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| Shinto Creation Story |
This mame-make bean custom harkens back to Japan’s classical Heian period. The soybeans are roasted before they are thrown out the door. In this way, the perceived evil is sealed within and cannot germinate. This is seen as a way of literally distancing oneself from the seeds of misfortune.
Although only four million (at most) people currently adhere primarily to Shinto, it is still considered to be one of the world’s major religions. Its name derives from the two Chinese words, shen and dao (together meaning “way of the gods”). The gods (kami) are more associated with natural forces (lightning, ocean waves, etc.) than they are with anthropomorphic personalities. They are also often referred to as spiritual essences that exist in everyone and everything.
Shinto is therefore a rather universalist-type practice that can (and does) peacefully coexist with diverse religions. Often, for example, the same family will engage in Shinto weddings and Buddhist funerals. The Four Affirmations of Shinto include devotion to family, love of nature, physical cleanliness, and the honoring of ancestors. Although there is no Shinto morality code per se, Shinto adherents often follow the ethical teachings of Confucianism.
The Shinto creation story, as recorded in the Kojiki (early eighth-century Japanese “Record of Ancient
Matters”), tells of two unusually-anthropomorphic kamis (the male Izanagi-no-Mikoto, and the female
Izanami-no-Mikoto) that stirred the ocean with a spear and churned up the islands of Japan. These
islands are therefore believed to be a paradise in which the Japanese people are directly linked to the gods.
Resources
http://blog.ameia-kl.com/2010/02/setsubun-sai-shinto-february-3.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/shinto.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto
Copyright February 3, 2011 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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