Religion, Belief and Ritual
The indigenous religion of Japan is Shinto, and all Japanese people belong to it by default. From a population of roughly 126 million, 96 million people are also Buddhist and around 1.5 million Christian. The idea of combining religions may seem strange, but a mixture of philosophy, politics and a bit of creative interpretation has, over time, enabled this to happen. The most important factor that allowed faiths to combine is that Shinto, a naturalistic religion, does not possess one all-powerful deity, sacred scriptures or a particular philosophy or moral code. It holds that its followers must live their lives according to the way or mind of the kami (gods), and that the kami favour harmony and co-operation. Therefore, Shinto tolerates its worshippers following other religions, and they find it an easy step to combine Shinto's nature worship with the worship of an almighty deity, such as that in Christianity, or with the philosophical moral code of Buddhism. According to Shinto, the relationship between people and their tutelary kami is like that between parent and child. Generations have been born and lived under the protection of the kami . When they die, the Japanese become kami , so not only are their ancestors kami , but they themselves will become so, creating, in theory, an inherent and unbreakable relationship down the generations. Festivals are a common sight in Japan and many Shinto customs are still manifest in everyday life, from marriage ceremonies to purifying building plots and new cars. Nevertheless, few Japanese today are aware of anything other than the basic tenets of either Shinto or Buddhism and many would not consider themselves "religious" as such. Instead, Shinto and Buddhist ideas are so deeply ingrained in everyday life that, in general, there is little sense of conscious involvement. This means that, while many people do not practise any faith on a daily basis, they find it quite natural to pray at a shrine or temple during annual festivals or on a sightseeing trip. And, as elsewhere, people tend to become more involved in religion, particularly Buddhism, during their later years. Peter Grimshaw
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