Shinto

Their are about 107 million people that follow Shintoism. It originated in Japan. There is no founder of Shintoism


Their sacred texts are the Kojjiki or the ''Records of Ancient Matters" and the Nihon-gi or the "Chronicles of Japan"


Their major beliefs are:
1. The people of Japan do not necessarily think of Shintoism as a religion, more as a way of life
2. They believe in good and evil
3. They believe that impurity or pollution
4. They base Shintoism on the worship of Kami (spirits)
5. Kamis are when they believe that everything in nature has a spirit
6. They put everything into a single unified creation


Everyday practices of Shintoism include:
- They Pray for God, Fortune and Evil
- They pray at a shrine in their homes
- The shrine is called a kami-dana
- They can go to a local shrine or the main shrine


They worship in nature, or they worship in a shrine. Shrines are the homes of at least one kami. The shrine are marked by archways called toriis. Their spiritual leaders are called Priests or Priestesses


Religious Divisions:
- The Jinja (Shrine) Shinto- They are closest to the original form of Shinto
- The MInzoku (Sect) Shinto- The Traditional, uninstitutionalised Shinto practiced by the ordinary Japanese people
- The Kyoha (Sect) Shinto- Includes 13 official sects