The East Asian Belief Systems and Religions SHINTOISM Unlike the two East Asian beliefs, Shintoism is a legitimate religion with creationist theories, multiple gods and goddesses, and a moral code. Though the moral code of Shintoism has been altered, the core of its beliefs have remained throughout history remains to be an essential part of Japanese life. Origins of Shintoism Most of what we know about Shintoism is based on two books: the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. Both details how gods and goddesses of the Shintoist belief were created, leading to man and woman's eventual creation. THE ORIGINS OF JAPAN While the Nihon Shoki presents a slightly different creation story, most have accepted both versions as Shintoism's creation myths. Kojiki remains to be the more familiar one. According to the Kojiki, there were seven pairs of kami than were born and were scattered throughout the universe. After some time, a brother-sister pair of kami was born: "Izanagi," the brother, and "Izanami," the sister. The original gods resided in the High Plain of Heaven. They tasked Izanagi and Izanami in creating the islands of Japan. To do this, they were given a bejeweled spear to stir the ocean with which they made the islands. The two then proceeded with the creating of other kami. They failed at first but succeeded later on. That was until Izanami gave birth to the fire kami, which burnt and killed Izanami. Saddened by this, he killed his fire-child, which resulted in more kami. In his grief, Izanagi went to the underworld to see Izanami but was mortified by her deathly appearance. Izanagi returned to the living world dirty. As he rinsed himself in a river, the dirt that came off became kami: the sun goddess "Amaterasu" was born as he washed his left eye; the moon god "Tsukuyomi" was born as he washed his right eye; and the god of wind, thunder, and storms, "Susano'o" who was born as he washed his nose. Out of the three, Amaterasu became the most important as she became the future ruler of Heaven's High Plain. Susano'o eventually did a lot of terrible things, which angered Amaterasu. She decided to live alone in a cave and, in so doing, deprived the world of her light. The kami of the High Plain of Heaven became worried and decided to perform acts to persuade Amaterasu to come out of the rock-cave. But, these acts failed until a kami, Uzume, danced that made the other kami laugh. Curious, Amaterasu came out of the cave, and the world was bathed in her light once more. To prevent the same darkness from consuming the world, the cave was sealed with a rope. Uzume, for her efforts, became the kami of dance, culture, and literature. This creation story explains why Japan was known as the "Land of the Rising Sun" (due to Amaterasu's legend), why dance, culture, and literature were of sheer importance to the Japanese (due to the acts of Uzume) Basic Shintoist Beliefs They generally believe in the 'kami,' or the 'gods.' Mentioned in the tale above are essential kami in Japanese culture. For almost anything in Nature, human existence, and events, the Japanese believe that a kami has something to do with it. But, most significantly, there plentiful of kami in Nature. Some have grouped the kami to understand further its diverse pantheon of gods. 1. Nature Kami • They include the kami residing in trees, animals, mountains, geological and astronomical entities such as clay, stones, lightning, stars, moon, minerals, food, and water forms. 2. Mythic Kami • They consist of all the kami in the Shinto myth, including Izanagi, Izanami, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susano'o. 3. Clan Kami SH1910 05 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 2 of 2 • They include the kami that serve as protectors of divine clans, the highest among Amaterasu. The members of the imperial family are believed to be descendants of Amaterasu. 4. Guild Kami • They consist of the kami worshipped by various guilds (craftsmen and artists). Similar to Chinese beliefs, the Japanese believed their emperors to be divine. This is because the Japanese believe that the first human Japanese emperor, a descendant of Amaterasu, inherited the goddess's divinity. Thus, all of his descendants are divine as well. Process of Purification and Worship For Shintoists, their central value is the purity of the human soul. Thus, anything related to cleaning has some form of religious significance in it. When one commits a wrongful act, purification must be done to atone for the sins. This process usually includes praying in their shrines and must show respect towards themselves and Nature, depending on the kind of misdeed done. Other practices involve washing oneself in a river or a waterfall. They believe the spirit of these water forms will cleanse your transgressions, similar to how Izanagi washed after being dirtied in the underworld. Challenges to Shintoism • Up until World War 2, the Japanese held their emperor as divine. After World War 2, the Japanese government dropped the emperor's divinity, leading to the decline in Shintoist belief and the spread of Zen Buddhism, Christianity, and many other religious beliefs in Japan. • There is also a concern about the relevance of nature worship in the current state of the world. With the more predominant belief of Nature bearing no soul, Shintoist views clash with the more modern philosophy. • With the popularity of Japanese manga and anime, which feature the Japanese legendary gods and goddesses, there is a distortion of the meaning of 'kami' and what the gods and goddesses represent. For example, Amaterasu was the main reason why the Japanese flag symbolizes the rising sun. Nowadays, mention Amaterasu, and most kids will say the famous anime "Naruto," which used Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susano'o, Izanagi, and Izanami, its fictional world and altered their meanings.

