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Shinto and the Kojiki

Ō no YasumaroMotoori NorinagaKuroda Toshio

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For everyone

Shinto is a Japanese tradition based on reverence for sacred beings (kami) present in nature, ancestors and places. Shrines (jinja), purification rituals and seasonal festivals are central. The Kojiki, compiled in 712, tells how the Japanese islands and the imperial line descend from the gods. How long Shinto has existed as a separate religion is debated: for centuries it was practised intertwined with Buddhism, and it was separated from it by the state after 1868.

For specialists

The Kojiki (712) and the Nihon Shoki (720) are court compilations that tie the kami narratives to the imperial line. In the Middle Ages, under the honji suijaku view, kami were regarded as local manifestations of buddhas and bodhisattvas. In the 18th century Motoori Norinaga's reading of the Kojiki fed the search for a "pure Japanese way" before Buddhism. After 1868 the Meiji government separated Buddhism and Shinto and tied shrine Shinto to state ideology; State Shinto was abolished after 1945.

Claims

Positions

Kuroda Toshio and those following him
Shinto as an independent religion took shape in the modern period; in the Middle Ages kami worship was lived within a Buddhist framework.[2]
Scholars stressing continuity and Shinto institutions
There is a continuity of kami rituals and the shrine tradition from antiquity to the present.[3]

Connections

Parent

Religions and scriptures

Related

BuddhismCreation narratives

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Sources

  1. BookHeldt, G. (trans.) (2014). The Kojiki: An Account of Ancient Matters. Columbia University Press
  2. ArticleKuroda, T.; Dobbins, J. C.; Gay, S. (trans.) (1981). Shinto in the History of Japanese Religion. Journal of Japanese Studies 7(1), 1–21
  3. BookBreen, J.; Teeuwen, M. (2010). A New History of Shinto. Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester
  4. EncyclopediaShinto. Encyclopaedia Britannicabritannica.comarchive

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Cite this page

APA

Athena contributors. (2026). Shinto and the Kojiki. Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/sinto/

BibTeX
@misc{athena_sinto,
  title        = {Shinto and the Kojiki},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/sinto/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 28, 2026 · Last changed: September 28, 2026 · Page history

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