Introduction
Shinto is the native Japanese religion, very popular in modern Japan, which aims to worship specific gods and spirits, called kami, and follow the life philosophy connected with this religion. It is a pantheistic belief: while there is a sun goddess Amaterasu, a primary deity, there are many kami in various Japanese regions. The main idea of Shinto is worshipping nature and searching for harmony with it. Buddhism and Taoism highly influence its philosophy: the idea that everything in the world is deeply interconnected and the sense of human life is to find a balance in nature. The art connected with Shinto represents those ideas, mostly in its shrines and cult things, such as jewelry. As harmony, sustainability, and self-sufficiency are core ideas of Shinto, its art is characterized by minimalist design aimed at maximum functionality.
Shinto Overview
Shinto is the main religion of Japanese people; it is much influenced by Buddhism and Taoism, which came from China, but it has many specific, distinctive features. The first mentions of Shinto in its current form are in the 8th century, but the beliefs and religious elements typical for this religion are found much before this date (Mason & Dinwiddie, 2005). The primary source of Shinto was the old, primitive beliefs of the Japanese people when nature’s powers were worshiped as the divined forces called kami. It is typical for all primitive civilizations with no tools to explore those phenomena directly (Stanley-Baker, 2014). Then, it was developed into the life philosophy, teaching about harmony and peace with nature, and kami are personifications of the various sides of nature. Relationships between them became part of Shinto’s mythology. Its philosophy was highly influenced by Chinese religions, primarily Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism philosophy (Mason & Dinwiddie, 2005). Their fragments became part of the Shinto, such as Buddhism meditations and Confucianism’s ancestor worship.
In that way, kami represent those powers of natural phenomena: gods and goddesses of the sun, water, earth, wind, spirits of rocks, forests, and rivers. Ancestors were often worshipped as kami, too, under the influence of Confucianism (Mason & Dinwiddie, 2005). The influences of Buddhism were the largest, as Buddhism was the main religion in Japan for many centuries (Stanley-Baker, 2014). In that way, while Shinto started as a simple nature-worshipping set of beliefs, it developed into the large-scale pantheist religion with the original life philosophy.
The Path concept, similar to that in Buddhism and Taoism, is central for Shinto, too. According to Taoism, an individual must balance the principles of light and darkness, yang and yin, and this balance is the primary sense of life, leading to happiness and prosperity (Mason & Dinwiddie, 2005). Shinto is not a monotheist or dogmatic religion such as Christianity: it may be easily connected with other religions. It was heavily influenced by Buddhism from as early as the 6th century: the Buddha was the often element of Shinto shrines (Mason & Dinwiddie, 2005; Stanley-Baker, 2014). To conclude, Shinto is not only the religion where deities are worshipped but a strong life philosophy and values.
Shinto Gods, Spirits, and Philosophy
As mentioned, kami are the gods which are worshipped in Shinto: they are personifications of the natural events, such as sun, wind, rain, and other phenomena. There are kami that are unique to all of Japan’s regions, such as the sun goddess Amaterasu: she is worshipped everywhere in Japan and may be considered the central Shinto deity (Mason & Dinwiddie, 2005). However, there is no mandatory worship in this religion, and each shrine may contain a unique set of deities that are worshipped there. The core of Shinto’s life philosophy is the principle of self-consistency, along with harmony with nature and the world. It is deeply interconnected with the Buddhist teachings about the simple life without a trace and the personal enlightenment via spiritual work and meditation (Mason & Dinwiddie, 2005). Thus, Shinto may be defined as the pantheistic religion: its kami are based on natural phenomena, and the general idea is the worship of nature and searching for harmony with it.
Shinto Art
The art connected with Shinto is represented in specific architecture used as temples to worship kami. They are built from wood, have triangular roofs, and are often painted in various colors, mostly red. There are various types of shrines built in different regions of Japan, and they are the primary example of Shinto art (Mason & Dinwiddie, 2005). Shiny, for example, is the shrine type when the temple is a massive, rectangular-shaped building with a single room inside. Nagare type, in contrast, is a smaller and higher building, with a triangular roof curved, and the interior consisting of two rooms.
The second example of Shinto art is the interior and exterior design, typical for the temples of this religion. It is the implementation of principles of self-sufficiency and harmony with nature: a clear, minimalist style, where everything necessary for the worship is in its place (Mason & Dinwiddie, 2005). Shinto shrines are usually located in small gardens with trees, rocks, and streams, often artificially created or planted. Shrines’ interior is designed based on the religion’s principles: each of them has two sides, the eastern and western sectors (Stanley-Baker, 2014). Sometimes they, as mentioned, are divided by the wall, but sometimes it is just the conventional division of the single room. When one part is in use for worship or meditation, the other part is left empty. The interior includes mirrors, stones, and kami statues, and the floor is covered by pebbles (Mason & Dinwiddie, 2005). The Buddha statue and ancestors’ statuettes often were present there, too, due to the large Buddhism and Confucianism influence.
The third example of the art connected with Shinto is the specific jewelry found, too, at the sacred places where kami were worshipped. Stones, both gems and simple ones, were gathered by Shinto people and united in the necklaces used for worship (Mason & Dinwiddie, 2005). It was believed that those stones might be used to contact kami and make them happy, being used as gifts. Shinto art is based on the worshipping of kami, gods of natural phenomena, and realizing the principle of harmony with nature. Its architectural design is minimalistic, functional, and designed to be unobtrusive and comfortable simultaneously, while its cult objects, such as jewelry, are simple and beautiful.
Conclusion
Shinto is an important element of Japanese national identity: it is both the religion of worshipping the spirit of nature and the philosophy of living in harmony with the world. While it was influenced largely by Buddhism, Taoism, and other Chinese religions, it managed to survive and even enrich by taking in some elements of those religions and philosophies. It evolved from the primitive Japanese nature-worshipping cult to the developed religion with deep and strong life philosophy. The art connected with Shinto implements its principles and is represented in the architecture of its temples or shrines, their exterior and interior design, and jewelry used as cult objects. This art is simple, minimalistic, and functional: shrines are built to be in harmony with the world around them, being unobtrusive and convenient. Similarly, cult objects are designed to be simple while expressing deep meaning.
References
Mason, P. E., & Dinwiddie, D. (2005). History of Japanese art (2nd ed.). Pearson, Prentice Hall.
Stanley-Baker, J. (2014). Japanese art. Thames & Hudson.