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Shinto Religion Vs. The Ainu Religion

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The similarities between the Shinto religion and religion of the Ainu people are striking. However, these claims of Shinto evolving from the Ainu religion have been under great debate. The Japanese see themselves as children of the Sun in Shinto religion and descendant from this god. The Ainu person being the indigenous people of Japan stirs much controversy. The Ainu people look nothing like the Japanese, the Ainu are of a more Caucasian looking than the Japanese. The Ainu grow great beards which vary in color from brows blondes and shades of red, have white skin and can also have blue eyes. This is in stark contrast to the physical attributes of the Japanese people who rarely grow thick facial hair, have a variance of hair and eye coloring, and do not have a white skin tone. At this point in time it is up to the researcher to decide whether Shinto has evolved from the Ainu people or developed …show more content…

Kami are believed to be spirits who inhabit or watch over certain objects, activities or locations. Kami can be purely spiritual beings, spirit animals and can also be the “spirits” of people from the past who have accomplished great deeds. Kami can also be ancestors who have passed on and now watch over their descendants. The Shinto religion is also a religion of honoring the past and paying respect to those that have come before. Shinto influence can be seen throughout Japan, it can be seen in the mixture of the old and new. This is evident in the architecture or Japans buildings and preservation of ancient sacred sites. The Shinto influence can also be seen in the dress style and upholding of ancient customs. Modern day Japan is a blending of the old and the new, which is a physical manifestation of a central belief of the Shinto religion. The belief that Kami inhabit everything and that the old will watch over the

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The new Asian migrant brought rice into Japan. Japan was ruled by warrior aristocracy and each aristocratic clan controlled its own territory. Shinto emerged as the religion in early Japan. They practiced their ritual in beautiful natural places. Shinto served as a unified force in Japanese history.

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Two examples of Shinto practices are: Omairi - This involves visitng a Shrine, cleansing oneself and praying/making offerings to the gods. Misogi - this is the practice involving purification in cold water in conjunction with prayers. This is a daily activity for regular practitioners, usually done at shrines or places of natural cold, clean water, i.e waterfalls. The Shinto rituals reinforce the principal beliefs of the religious tradition and therefore assist in and adherent’s overall search for

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" The introduction of Buddhism to the Japanese islands from China and Korea in the sixth century caused momentous changes amounting to a fundamentally different way of life for the Japanese. Along with the foreign faith, Japan establishes and maintains for 400 years close connections with the Chinese and Korean courts and adopts a more

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What is Shinto? Discuss it. (4 points) Shinto is an ancient Japanese religion that was formed in 500 BCE. The word Shinto means “the way of the gods”.

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Ancient Hawaiian race is very simple, mostly were native Hawaiians. They have bronze skin, dark eyes, dark brown hair, strong build and physique. When the Captain Cook arrived, Hawaii opens a door to racial integration from a relatively isolated island. Hawaii after contact with Europe gradually evolved into a family of national integration, and now most of the population is Japanese in Hawaii, followed by the Philippines, indigenous people, Chinese people, the Korean people, and etc. Captain Cook 's arrival creates an opportunity for national integration and cultural exchanges, but also on the native Hawaiian culture had a negative impact.

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Shintoism has a deep impact in the daily life of Japan. Shinto is a complex and compact religion that has devout and very spiritual followers. There are over 3 million followers of Shintoism, all mostly living in Japan (B.A. Robinson 2013, Shinto, an ancient Japanese religion). The art of Shintoism focuses on the natural beauties of the world, for example flowers and mountains are usually involved in most Shinto art. The architecture of Shinto is most recognized through the shrines.

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The Ainu are an indigenous group predominantly from the Japanese island of Hokkaido who were historically isolated from and marginalized from the mainstream Japanese population. In the formation of early modern Japan, state nation-building was determined in part by the hierarchical relationships formed by the Japanese over the Ainu and other peripheral groups like the Okinawans. Before the Tokugawa era, Japanese ethnicity was loosely defined due to weak political authority, but after the shogunate’s political centralization, they had reconstructed their physical and ethnic boundaries. These definitions of hierarchy and boundaries emerged alongside Japanese identity, which had both defined itself in opposition to the Ainu. During this time,

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The Shinto appreciates nature, describing it as a force of beauty, which they celebrate and honor it, since they have built a sense of gratitude towards the natural world. Due to the deep value that the Shinto hold towards nature they believe that the divine spirit dwells in nature, since the divine spirits dwells in nature, they make sure to keep nature pure. As a result, the spirits will bring them joy and a bountiful place for life. Since the Japanese were given an abundant of blessings from nature, they have a sense of harmony or bond that unites them with nature. Not only does nature bless them with resources and food, they also view nature as the dwellings for spirits.

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Furthermore, the Japanese government does not collect data on language use by its citizens. Census forms contain no question on ethnicity and listed under the category of ‘Japanese’ are the Ainu population. (Gottlieb, 2008) The existing Ainu population are therefore seen as Japanese citizens. Since the 19th Century, the

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It has a strong emphasis on ritual purification and the importance of maintaining a connection with the spiritual realm. The central belief of Shinto is that everything in the natural world, including human beings, has a spirit or kami. Shinto practitioners believe that these kami can be honored and appeased through various rituals and ceremonies, such as offering food and drink at shrines or participating in festivals. Some other key beliefs of Shinto include the idea that the emperor of Japan is a descendant of the sun goddess, and that death is not seen as an end but rather a passage to a different

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Shinto which translates to “way of the gods” in the English language is a native Japanese religion and the largest religion in Japan alongside Buddhism. The Shinto religion is Japans most practiced religion with nearly 80% of the Japanese people practicing Shinto in one way or another. The Shinto religion is also Japans oldest religion, which evidence shows dates back to 660 BC. The origins of Shinto can be traced well into the past and evidence shows that in its earliest forms the religion was based off of animal and nature worship. Japan is known as Shinkoku, which translates to Land of the gods in English.

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This makes respect for nature to be a core principle of the religion. By respecting all natural things and praying to the kami, followers of Shinto believe that they are able to appease the kami and prevent natural disasters or other bad events. Other religions require followers to make offerings to gods in order to appease them. In ancient Greece, every city-state had temples devoted to different gods including a patron god of that city state. These temples were not only places where worshippers could go the pray to the gods but also a place where worshippers could make offerings to specific gods in order to appease them.

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In Japanese, "Shinto" means "the way of the gods". The origins of Shinto go back to the Ancient Age, when it was still a cult of natural phenomena (storms, mountains, sun, moon or rivers), which believers identified with deities called kami. In the sixth century AD, Japan's national religion began to receive influence, through China, from Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. This last religion, besides conditioning many aspects of the later Shinto cult, constituted a new and own slope of the islands, Zen Buddhism; In the last few decades, it has aroused Western interest in the simplicity of its rites and the attraction of its arts and techniques of meditation. Popular Shintoism, with foreign influence and, at the same time, with Japanese nationalism, became The religion of the State and, despite this condition,

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The Arts and Mythology of Ancient Japan Japanese pop culture is very well known in America- there are plenty of fans of anime, manga and Pokémon, and sushi is a popular choice of food in many restaurants. However, there is a lot more to Japan than meets the average eye- many do not take a deeper look into its enriching culture based upon religion and mythology and its history of many beautiful forms of art. Japan’s creation myth is told in ancient documents like the Kojiki. In the very beginning is The Age of the Gods (Kamiyo). The universe was completely quiet, no life at all.

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Interwoven Religions The interwoveness of the Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto religions reveals itself

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