Taking A Look At The Shinto Religion

When viewing a sumo wrestling match, one may perceive this competition as classic Japanese entertainment while failing to see the underlying religious rituals that have become engrained into the traditional culture of Japan. A sumo match almost always takes place underneath a shrine, and the wrestlers then proceed to perform leg stomping exercises in an attempt to drive evil spirits from the sacred ring. In addition, various purification ceremonies take place in order to cleanse the fighting ring: for example, salt, a substance believed, in the Shinto religion, to have purging and spiritually sanitizing abilities, surrounds the ring in which a match takes place. Because of its deep roots and history in Japan, the Shinto religion has prompted

For example, Niinamesai, an autumn festival, takes place on November 23rd, and “nowadays it is celebrated as a labor-thanksgiving day” (“Aki Matsuri”). However, originally, the Japanese honored this religion as “a harvest festival in which rituals were performed… to give thanks for a good crop yield” (“Aki Matsuri”). Clearly, the traditional cultural practice of Niinamesai influenced the current national holiday, which expresses “gratitude for everything receive(d) from nature,” a common practice in the original Shinto religion (“Niiname Sai”). In addition, Japanese weddings and their respected rituals reflect various aspects of Shinto. For a Japanese wedding, the bride “normally wears a white kimono with a white scarf…symbolizing purity” and cleanliness, one of the four affirmations present in Shinto religion (“Rites of Life: Weddings”). Furthermore, the ceremony concludes with “an offering of tamagushi and a ritual sharing of sake,” objects that both serve as religious offerings to the Kami, respected spirits prevalent throughout Shinto (“Rites of Life: Weddings”). While executing these practices and festivals, the Japanese do not consider themselves as practicing a religion, they view these customs as part of their culture, which has been tightly intertwined with Shinto. Having influenced many traditions and celebrations throughout Japan, Shinto has evidently shaped the Japanese culture and molded the mindsets and identities of the Japanese