Nov 18, 2022
Moriyasu Ito, a priest with the renowned Meiji Jingu shrine in
Tokyo, visits Google to share the history of Shintoism and how it
has become an important part of Japanese culture. He talks about
how Shinto first started in Japan, the way of Shinto in life, and
its numerous festivities and celebrations.
According to Ito, Shinto can be difficult for many foreigners to
understand because it is not organized in the same way as many
Western religions; it does not have initiation rituals or even a
specific membership. Shinto focuses on the worship of kami,
numerous divinities who are believed to inhabit all things.
Numerically, it is Japan's largest religion, the second being
Buddhism. Most of the country's population takes part in both
Shinto and Buddhist activities, especially festivals, reflecting a
common view in Japanese culture that the beliefs and practices of
different religions need not be exclusive.
Originally published in July of 2016.
Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.