Throughout the twentieth century, folklorists and ethnographers have been collecting stories and folklore from Japan. However, these scholars have not always agreed about where these stories have originated. Folklorist James Mullins argues that Japanese folklore is derived primarily from the rich religious traditions of Buddhism and cultural traditions from continental Asia, predominantly India and China that arrived in Japan centuries before. By contrast, scholars like Tsuneo Ayabe claimed that while the Buddhist and continental influences on Japanese folklore are undeniable, folklore today has been more heavily influenced by the traditions of Shintoism that teaches about spiritual powers in the natural world. Which finding, if true, would most directly support Ayabe’s argument? Many of the literary collections come from medieval manuscripts. eliminateMuch of the folklore and stories that the ethnographers collected were from oral traditions in rural villages of a more recent origin.  eliminateMuch of the folklore the scholars collected was previously unknown to scholars. eliminateThe folklore collected by the ethnographic team contained similar elements despite geographic differences. eliminate

SH1910 05 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 1 of 3 The East Asian Belief Systems and Religions While East Asia's most predominant religion is Buddhism, there are two belief systems and an ancient religion worth of note to be studied. Two of them came from China, while the other came from Japan. CONFUCIANISM Origins of Confucianism Confucianism is a philosophy created or at least spread by an ancient Chinese scholar – Kung Fu Tze or simply Confucius. It began merely as a desire to find the most righteous path for leaders to take. As he studied, the philosophy he developed came to apply to more than just the leader and cover practically all aspects of Chinese society. The Basic Confucianist Beliefs Confucianism's original purpose is to reinforce state leaders' responsibility, especially with the "mandate of heaven," which is a widely held belief in the Chinese government during that time. The mandate of heaven is the concept that the gods choose the emperor to rule all over China. That being said, Confucius desired for leaders to understand more of their responsibility towards their subjects. He began attracting followers, and they were the ones who compiled his teachings and thoughts into the main book of Confucianist view, the Analects. While their teachings cover a vast majority of topics, the common theme within the Analects and the rest of Confucianist works was respect towards people and the value of education. Education for Confucian philosophy is an essential factor for people to become a better person. Studying the past allows people to learn from people's mistakes then and make them a better person. As for relationships, Confucius narrowed it down into five (5) essential relationships. 5 BASIC RELATIONSHIPS 1. Father-Son/Parent-Child • This relationship focuses on the aspect that the child has an obligation to his parent, and the parent is also responsible for raising his child to become a better person. • This is one of the main aspects of why familial relationships and inheritance are seen with high regard in Chinese society. Therefore, sons are sometimes favored over daughters to continue the 'family name.' 2. Elder Brother-Younger Brother • As Elder Sibling-Younger Sibling, this aspect focuses on an older sibling's responsibilities to his younger sibling/s. This emphasizes the kind of example the older brother must show to his younger siblings worthy of his father's inheritance. • This is another reason why there was once a predominant belief that the oldest son must be married first than any other of his siblings in Chinese families. 3. Husband-Wife • This relationship focuses on the duties of couples to each other. While the husband's primary purpose is to provide for the family's needs, the wife must also take care of the home and the family to ensure the continuation of the family's lineage. • Inadvertently, this kind of belief reinforced the idea that women were lower than men in ancient times. 4. Elder Friend-Younger Friend • Like the elder sibling-younger sibling relationship, this primarily focuses more on what kind of lessons can be imparted to the younger friend by the older friend. 5. Ruler-Subject • Perhaps one of the most focal points of Confucianist beliefs, this relationship focuses on the idea that the emperor has a role in fulfilling, ensuring his subjects' lives are acceptable. If not, he loses the mandate of heaven. • It also presupposes that for the ruler to accomplish that, the subjects must be willing to fulfill its government's goal. THE CONFUCIAN VIRTUES SH1910 05 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 2 of 3 1. Ren (Benevolence or humaneness) It means generally doing things that benefit other people. A person practicing ren has compassion for others. 