HIST 2070 Lecture Notes - Honden, Shintai, Japanese Philosophy
4 Sep 2013
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Document Summary
Shinto is a japanese philosophy, not so much a religion. Japaneses adaptation of the chinese word shen", meaning good spirits, and "tao", meaning way, while the japanese form is kami-no-michi, both mean the way of the gods". Kami, from the japanese form of shinto can refer to both the mythological gods and goddesses, but also the divinity from all natural objects, places, animals and also, human beings. (smith, 2013). Sometime between the sixth and ninth centuries, buddhist monks began to perform religious services in shinto shrines; this is because there is very little distinctions between the two religions. Out of these four elements, it is believed that material religion/architecture is the element that best expresses the character of the shinto traditions. The material religion and architecture aspect of the shinto traditions comes in many forms. A torii is the entranceway to the shinto shrine complex that has become a popular japanese icon since the first structure was built.
