SYMBOLS IN SHINTO

The Japanese Shinto or “the way of Kami”, is a religion that worships nature or spirits of nature such as
the sun, mountains, rivers, trees etc. Even people become kami after death. Even though its characteristics
do not associate with religion so much, the goal is to be in touch with kami through sacred rituals. Shinto
and its rituals are full of representative symbols. Symbols can be for example an objects, animals or
people that stand for something beyond itself (usually an idea). Symbols in Shinto are divided into two
kinds: symbols of the kami and symbols of the faith. Symbols of the kami are considered animals, man,
objects of nature etc., and the second group consists of ceremonial practices, sacred music, dance, sacred
equipment…

Spirits inside the earthy objects are considered manifestations of the kami. Regarding the mountains,
Mount Fuji is considered a kami as well as a symbol of the nation itself. Also trees or even whole forests
are believed to be possessed by kami. People go there to worship them. Common tree symbol is sakaki. It
has been the sacred tree of Kasuga and also the divine body of the kami. During the Heian period, sakaki
trees were used as a symbol at Shinto rituals. Nowadays, trees considered as kami are often seen with
rope of rice-straw on it and small shrines around the tree. The worship of stones is also common. Some
people even personified the stones and believed that stones could give birth to stones and also grow larger
with age. Worshipping the sun is connected to Japanese as well. Ancient Japanese believed that the
divinity is in the sun. The story about the sun traces back to Kojiki, when Amaterasu Ómikami shut
herself in the rock cave and the world went completely dark.

Representing the symbols of the kami, the first symbol I would like to introduce is called Miko. Miko (a
shortened form of Kamnu-no-ko-child of the kami) were considered the most pure women, who were
relatives of village chieftains and held a central position in the worship of the kami. Some of the miko
were also regarded as kami. On the other hand, men could hold the status of Kannushi- the priest. They
had special powers over the spiritual world and were able to work as a medium for a kami. Regarding the
ceremonial practices in shrines, both Kannushi and Miko functioned together.

In Kojiki and Nihongi, plenty of stories are about animals, which are messengers of the kami. The first
animal considered as a messenger is the serpent killed by Susano, in which´s body he found the Heavenly
Sword of Gathering Clouds. In Shinto, each kami usually has one messenger and it could be a dove, deer,
monkey, fox, crow etc. The kami of the Kasuga shrine in Nara has a deer as a messenger. The story about
deer is connected to the Fujiwara family and Kasuga. Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto (the kami of Kashima),
is said to have traveled from Kashima Shrine to Nara on a white deer. Another animal messenger is a
crow in the Kumano Jinja. This symbol comes from the historical story about Emperor Jimmu, to whom a
crow served as guide at Kumano.

Symbols belonging to the second group might be for example symbols related to rituals, worship, shrine
buildings or torii. Torii is one of the most typical Shinto structures. It is a gate which leads to the sacred
precincts of a Shinto shrine. Torii is separating the outer world, which is believed to be polluted and
distressed, from the sacred space and inside of the torii there is kami full of purity and brightness. So it´s
a kind of a spiritual gateway. One can not enter the shrine without passing through the torii, which
cleanses pollution of people. Once they pass beneath it, their body and soul is purified.
During the Shinto rituals and worship, many sacred articles are used and must be followed by order and
control. Shinto ritual is intended to satisfy the senses as well as the minds of those taking part. The
articles, the sounds, the dress of the priests, and the language are all intended to please the kami to whom
the worship is offered. The most significant articles are himorogi, tamagushi, gohei, ónusa and so on.

Himorogi are the trees (might be sakaki/gohei) hung with strips of paper, hemp, or a mirror and they
function as a spiritual antenna for the kami in order to manifest its presence. Tamagushi is a small branch
of the sakaki tree hung with strips of white paper, or cloth of red and white. It is usually regarded as a
symbolic offering. Tamagushi are generally placed on the table before the altar but are sometimes set up
in flower holders on a table. The gohei is an offering wand with paper streamers attached. It is usually
placed on the shrine altar as a symbol of the kami. The shrine priest or attendants use the gohei to bless or
sanctify a person or object in various Shinto rituals. Its usual purpose is to cleanse a sacred place in
temples. Ónusa are used in purification ceremonies prior to rituals. It is the belief in transferring impurity
from a person to an object and destroying the object after the transfer. When entering a Shinto shrine, a
priest will wave a purification wand consisting of a stick with strips of paper, linen, or rope attached to it
over visitors to absorb impurities. Also, to mark a sacred nature around the shrines, the sacred ropes,
called shimenawa, are tied around the shrine´s entrance. Shimenawa are believed to act as a ward against
evil spirits.

These are some of the symbols in Shinto, the oldest religion in Japan, which is not just a religion, but
rather a way of living. What I love about it and what is different from other religions is that it doesn't
separate man from nature, but provides living in harmony with it, finding kami in many earthly things and
worshiping them.

Literature:

[Link]
[Link]
Contemporary Religions in Japan, Published by: Nanzan University
The Essence of Shinto: Japan's Spiritual Heart
Aston, W. H., Shinto, the Way of the Gods,

Silvia Pražencová, 497985