The modest gods of Shinto

[Magical Realist]

[Image: BI33Kba.jpg]

"Shinto (literally “the way of the gods”) is Japan's native belief system and predates historical records. The many practices, attitudes, and institutions that have developed to make up Shinto revolve around the Japanese land and seasons and their relation with the human inhabitants. Expressions of Shinto beliefs toward nature include the recognition of a divine spirit (kami) in venerable old trees, large mountains, and tall waterfalls, as well as celebrations of the highlights of each season. (This reverence is often expressed by the placement of a small shrine next to the natural element being celebrated or garlanding it with a white rope.) Traditionally, Shinto also involves purification rites and customs to overcome the polluting effects of death and decay. However, Shinto does not espouse a moral code, lacks religious scriptures, and does not conceive of a life after death.

The introduction of Buddhism to Japan did not cause the abandonment of Shinto. Instead, the pantheons of both religions were expanded so that Buddhist figures adopted complementary Shinto identities and Shinto kami were thought to strive toward Buddhist enlightenment. In this way, new converts to Buddhism were not obliged to abandon their traditional beliefs, and Buddhism was able to appeal to a wide range of people."----- https://asiasociety.org/education/shinto

[C C]

[..] However, Shinto does not espouse a moral code, lacks religious scriptures, and does not conceive of a life after death. [...] https://asiasociety.org/education/shinto

I don't know about that. Sounds like some kind of generic spirit continues (below), as at least an informal belief. And even a minor degree of "moral code" if one needs to leave on good terms...
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https://justaboutjapan.com/what-happens-...afterlife/

EXCERPTS: Shintoism is a way of life, and impacts the daily life of believers. An important aspect of this belief is death and the afterlife. They believe that their spiritual energy is recycled when they die, and go to live in another world. These other worlds are not like Heaven or Hell in other religions, but are seen as neutral.

[...]  those who follow this way of life believe that there are kami, or spiritual energies. These kami reside in everything, from humans and animals to mountains, rivers, and waterfalls.

In humans, the kami is thought to be weakened when inside the human body. When someone is dying, the spirit is able to regain its powers and leaves the deceased. At this point, the spirit will interact with the world in different ways.

[...] When a person dies, their kami will make the journey to the afterlife, to one of the other worlds. There, they can reside in a neutral state.

These kami are able to move freely between their own world and the living world, which is why many Shinto believers find ghosts normal. The kami are remembered through rituals and prayers, and offerings are given to them on shrines.

In turn, the kami of people’s loved ones will watch over and protect them. They will also encourage the living, and be there for them.

[...] Death, however, is a challenging task as a believer in Shintoism. This is because you need to die in absolute peace and leave the world in the purest possible way. Unfortunately, this is more complicated than other religions because you cannot leave anything to resolve. This means that you must not have any doubts or grudges, or anything else that can cause problems for you in the afterlife...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kami

EXCERPTS: [...] Kami may, at its root, simply mean spirit, or an aspect of spirituality.  ... In the Ainu language, the word kamuy refers to an animistic concept very similar to Japanese kami. The matter of the words' origins is still a subject of debate...

[...] Kami can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, beings and the qualities that these beings express, and / or the spirits of venerated dead people. Many kami are considered the ancient ancestors of entire clans (some ancestors became kami upon their death if they were able to embody the values and virtues of kami in life). Traditionally, great leaders like the Emperor could be or became kami.

In Shinto, kami are not separate from nature, but are of nature, possessing positive and negative, and good and evil characteristics. They are manifestations of musubi, the interconnecting energy of the universe, and are considered exemplary of what humanity should strive towards. Kami are believed to be "hidden" from this world, and inhabit a complementary existence that mirrors our own: shinkai.

[...] Kami are not visible to the human realm. Instead, they inhabit sacred places, natural phenomena, or people during rituals that ask for their blessing. They are mobile, visiting their places of worship, of which there can be several, but never staying forever. There are many different varieties of kami.

[...] Kami are an ever-changing concept, but their presence in Japanese life has remained constant. The kami's earliest roles were as earth-based spirits, assisting the early hunter-gatherer groups in their daily lives. They were worshipped as gods of the earth (mountains) and sea...

[Magical Realist]

Yeah..why go thru all the trouble of positing 8 million gods if you're not even getting an afterlife out of it? Of course they are all seen as nature spirits to be honored and appreciated in this life. But if they are immortal then surely humans can be too. The belief in ghosts and hauntings by vengeful spirits is very popular in Japan.