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A torii gateway to the Yobito Shrine (Yobito-jinja) in Abashiri City, HokkaidoThere is no universally agreed definition of Shinto. [2] According to Joseph Cali and John Dougill, if there was "one single, broad definition of Shinto" that could be put forward, it would be that "Shinto is a belief in kami", the supernatural entities at the centre of the religion. [3]
Izanagi: (伊邪那岐神) was a creation deity; he makes up the seventh generation of the Kamiyonanayo, along with his wife and sister, Izanami. [8]Izanami: (伊邪那美神) was a creation deity; she makes up the seventh generation of the Kamiyonanayo, along with her husband and brother, Izanagi.
Shinto (神道, Shintō), also kami-no-michi, [a] is the indigenous religion of Japan and of most of the people of Japan. [14] George Williams classifies Shinto as an action-centered religion; [15] it focuses on ritual practices to be carried out diligently in order to establish a connection between present-day Japan and its ancient roots. [16]
Shinto, the indigenous religion of Japan, is fundamentally a form of nature worship where natural forces are deified as kami (spirits). The sun goddess Amaterasu is the most revered kami in Shinto, symbolizing life, growth, and the continuity of the Japanese nation.
The Japanese General Social Survey placed the figure at less than 20% of the population in 2017. The 2013 Japanese National Character Survey showed that roughly 70% of the population do not adhere to any religious beliefs. [2] Another survey indicates that about 60% of Japanese families have a butsudan (Buddhist shrine) in their homes. [150]
The kang have played an important role for traditional religious practitioners in Okinawa [21] for centuries. The ting nu kang (heavenly kang) are held by some worshippers to be the most powerful, but given the widespread disinterest in older mythology and traditions in Okinawa, this is often disregarded.
The Shinto religion has historically been used as a means to express Japanese nationalism and ethnic identity, especially prior to the end of World War II. In its association with Shinto, sumo has also been seen as a bulwark of Japanese tradition.
Overall, however, traditional forms of Buddhism have stagnated heavily in modern history and contemporary Japanese society has been marked by high levels of secularism and apathy towards organised forms of religion in favour of unorganised local or personal expressions of spirituality through Shinto rituals and festivals.