Shintoism is a polytheistic cult, practiced by the majority of Japanese people, which venerates the forces that animate nature. It was “created” to unify the various ancient beliefs and distinguish them from Chinese Buddhism.
Bowing humbly in front of a tree, a follower of Shinto prays to a kami (god) of the forest to allow him to cut wood for heating. So much for the cliché of Shintoism, the “way of the gods”, an animist and polytheistic Japanese belief, often equated with a cult of nature. This mixture of myths and traditions is at the antipodes of Western conceptions. For example, followers are not subject to an exclusive cult; they can be Buddhist for the time of a funeral, Christian for a church wedding and reconnect with Shintoism for a ceremony in a sanctuary. This explains why more than 100 million Japanese declare themselves Shintoists and almost as many Buddhists, while the country has 127 million inhabitants…
Shintoism is not based on strict dogma
Another peculiarity, Shintoism is not based on a strict dogma, and its priests give very little spiritual advice. They deal mainly with shrines and ceremonies. “Thinking about this or that is secondary, confirms Jean-Pierre Giraud, Japan specialist at Lyon 3 University. Practicing certain rites seems more important. »
Among them, the annual processions, where puppets representing the kami. These myriads of deities, probably inherited from ancient agrarian beliefs, irrigate nature, individuals, feelings… Everything that can be thought or experienced is attached to different kamiand the challenge is to live in harmony with them.
Before the eighth century, these beliefs were scattered and divergent. “They were structured into a religion when the Japanese wanted to distinguish them from Chinese Buddhism,” says François Macé, specialist in Japan at Inalco (National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations). Most of the myths have been compiled in two books supposed to relate the history of the country: the Kojiki in 712 then the Nihon Shoki in 720. The imperial family of the time established a direct filiation there with the goddess of the sun, Amaterasu – mother of the mythical founder of Japan – in order to legitimize their dynasty.
Shintoism: a state religion to embody Japanese identity
In the centuries that followed, Shintoism mixed with the religions and philosophies of Asia, and even with Christianity, until a nationalist movement revolted in the 19th and 20th centuries. State Shintoism, supposed to embody Japanese cultural identity, was even established between 1868 and the defeat of 1945. Today, the traditions persist: parents present their newborn babies at the local shrine. “But there is no religious enthusiasm, believes François Macé. The Japanese believe in gods even less than the French. It’s a bit like the bet of the philosopher Pascal, we have nothing to lose by respecting certain customs, and perhaps even everything to gain.