourth step is "Makura naoshi no gi" (pillow decorations) which involves placing the deceased in such a way that the head is propped up on a pillow always facing north. Offerings of food are made to the gods with a small sword or knife placed by the side of the deceased with the offered food. The next steps include the body being taken, by procession, to the place where services will be held (a temple or secular facility). Here the body is dressed and placed in a coffin with a window above the face. A portrait of the deceased is placed within an arrangement of lights, sculpture, and flowers which suggests paradise. Incense, which must be kept burning at all times, is placed near the coffin.

The wake then takes place, with mourners bringing gifts of money in special envelopes tied up with black and white string. The priest (who also underwent a purification process) kneels before the coffin and chants a "sutra". The immediate family move forward to offer respect to the deceased, then pray and bow to the deceased. Guests depart, and the close relatives stay and maintain a vigil.

The funeral is the next day, and all black is worn by guests. After the ceremony, the flowers from the arrangement are given to family and guests to place in the coffin. The coffin is transferred to the crematorium (burials are very rare), and the closest family member has the option of operating the furnace. After the remaining bones are placed on a slab and the family, using a special pair of chopsticks (one bamboo, one willow: a bridge between two worlds) will transfer the bones to a pot, which is then returned home and set on an altar. Buddhist tradition requires ceremonies every seven days after the death, then every seventh day until the forty-ninth day. In practice, relatives cannot travel such distances nor afford work absences, so it is customary only one or two ceremonies are held before the forty-ninth day. An annual memorial service is then required This begins the veneration of the ancestor. This annual event is replaced by Obon, a three-day break when the ancestor's spirits return to the family home.

Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 has written this question with the hope he has recorded the Japanese funeral arrangements respectfully.

Answer: divination

As in other indigenous religions, divination ("bokusen") plays a major role in Shinto. Some of these practices are derived from Buddhism and Taoism, while others have their roots in Shinto's past, when shamans claimed to be able to see and interpret the future through possession by unseen spirits. "Kiboku" is a very ancient practice imported from China: it consists in heating a tortoise shell, then interpreting the pattern of cracks. Such a ritual was performed in the Imperial Palace in 2019. The rite known as "ukehi", on the other hand, consists of the questioning of a kami by uttering a magic spell or swearing an oath. Other traditional Shinto divination techniques entail the use of archery - firing arrows at a target in order to interpret the divine will.

In modern Shinto, "omikuji" ("sacred lot") is the most common and popular form of divination at Shinto shrines. Of likely Chinese origin, it consists of reading small slips of paper (obtained through a donation) to reveal a prediction for the future. If the prediction is negative, it can be rejected by folding the slip of paper, and attaching it to a pine tree or a metal frame - meaning that bad luck will be stuck there instead of attaching itself to the bearer. Fortune cookies are believed to have originated from this practice.

Like the Ancient Greek oracle of Delphi mentioned in the question, "takusen" ("oracle") is a form of divination in which a kami speaks through a medium - generally a blind or visually impaired woman ("itako" or "ichiko") who has undergone a very strict training in order to become able to communicate with the spirit world.

LadyNym foretold this question, keeping her fingers crossed.

Answer: They can enter the priesthood, though they rarely do so

Limitations on the role of women in Shinto had already begun in the Heian period (794-1185), with the introduction of a more patriarchal social structure based on Confucianism. From that time, women's status in the religion began to decline. The ban on female Shinto priests, which had been in force during the Meji Restoration and in the years before WWII, was lifted after Japan's defeat in the war, when women were again allowed to enter the priesthood because of a shortage of men to fill those positions. Many of the first women priests after the end of the ban were wives or daughters of former priests.

For many centuries, the only role available to women in Shinto was that of "miko", or shrine maiden. Though originally seen as conduits between spirits and humankind, "miko" later became assistants to "kannushi" (shrine priests), performing tasks such as ritual cleansing, fortune telling (see Q.9), and the "Kagura" ceremonial dance. "Miko" are usually young, unmarried women; their traditional attire is a white "kosode" (a garment similar to a kimono), a symbol of purity, and red pleated trousers known as "hakama".

Shinto priestesses remain rare, mainly because of the strictures imposed by the taboo against menstrual blood (influenced by Buddhism), which prevents women from entering shrines during their period and forces priestesses to take medication to control their menstrual flow. It is also difficult for women to find mentors during their religious training, as priests are forbidden from instructing women.

While writing this question, LadyNym wondered why there is still so much prejudice against women in the 21st century.