Shintoism

• Shintoism is the ethnic religion of Japan which started around

  7th century AD.
• The emergence of Shintoism is closely tied to the

  development of Japan as a nation.
• Shinto comes from the Chinese word Shen or divine being

  and Tao which means way of the spirits.
• The Japanese considered Shinto not as a belief but more as a

  way of life.
• Shinto has no god and no commandments.
• Shinto’s worship sacred spirits called kami which are found in

  nature such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, and other

  geographic forms.
• Shinto’s ethical principles however, were inspired by

  Confucianism. Its ethics is based on the idea that all human

  beings are basically good and the world is good as well.
• Shintoism leads the Japanese to respect nature since people

  and kami co exist unlike the Western counterparts wherein

  people control nature for profit.
• Shintoism also encourages group effort which recognizes

  individuals in a group, such as treating employees like family.