Shintoism in Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Shintoism in Japan - Essay Example This indigenous religion of Japan is an unstructured mixture of a several beliefs and practices such as the worship of nature, future foretelling, fertility sects and shamanism. In its most fundamental form, Shinto is the religious structure of Japanese nationalism. According to Shinto tradition, the Japanese people and their country were divinely created, their emperors descendants of the Sun Goddess. Commonly, Japanese who are affiliated with Confucianism or the Buddhist religion are simultaneously affiliated with the Shinto sect. The two revered books of Shintoism are the Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan) and the Kojiki (Chronicles of Ancient Events). The Kojiki teaches that in the beginning were the two kami (deities), Izanagi (male-who-invites) and Izanami (female who-invites). Following the creation of Japan they produced many other kami. According to this mythological legend, Izanami passed away after giving birth to the kami of fire. Izanagi, in an attempt to find her, voyaged to Hell where he found her decomposed body infested by maggots. Horrified, he then went back to Japan in revulsion and purified himself by entering a body of water. The Sun Goddess, the Great Kami Amaterasu emerged when he washed out his left eye and Tsukiyom the Moon Kami materialized when he washed out his right eye. Following many years of war between the people of Japan, the Sun Goddess made her grandson, Ninigi, the first emperor of Japan. The Shinto religion is the only religion of the world that is represented by a female Deity. Japanese legend contends that the first emperor appeared during the seventh century B.C. but modern researchers put the actual beginnings of Japanese emperorship at about 200 A. D.