Shinto

Where are the paintings? This article is in need of more images and/or better quality pictures from official media in order to achieve a higher status. You can help the Assassin's Creed Wiki by uploading better images on this page.

Shinto (神道), or Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Often noted as being the indigenous religion of Japan, it preceded the practices of Buddhism and Confucianism which were introduced from China. The religion also has close ties to the Imperial family and is the House's traditional religion.

Etymology

The word Shinto (神道) translates to "the Way of the kami," meaning the Way of the deities. The term tō (道), meaning "Way," comes from the Chinese word tao, which is also the origin of what is known in the West as Taoism. Throughout Japanese history, the meaning of Shinto has varied, and other terms like kami no michi ("the way of the kami") have been used synonymously. The word Shinto combines shin (神), meaning "spirit" or "god," and tō (道), meaning "way" or "path."

Beliefs

Remarkable places in the landscape, such as large trees, waterfalls, and certain rocks, were considered sacred locations where deities, or kami, descended and were therefore objects of worship. The kami are spirits or phenomena that are believed to inhabit all things, including natural elements and ancestral beings.

Buddhism did not reject local or family beliefs in protective deities but sought to absorb them, leading to what became known as Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, where these deities were seen as avatars of the Buddha. This blending was so extensive that it has been argued Shinto became a unique adaptation of Taoism in Japan.

Practices

Rituals were performed at sacred sites in shrines (jinja), which were constructed to house the kami and serve as places for veneration. Before the entrances of Shinto shrines stood torii (鳥居) gates, which symbolically separated the mundane from the sacred.

A miko (巫女) or shrine maiden also played an important role in Shinto practices. Traditionally, they assisted with rituals, perform sacred dances, and maintain the shrine. In the past, miko were often regarded as shamans or mediums who could communicate with the kami, though their role has become more ceremonial in modern times.

Festivals (祭り, matsuri) were held by village communities or city neighborhoods to venerate local deities. Sanctuary rituals often included elements borrowed from Chinese Taoism, such as the recitation of ritual prayers to the kami called norito.

History

Very little is known about the religions that existed in Japan before the introduction of writing. By the beginning of the 8th century, during the establishment of the State of Codes, indigenous beliefs were managed by the Department of Divinities (神祇官, Jingikan), which held the highest position among government ministries, even though Buddhism had already been recognized as the state religion.

From the 14th century, as Buddhism's syncretic influence grew, leaders of major sanctuaries like Ise and Yoshida began developing a distinct Shinto theology, and it was during this period that the term "Shinto" became commonly used.

After the Meiji Restoration, the government established a form of State Shinto, which was elevated above all other religions and tied closely to Japanese nationalism. This version of Shinto remained Japan's official ideology until 1945, when it was dissolved under the new post-war constitution.

Appearances

• Echoes of History (first mentioned)
• Assassin's Creed: Shadows (first appearance)