Japanese warlords are known to have many family crests. They carry them for different occasions, and they often represent their bloodlines. However, many cases show that they are given by superiors or taken away from...
Author - Hiroko Matsuyama
Hiroko Matsuyama
Shintoism Essential Value: Impurity and Purification Rituals
Shinto shrine gate in Nikko, Japan Shinto does not accept that human beings are born bad or impure; in fact, it states that humans are born pure and share in the divine soul. Badness, impurity, or sin come later in life...
Shinto Rituals: Practices and Celebrations
Shinto rituals have survived in close connection with the lives of the Japanese people. They are strongly reflected in modern Japanese people’s lives and daily activities. Japanese people have passed down these...
Shinto Shrine History with Inseparable Partner, Buddhism
Although Japan has more than 8,000 Shinto shrines, the original shrine buildings did not exist as we know them today. So, then, when and why were they built? And how did they develop? This article explains the origins...
The Difference between Shinto Shrine and Buddhist Temple
Toro in the forest Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples have long been familiar to Japanese people as spiritual centers. They are places of faith and prayer and are frequently visited for festivals and annual events. The...
