The way of the Kami

[imomus]

'The roots of Japanese religion originate in several places. First we have the indigenous religion. This seems to follow the basic patterns of other primitive cultures in that it was (and still is) centered around nature worship, “Kami” (gods, spirits, forces or powers) and a divine agricultural cycle. It's quite similar to Native American traditions, the most important thing being, of course, keeping people fed and safe with the help of supernatural powers. So, for example, the Rice Kami, the Goddess Inari, was and is one of the most important gods. Other foreign kami, festivals and customs were introduced into Japan through the Korean Peninsula. This first wave of people and ideas overwhelmed the indigenous people and their customs and, mixing with it, created something new and unique, but still basically animistic and pagan. Much later Buddhism was introduced into Japan from India via Tibet, China and  Korea. This came in several waves, along with art, writing and technological innovations, was contested at first, and eventually merged with the local religion which had by then come to be called Shinto.

'The word Shinto breaks down as follows; SHIN is the Kanji character for kami. TO means way. Thus SHINTO is the Way of the kami, their rituals and worship. 

'A short explanation of “kami” is in order here in that it is quite unique to Japan. Most people translate kami as god, sometimes as spirit. Strictly speaking, this is incorrect. In the words of a venerable Shinto scholar, a kami is “any specific power that causes awe.”  As in Native American or other shamanic traditions, doctrine, dogma and intellectual concepts are not important. Kami can be either heavenly or earthly. They can dwell in stars, mountains, trees, lakes and people. They can be malignant or helpful or neutral. They can be eternal or they can be the powerful ghosts of deceased people. If this seems confusing, read on.

'All through the long cultural history of Japan, one thing remained constant: Nature was seen as the supreme force in life.  As indicated, some trees had great and powerful kami that could help or hinder. Lakes had Serpent kami that could drown you or give you children, mountains were (and still are) gods and goddesses. The most famous of these is, of course, the Goddess who is Mt. Fuji. Village life centered around Shinto shrines, which were the spiritual and social cores of the culture. Later, Buddhist temples were built on shrine sites or, as is often the case, shrines and temples were combined in one area. Buddhism eventually became concerned almost solely with death, funerals and afterlife, while Shinto continues to be woven into the daily life of the Japanese people, celebrating such events as birth, renewal and purification. Yet it is often hard to strictly separate temples from shrines and the lines between their functions and divine histories often blur.'

From Shinto and Its Festivals by Denny Sargent.

Comments

[neurasthenic.livejournal.com]

It reminds me so much of the lovely, precious kodamas in Miyazaki's Mononoke-Hime!