2. Li (Propriety) It means acting appropriately in a given situation. This includes acting in situations such as religious rites, speaking, behaving, dressing, etc. 3. Shu (Reciprocity) Essentially, this is the Golden Rule: Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you. It means doing good deeds, which would gain you respect, so people who treat you do not treat you negatively. 4. Xiao (Filial Piety) It is to show love, respect, and devotion to one's family and the community's elders. This does not just include ones, direct relatives. There is also a form of filial piety between the ruler and subject. 5. Wen (Culture) This points to appreciating one's culture and even acquiring the skills to enhance that culture further. THE SACRED TEXTS While these texts are not in most ways religious, certain portions do touch on religious rites. These texts' primary purpose is to guide those practicing Confucianism on how they should make themselves better. A. The Five Classics 1. Book of History/Documents A collection of the deeds of emperors and contains the idea of the Mandate of Heaven. They are mostly used to help guide rulers to become better emperors. 2. Book of Poetry A collection of 305 poems of the Zhou period, whose topics include love and war, are grouped into folk songs, festal songs sun at court ceremonies, hymns, and eulogies sung at sacrifices to heroes ancestral spirits of the royal house. 3. Book of Changes It is a divination book that refers to a system that shows the universe's patterns by using the hexagrams that supposedly predict the future. This book introduced the concept of yin and yang. 4. Book of Rites It is a book containing detailed rules for performing rites and court ceremonies. 5. Spring and Autumn Annals A collection of historical records about Lu's state, the state where Confucius was born and died. B. The Four Books 1. Analects A collection of the sayings, speeches, and discussions of Confucius and his followers. It is a collection of Confucius's writings as Confucius did not write down his teachings. 2. Great Learning It discusses how it is to be a noble person and deals with three central Confucian concerns: education, morality, and politics. It focuses on developing one's virtue through learning. This is a chapter in the Book of the Rites. 3. Doctrine of the Mean This book demonstrates the relation of the Way of Heaven, which teaches harmony and essentially a life of moderation or equilibrium (believed to have significantly influenced or have been greatly influenced by Daoism). 4. Mencius A collection of the teachings of Mencius, mostly of his conversations with kings during his time. It is written similarly to the Analects. Mencius is considered the second great Confucian thinker after Confucius. THE CONCEPT OF JUNZI Like Taoism's teachings, the Confucian belief added that a person needs to be in harmony with heaven's way. But, unlike Taoism, Confucian belief suggests that education is the primary way to achieve harmony with heaven's way. Such an ideal human is called a junzi, translated as a superior, excellent, or noble person. SH1910 0 5 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 3 of 3 Challenges to Confucianism 1. Modernity • There is a problem in Confucian belief clashing with more modern beliefs such as communism, pragmatism, and modern technology. • Pragmatism also suggests that Confucian belief of relationships is somewhat similar to that of enslavement. By dictating , one needs to revere their ancestors, pragmatists question when their ancestors are evil and oppressive . 2. Legacy Building • While the original intent is to respect their dead loved ones, ancestral veneration has evolved in Chinese culture to become a legacy -building tradition, focusing too much on making a name for themselves. Unsuccessful members are considered at times trash and are shunned from the family. • The last names of Chinese families are desired to be passed ; hence there is a 'favoritism ' towards male children as they can continue the family name — others involve d in arranged marriages as part of business deals. 3. Inequality to Women • There is also a question on how China is primarily a patriarchal community – meaning there is a premium on men. Traditionally, China reserved its educational and political system for men. Women are only expected to take care of their husband 's home. References: Mabaquiao, N. (2017) The Padayon Series: Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House Inc. Manaloto, C. & Rapadas, M. (2016). Pilgrimage to sacred spaces: an introduction to world religions. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House Inc.

Challenges to Shintoism• Up until World War 2, the Japanese held their emperor as divine.After World War 2, the Japanese government dropped theemperor's divinity, leading to the decline in Shintoist belief and thespread of Zen Buddhism, Christianity, and many other religiousbeliefs in Japa

Identify and describe one of the theories we discussed on the origins of religion

What religion is most commonly used for rituals associated with death in Japan?Group of answer choicesShintōChristianityConfucianismIslamBuddhism