Shinto

The Japanese term Shintō is commonly rendered as “the way of kami.” Kami is a broad term for sacred or extraordinary presences: it can refer to deities, spirits associated with ancestors, and powers linked to natural places or phenomena. It does not map neatly onto a single idea of a god, and Shinto traditions do not share one exhaustive list of kami or one uniform theology. The term Shintō came to distinguish Japanese kami worship from Buddhism after Buddhism reached Japan in the sixth century CE. Shinto has no single historical founder, and its early development cannot be dated to one origin event; it grew over time from diverse practices and beliefs.

A jinja, or Shinto shrine, is a place and institution for the worship of kami. Shrine settings vary: some center on buildings and sanctuaries, while the landscape itself can also carry sacred associations. Worship may involve prayers, offerings and rites of purification; water is commonly used to cleanse worshippers before they approach sacred spaces. Matsuri—shrine festivals—bring together ritual, music, offerings and community celebrations, often in connection with local traditions. Practices differ among shrines and communities, so no single ritual pattern describes all Shinto.

Shinto's early history is difficult to reconstruct in detail. Kokugakuin University's Encyclopedia of Shinto notes that its origins cannot be specified precisely and that early evidence is fragmentary. Over time, court rites, local shrine customs and agricultural ceremonies developed in different settings. Shinto and Buddhism were not always separate traditions: for many centuries, kami and Buddhist figures were interpreted in relation to one another, and shrines and temples could share sites and ritual life. The modern distinction between the two therefore reflects a particular history, not an unchanging boundary that existed in every period. The Kojiki, compiled in 712, is among the early chronicles that preserve Japanese myths associated with kami; it is an important historical and literary source, not a single creed binding all Shinto practice.

During the Meiji period, beginning in 1868, the government reshaped shrine institutions and promoted forms of state-sponsored Shinto. These policies also sought to separate kami worship from Buddhist institutions, after a long history of interaction between them. The state-linked system—often called State Shinto—was not identical to the full range of local, shrine and sectarian traditions. After World War II, State Shinto was disestablished and official government support for shrines ended. Shrine institutions continued in a changed legal and social setting. Contemporary Shinto remains varied, combining local customs, shrine observances and distinct religious organizations rather than a single centralized doctrine.