What Role Does Shinto Play In Japanese Culture

Intro

Shinto is the formal religion of the state of japan it roots back six hundred years before Christ, it also called the way of the kami because it revolves around the main belief of Kami. Shintoism has no known leader or establisher, so it has no formal sacred text and no official codification of belief. As said before the main belief in Shinto is the belief in Kami which translate to God, divine being or also spiritual essence. One of the main differences between Shintoism and western religions is that in the West the God or divinity is almost always considered all mighty and all powerful while in Shinto Kami are believed to exist not only as spiritual beings but also as spirits of natures. Which means they are believed to exist within

The second point of view is much stronger and it is the point of view I will especially talk about. It says that Shinto is much more than just a religion it is the Japanese way of living, it is the windows through which the Japanese people see the world. It touches every possible aspect of the Japanese lifestyle: the social aspect (familial issues, neighbors, work), the political aspect, the ethical aspect, the sports aspect (Sumo), the art aspect (paintings and poetry), and of course the spiritual aspect. In Shintoism the actions are much more important than beliefs, which means that for example for a Shinto follower it is better to concentrate on a ritual and do it perfectly than concentrate on the belief behind it. That is why for a Japanese people don’t especially think of Shintoism as a religion but rather it taught as a way of life. Things that can seem totally trivila in western countries and may not include any religious aspect, like construction for example, will usually preceded and followed by a Shinto ritual in Japan. A final point about Shinto people in Japan is that they see themselves more obligated to take care of their local shrines and Kami than the big Japanese shrines, or the well know

Kami has two special characteristics the Musubi: which is the life giving harmonizing power in everything, and the Makoto which means truthful will. However even if everything contains Kami only the beings that shows and are known by their kami nature in a particularly clear and striking way are called Kami. One last thing is that Kami does not always

Kami as 'God'

There is a great misconception even within the Japanese community and it is to mix the world Kami with the word God which is from western origin, this was mainly caused by the translation of the bible into Japanese where they translated the word God by the Japanese Word Kami even though the two concept are really different. According to Ueada Kenji a well know Japanese theologian more than 65 % of entering students now associate the word kami with the western version of God.

Kami as