Iwaya shrine – No scriptures, no system of doctrines, all coming from gratitude toward every thing　part 1

I feel ashamed of not having been to the most famous shrine in Akashi, Iwaya shrine, during my 6 years living here. The first time when I went there last month, I had a special chance to sit together and talk with the kannushi for about 2 hours. The kannushi’s talk was so interesting that I felt that the distance between me and the Shindo was shortened suddenly.

It is usually said that 90% of Japanese are Buddhists. It is safe to say that they are not religious in the Western sense. But they are religious in a cultural sense and that is somehow unique to Japan. They do participate in “religious” events such as hatsumode (the first visit of the year to a shrine or temple), and ohaka mairi (visiting the family tomb). They do pray for good heath, children`s growth, success on examinations and prosperity in business. Most Japanese go to shrine to pray for health, visit Buddhist temples at New Years, and be married in a Christian-style wedding ceremony. And they see no conflict in this at all. Rather than religions, it is considered that they are simple maintaining the tradition by just doing these, through history.

Basically Shinto is evolved out of the ancient worship of unique natural phenomena, ancestors, and various kinds of kami. Ancient Japanese believed that nature was the place where kami lived and interacted between heaven and earth. They had a deep appreciation and respect for nature and its powers, and believed that places of beauty were sacred by themselves. Therefore, they created shrines at sites of natural power and beauty, and Mt. Fuji is a good example.

While Shinto is usually treated as a religion, it is different from most so-called world religions. It does not have a founder. It does not have real scriptures. And it does not have a system of doctrines. It did not need to have a name until it was confronted by Buddhism, which was imported from China. Eventually it came to be called Shinto, “the way of the deities”, to distinguish it from the newly introduced Buddhism. Shinto existed side by side with Buddhism, but as a general rule, Shinto continued to be an integral part of everyday life, especially in farming communities. Shinto remains part of Japanese life, partly because it focuses on positive beliefs, purity and hopeful wishes. This makes it accessible to anyone, at any level of belief.