The Way of the GodsShinto

Because ritual rather than belief is at the heart of Shinto, Japanese people DO NOT USUALLY THINK OF SHINTO SPECIFICALLY AS A RELIGION - IT IS SIMPLY AN ASPECT OF JAPANESE LIFEThis has enabled Shinto to coexist happily with Buddhism for centuries.

Shinto

● Shinto, meaning "the way of the gods", is Japan's indigenous religion and is practiced by about 83% of the population.

● participating in certain aspects of Shinto is generally considered enough for association.

● Shinto has no single founder and no canon, but the Nihongi and Kojiki contain a record of Japanese mythology

● Originated in prehistoric times as a religion with a respect for nature and for particular sacred sites. These sites may have originally been used to worship the sun, rock formations, trees, and even sounds. Each of these was associated with a deity, or kami, and a complexpolytheistic religion developed.

● Individual Shinto sects, such as Tenrikyo and Konkokyo, often have a unique dogma

Tenrikyo

● Tanno (Joyous Acceptance) – a constructive attitude towards troubles, illness and difficulties without placing judgment on what has happened in the past

● Juzen-no-Shugo – ten principles involved in the creation which exist in Futatsu Hitotsu (two-in-one relationships), these principles are considered to be applied continuously throughout the universe

● In Tenrikyo there are three successive levels of understanding of the nature of God: the first is Kami, which is God as understood in everyday terms; the second is Tsukihi (lit. Moon Sun), or God as the creator of nature and natural laws; and lastly Oya (Parent), or God as the parent of human beings.

● Reincarnation is part of the religion in the form of denaoshi,

Konkokyo● worships God under the name of Tenchi Kane No Kami, Ikigami

Konkō Daijin, the Golden God of Heaven and Earth. Tenchi Kane No Kami is also referred to as Kami, or the Parent God.

● everything is seen as being in profound interrelation with each other.

● God is not seen as distant or residing in heaven, but present within this world.

● The universe is perceived to be the body of the Parent God. Suffering is seen as being caused by individual disregard of the relationship between all things.

● Konkokyo's beliefs center around the betterment of human life in this world by gratitude, apologising, mutual help and prayer. In this way, everybody can join their hearts with God to become Ikigami, a living God. It is believed that after death, all beings return to God. The spirits of the deceased do not pass on to a heaven or a hell, but remain in this world, in unity with Tenchi Kane No Kami.

FYI - SHINTO

-Coexistence with other religionsVatican proclamation in 1936 allowed Japanese Catholics to participate in Shinto ceremonies, on the grounds that these were merely civil rites of "filial reverence toward the Imperial Family and to the heroes of the country".

-Yasukuni shrine (peaceful country)honours 2.5 million Japanese soldiers, including convicted war criminals such as former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who was executed after World War II.

ISLAM

Islam

"The Japanese government does not keep any statistics on the number of Muslims in Japan. Neither foreign residents nor ethnic Japanese are ever asked about their religion by official government agencies".

Islam

● FYI- July 11,2013(article date)July 2, 2013 Ramadan began, Tokyo Camii (the largest mosque in japan) begin providing free "IFTAR(evening meals) to 200 visitors, regardless of religion, to introduce residents to Islamic Culture

● AZAN -prayer recited at dusk before every prayer to let people know it is going to start

● Islam was firstly known to Japanese people in 1877 as a part of Western religious thought. Around the same time the life of prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was translated into Japanese

● If a Japanese woman marries a Muslim, she will be considered an outcast by her social and familial environment

FYI - KAMISusanoo and water dragon, by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861) ©The most important kami have many stories associated with them.

Amaterasu (Amaterasu-Omikami)

Usually translated as 'Sun Goddess', and the greatest of the kami. The kami of the Ise shrine, and the ancestor of the Imperial family.

Benten/Benzaiten

A female kami with Hindu origins, associated with music and the arts.

FYI - KAMIEbisu

A kami who brings prosperity. Originally the abandoned leech-child of Izanami and Izanagi.

Hachiman

Traditionally the god of archery and war.

Izanami - Izanagi

The two kami who gave birth to Japan.

Konpira/Kompira

Now the kami of safety at sea, but originally a Buddhist deity. Protects sailors, fishermen, and merchant shipping.

FYI - KAMISusanoo

The kami of the wind, or the storm-god, who both causes and protects from disasters. The brother of Amaterasu.

Tenjin

The kami of education, originally the Japanese scholar Sugawara no Michizane (845-903 CE). Parents and children often ask Tenjin to grant them success in exams.