Purification, Kami, and a Short History
Shinto is often described as Japan’s indigenous religion, but it doesn’t map neatly onto what many English readers expect “religion” to be. A simple starting point is this:
Shinto is a tradition of practices and shrine-centered rituals related to kami, expressed more through custom and ceremony than through a single doctrine.[1]
That’s why Shinto can be difficult to summarize in one sentence. It has no single founder, no universal creed, and no fixed dogma in the way many global religions do.Shinto also developed in long contact with other traditions, especially Buddhism, so it is best understood as a historical flow rather than a sealed system.[2]
1) What does “Shinto” mean?
The term Shintō literally means “the way of kami.” The word came into use to distinguish Japan’s indigenous beliefs from Buddhism, which was introduced in the 6th century CE.
A practical takeaway is that Shinto is less “one book” and more “a way of doing,” most visible in shrine life, seasonal rituals, and life events.
2) What Shinto is (and what it isn’t)
Shinto is:
- Closely tied to shrines, ritual practices, and matsuri (festivals) as community and seasonal events.
- A broad umbrella. Scholarly overviews often discuss Shinto through categories such as shrine Shinto, sectarian Shinto, imperial Shinto, folk Shinto, and scholastic Shinto.
Shinto is not:
- A single standardized set of commandments or a universal confession of faith.
- A simple synonym for “Japanese mythology.” Myths matter, but they are not the whole tradition.
- A timeless artifact untouched by history. Shinto has been shaped by institutions, ideas, and changing social realities.
3) Why Shinto can feel “practice-first”
Many global religions are introduced through beliefs: a creed, a doctrine, a set of propositions. Shinto often introduces itself through etiquette, timing, and boundaries: how to enter, how to prepare, and how to behave within a sacred space.
This is why first-time visitors may notice something before they understand it. Shinto often asks for a bodily response, not an argument. You bow. You rinse. You approach. The meaning is carried by the sequence.
Purification Basics
The simplest key that unlocks a lot
If you learn only one recurring logic in shrine life, make it this: purification comes before approach.
Harai / Harae
Harai (also written harae) refers to purification rites performed so that a person may properly approach what is sacred.[3] In English, “purification” can sound moral, like guilt and punishment. In Shinto contexts, it often works better as “resetting conditions,” restoring a state that allows safe approach.
Misogi
Misogi is purification by washing the body, described in reference works as cleansing misfortune, tsumi, and kegare understood as having become attached to the body.[4] Misogi shows how spiritual trouble can be treated as situational and removable rather than a permanent identity.
Kegare
Kegare is described as a polluted condition opposite of purity, often understood as arising from naturally occurring phenomena rather than purely human wrongdoing, and generally addressed through purification such as misogi.[5] This changes the emotional logic of purity. Kegare is often easier to understand as a state that spreads or clings, rather than a simple moral verdict. That difference shapes how taboo, danger, and recovery can be imagined.
4) Why Shinto’s origins are hard to pin down
A key point for accurate writing is that Shinto does not have a single, determinate point of origin.[2]
Historical introductions explain that if you define Shinto broadly as what stands at the center of Japanese religious life, then “Shinto-like elements” can be considered as old as Japanese culture itself. But if you define Shinto as something that formed under influences such as Chinese thought and Mahayana Buddhism, then Shinto becomes something that takes clearer shape later.[2]
This is not a flaw in the tradition. It reflects how Shinto developed: as an evolving set of practices that were later named, organized, and debated.
History of Shinto
5) Ancient foundations: kami worship and early ritual life
At its core, Shinto is commonly described as kami worship, but the earliest forms are difficult to reconstruct in detail.Over time, worship was often organized around local and clan deities, seasonal rites, and purification practices.[1]
6) Early state formation and classic texts
Kami worship took on a distinct shape in ancient times and had an important place in early state systems, though it also changed as those systems dissolved. Classic texts such as the Kojiki and Nihon shoki became central sources for reconstructing early narratives and mythic frameworks connected to kami worship.[2]
7) The long syncretic era: kami and buddhas together
As Buddhist influence expanded, accounts of Shinto history describe the rapid growth of shinbutsu shūgō, the amalgamation of kami and buddhas, in both philosophy and practice. From the 8th century onward, shrines and temples were often deeply intertwined in many contexts.[1]
This period matters because it explains why “Shinto vs. Buddhism” can be a misleading way to read premodern Japanese religion. Historically, boundaries were often porous.
8) Medieval to early modern: new theories and intellectual influences
After the Kamakura period, various Shinto schools and philosophies emerged. In the Edo period, Shinto theory also developed under Confucian influence. This era also includes intellectual movements such as kokugaku (National Learning), which later influenced modern discussions of Shinto identity and restoration.[2]
9) Modern transformation: institutions and the state
Modern Shinto underwent significant institutional reshaping. Overviews of modern Japanese religion note that after the Meiji Restoration (1868), Shinto was restructured as a state-supported religion, and that this institutional form was abolished after World War II.[6]
A useful reader’s note is that in English writing, “Shinto” can refer both to everyday shrine practice and to modern political-religious institutions. Keeping those meanings distinct prevents confusion.
10) Contemporary Shinto: shrine practice in modern life
In everyday life, Shinto is often encountered through shrine visits, local festivals, and life events rather than through doctrinal study.[6] The practice-first logic remains visible: prepare, approach, participate, and return.
Sources
[1] Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Shinto”
[2] Kokugakuin University, Encyclopedia of Shinto, “Introduction: The History of Shinto”
[3] Encyclopaedia Britannica, “harai”
[4] Kokugakuin University, Encyclopedia of Shinto, “Misogi”
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