Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/558

538 the reputed divine ancestress of the mikado Ten Sho Dai Jin, or Ama Terasu o Migami, "great goddess of the celestial effulgence," or "the heavenly illuminating spirit," is the chief and supreme. The first name is Chinese, the second pure Japanese. The Shintoists have very obscure notions about the immortality of the soul, a supreme creator, or a future state of rewards and punishments. Their chief end, in opposition to the Buddhists, is happiness in this life. in its precepts Shinto lays great stress upon keeping the body pure with water and the heart by prayer to the kami or gods. Pilgrimages to sacred places and attendance upon the religious festivals are enjoined as duties. The Mecca of the Shintoists is the collection of temples in Ise, about 200 m. S. W. of Tokio, which are visited by the mikado, the recognized spiritual head of the Shinto system, hence called tenno, which means "heavenly king." The eating of flesh was formerly an abomination, but modern civilization, a knowledge of physiology, and experience of the taste of well cooked steaks, have overcome this prejudice, and the most devoted Shintoists now eat beef habitually. The great end and aim of Shintoism is obedience to the edicts of the government, as shown in the sermons of the lecturers and priests. The three great commandments, issued by the department of religion in 1872, intended to be the basis of a reformed Shinto and national religion, are as follows: "1. Thou shalt honor the gods and love thy country. 2. Thou shalt clearly understand the principles of heaven and the duty of man. 3. Thou shalt revere the emperor as thy sovereign, and obey the will of his court." In its higher forms Shinto is a cultured and intellectual deism; in its lower forms it consists in blind obedience to governmental and priestly dictates. The Shinto temples are called miyas, and are made of the pure wood called hi no Ki, "sun wood." In a perfectly pure Shinto temple there is neither altar, image, nor picture. A mirror, the emblem of self-examination, and strips of white paper, symbols of purity of life, are always seen, but nothing else. Around or outside of the temple often hang votive tablets, pictures of horses and of ancient heroes, a stone lavatory, often a sculptured cow, or "two heavenly dogs." The sun is worshipped under the name of O Tento Sama, "lord of the heavenly path;" and the moon under the title of O Tsuki Sama. The Shinto belief supposes the existence of an infinite number of spirits who exercise an influence over the affairs of the world, who are to be propitiated by prayers and the observance of certain rules of conduct, cleanliness of person, and purity and cheerfulness of heart. The inferior spirits, who are very numerous, are chiefly heroes canonized for their worthy deeds or illustrious qualities. The most prominent and popular of these minor deities is Hachiman, the god of war, who is an apotheosis of the 16th emperor of Japan. The worship paid to the spirits residing in the miyas is of a very simple character. The devotee approaches under the sacred gateways until within a short distance of the door. He then stops, flings a few coins in the box or on the floor, folds his hands in a posture of reverence, mutters his prayers, and departs. The Shinto priests are called kannushi, spiritual teachers. They form a high class of society, but have no ordination or special privileges. They marry and have families. They wear a peculiar costume when officiating. It is highly probable that Shinto never became a definite system of religion until after the introduction of Buddhism. Many of its legends and even titles are Chinese. Buddhism accepted its deities and caused them to be worshipped as Buddhist deities; and the two religions became gradually so mixed together, to the advantage of Buddhism and the loss of Shinto, that the existence of the latter has been little more than nominal during the past five or six centuries. On the accession of the mikado to his ancient supreme power, in 1868, a "purification" was begun, and all the Shinto temples throughout the empire were purged of Buddhist symbols, images, writings, &c.; the use of Chinese religious names, titles, and terms was discouraged, and that of pure Japanese encouraged, in the language of religion. But the attempts made by the government to proselyte all the people to the Shinto faith and to abolish Buddhism failed, and Buddhism is still, as it has been for more than ten centuries, the popular religion of Japan. It is said to have been introduced from Corea in the first century of the Christian era, but was not propagated extensively until the year 552, when the king of Hakkusai, a district of Corea, sent an embassy with a present of an image of Shaka (Buddha) and a set of Buddhist books of the sacred canon. Though at first violently opposed, it gradually made converts, until the son of the emperor, afterward regent of the empire, became a convert, after which the success of Buddhism in Japan was assured. Bands of zealous priests continued to pour into the empire, and, not content with their success in southern Japan, accompanied or followed in the wake of the conquering armies northward, who drove the aboriginal Ainos before them, or tranquillized and governed them. Long before the introduction of Christianity Buddhism was thoroughly established wherever the Japanese language was spoken, even in the Liu Kiu islands. In 1869 there were 168,000 Buddhist priests and 460,244 temples and monasteries. There were originally six sects which entered Japan. Now there are seven large and "orthodox" sects, with 30 subdivisions or offshoots, and 12 "irregular," "eclectic," or very small sects. Probably in no other country has there been a richer development of Buddhism than in Japan. Here the latest phases and developments of the wonderful doctrines of the Indian sage are found. Its effects on the civilization of Japan have been