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Shintoism is an optimistic faith that believes all humans are intrinsically good and that all evil is caused by evil spirits. Shinto, The Kami Way of the gods, is the indigenous faith of the Japanese people, Shintoism has neither a founder nor sacred written scriptures like the Bible or the Sutras. Instead, as old as the people themselves, Shinto is deeply rooted in Japanese traditions. The numinous Kami are worshiped, as well as, the ancestral and guardian spirits, and the spirits of national heroes. Over time, Shinto has ripened into four main forms: Jinja Shinto (The Shrine Shinto), Koshitsu Shinto (Shinto of the Imperial House), Minzoku Shinto (The Folk Shinto), and Shuha Shinto, (The Sect Shinto). Some Shinto virtues to be emulated are: observation of Shinto Rites with attentiveness, purity of heart, and authenticity; gratitude for the blessings of the Kami and the beneficence of ancestors; and helpful service to others and the world without regard for reward. Conclave rites performed by the emperor, who under the Japanese constitution, is the symbol of the state and the unity of the people are called Koshitsu Shinto or Shinto of the Imperial House. His prayers for a long continuation of the state, for the happiness of the people, and for world peace are centered around the goddess, Amaterasu Ohmikami, who according to Japanese myth is the ancestral deity of the emperor.
The Daijosai Festival of
Thanksgiving is the first Niinamesai (rite of thanksgiving) performed by the
newly crowned emperor of Japan in a temporarily built palace inside the Imperial
Palace, called Daijokyu. Other Koshitsu rites include rites performed at the
Grand Shrine of Ise where Amaterasu Ohmikami is enshrined.
The Sun Goddess, Amaterasu is the Chief of the Kami, and the patron deity of Japan. Amaterasu (Ama Terasu, Omikami, Tensho Daijan ), is a highly revered Japanese Shinto Sun Goddess. The daughter of the Creator God Izanagi and Goddess Izanami, Amaterasu is known as She Who Shines in the Heavens, Illustrious Goddess and Ruler of the Plain of Heaven, and the Japanese Imperial family is descended from her. She created rice fields called inada where she cultivated rice. Amaterasu also taught the people how to cultivate wheat and silkworms, as well as, how to weave with a loom. Her primary sanctuary, a temple where Amaterasu's body is represented by a mirror, is pulled down every twenty years and then rebuilt in its original form. It is located at Ise-Jingue on Ise on the island of Honshu. Three imperial shrines were erected inside the palace in 1869 when the capital of Japan in Kyoto was relocated to Tokyo. Amaterasu Ohmikami, the imperial ancestral deity, is centrally enshrined in Kashikodokoro. The deities of heaven and earth are enshrined on the east side in Shindenwhich; and, the spirits of successive emperors are enshrined on the west side in Koreiden. An additional shrine Shinkaden was built in order to perform the rite of Thanksgiving, Niinamesaithere. All the Koshitsu rites are performed in these shrines which are interconnected by corridors.
The true nature of the emperor is to always be with the Kami, the deities. He
performs numerous rites each year beginning with the first yearly rite, Genshisai. Shoten (men) and Nai-Shoten (women) clergy assist the emperor in
performing these rites.
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