Shinto Beliefs

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Pages: 3

Shinto was one of the most important parts of Japanese life. Since it is such a respected religion back then and still is today. This is seen in Article one that there is a somewhat a temple in this image which is a Shinto temple (Usa Jingu). Shinto is the largest religion in Japan and 80 % of Japanese practice Shinto. They created the word Shinto to distinguish from the very popular religion Buddhism. Unlike Christianity, there is no secret founder or text; the only intention in this religion is to connect with Kami, which is a spirit or aspect. The way to connect with Kami is through special rituals such as weddings, funerals, worship at a shrine or at home and huge festivals. When people die, they believe that they will turn into Kami and the most important kami of them all is Sun Goddess Amaterasu. The evidence demonstrates that Shinto religion is a popular …show more content…
This is demonstrated in Article six that samurais used weapons such as spears, guns and bows and arrows. Nevertheless, the sword was their main weapon and the symbol was the sword. Their main job was to protect the Japanese imperial capital in Kyoto. Samurais served their warlords through peace and through war; they were appointed with the military government in the Kamakura period (1185-1333). The samurai had to dedicate their time to the art of combat to prepare for the battle. The warlord Daimyo would give a mission to a samurai to kill someone either a criminal, an armed thug or a terrified thief; there was no mercy, this was Daimyos will. This evidence demonstrates that being a samurai had the hardest and most responsible job of them all, protecting the Japanese imperial capital in Kyoto. The Samurais of Japan had to dedicate their time and effort to the art of combat and this meant they had the most difficult job of all