The indigenous religion of Japan is Shinto, and all Japanese
people belong to it by default. From a population of roughly 126
million, 96 million people are also Buddhist and around 1.5 million
Christian. The idea of combining religions may seem strange, but a
mixture of philosophy, politics and a bit of creative
interpretation has, over time, enabled this to happen.
The most important factor that allowed faiths to combine is that
Shinto, a naturalistic religion, does not possess one all-powerful
deity, sacred scriptures or a particular philosophy or moral code.
It holds that its followers must live their lives according to the
way or mind of the kami (gods), and that the kami
favour harmony and co-operation. Therefore, Shinto tolerates its
worshippers following other religions, and they find it an easy
step to combine Shinto's nature worship with the worship of an
almighty deity, such as that in Christianity, or with the
philosophical moral code of Buddhism.
According to Shinto, the relationship between people and their
tutelary kami is like that between parent and child.
Generations have been born and lived under the protection of the
kami . When they die, the Japanese become kami , so
not only are their ancestors kami , but they themselves will
become so, creating, in theory, an inherent and unbreakable
relationship down the generations.
Festivals are a common sight in Japan and many Shinto
customs are still manifest in everyday life, from marriage
ceremonies to purifying building plots and new cars. Nevertheless,
few Japanese today are aware of anything other than the basic
tenets of either Shinto or Buddhism and many would not consider
themselves "religious" as such. Instead, Shinto and Buddhist ideas
are so deeply ingrained in everyday life that, in general, there is
little sense of conscious involvement. This means that, while many
people do not practise any faith on a daily basis, they find it
quite natural to pray at a shrine or temple during annual festivals
or on a sightseeing trip. And, as elsewhere, people tend to become
more involved in religion, particularly Buddhism, during their
later years.
Peter Grimshaw