Definition

1. Noun:

   • The indigenous religion of Japan: Shinto is the ancient, native religion of Japan, characterized by the worship of kami (spirits or deities associated with natural elements, ancestors, and abstract concepts). It lacks a formal dogma or a single sacred scripture.
   • The former ethnic cult of Japan: Historically, Shinto functioned as the ethnic religion and cultural foundation of Japan, deeply intertwined with Japanese identity, rituals, and imperial traditions.

2. Adjective:

   • Relating to Shintoism: Describes anything connected to the beliefs, practices, institutions, or aesthetics of the Shinto religion.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Shinto is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and history.
  • Many Japanese people practice both Shinto and Buddhism.
• Adjective:
  • The Shinto shrine was nestled in a serene forest.
  • They performed a traditional Shinto ceremony for the new building.

Advanced Usage

• "State Shinto": Refers to the government-sponsored form of Shinto, emphasizing emperor worship and national identity, which was the state religion of Japan from the Meiji period until the end of World War II.
  • State Shinto was officially abolished after World War II.

Variants and Related Words

• Shintoism (n): Another term for the Shinto religion.
  • Shintoism emphasizes harmony with nature.
• Shintoist (n/adj): A follower of Shinto, or relating to a follower.
  • As a Shintoist, she visits the shrine every New Year.
• Kami (n): The spirits, gods, or sacred essences worshipped in Shinto.
  • Mount Fuji is considered a kami in Shinto.

Synonyms

• Kami-no-michi: (Japanese: "the way of the gods") This is the Japanese term for Shinto.
• Indigenous Japanese religion: A descriptive synonym highlighting its native origins.

Related Phrases and Terms

• Shinto shrine: A place of worship and ritual in Shinto.
  • The famous Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine.
• Shinto priest: A person who conducts Shinto rituals and maintains a shrine.
  • The Shinto priest performed the purification ritual.

Adjective

1. relating to or characteristic of Shintoism
   • Shinto temples

Noun

1. the ancient indigenous religion of Japan lacking formal dogma; characterized by a veneration of nature spirits and of ancestors
2. the native religion and former ethnic cult of Japan