RELS 108 Lecture Notes - Lecture 27: Kojiki, Bon Festival, Sea Salt
Document Summary
The term shinto developed in the 6th century bce to distinguish itself from other religions. Shen tao or kami-no-michi: the way of the gods: can be described as indigenous or folk religion. Shinto has existed in japan since pre-history. No one founder, the foundation of shinto comes from the kami and the japanese people. At some pre-historical point, people migrated from what is modern korea and china onto the archipelago of japan and created a unique ethnic tradition. This was an orally transmitted tradition for many centuries and had no systemized name for the majority of its history. It can be implied that shinto believes in a body and spirit/soul. The self is not dealt with heavily in shinto in terms of metaphysics. The individual defines themselves in relationship to family, community, and country. The nature of the self is also understood in relation to the kami at large.
