Japanese Religious Beliefs
Lesson 1: Japanese Religious Beliefs and the Environment

Kathleen Baldini
Edward R. Murrow High School
Brooklyn, New York City

Aim: How do Japanese religious beliefs appreciate the environment?

Instructional Objectives:
- Define/Explain the following terms: Shinto, torri gate, purification, kami.
- Describe the major ideas and objectives of Shinto.
- Analyze how a Shinto creation myth relates to phenomena in nature.
- Explain the importance of water and purification in Shinto shrines.

Motivation: Picture of the Torri Gate
1. Describe what you see.
2. This is a torri gate - an opening to a religious shrine in Japan. How would you describe its location?
3. How would you describe the materials it is made out of?
4. How is this different from the religious places in our society?
5. How do you think this reflects Japanese religious ideals (e.g., nature, simplicity)? Japanese sacred places also involved the natural surroundings as well as the man-built structure.

Shinto is an indigenous religion of Japan, not a system of moral principles or a doctrine.

I. Reading 1: The Creation Myth
1. How does this myth illustrate the creation of Japan?
2. How does this myth use symbolism to illustrate the forces of nature?
3. What does Amaterasu's hiding in the cave represent?
4. What natural phenomenon occurs when Susanowo gets angry?
5. How does the Creation Myth explain the different aspects of the environment?
6. How does this myth reveal the feelings of Japanese people toward their physical environment?
7. How did the Japanese feel about their Emperor?

II. Reading 2: Kami (Source: Norinaga, Motoori. Sources of Japanese Tradition, Vol. 1, 21.)
1. How would you explain the idea of kami?
2. Why do you think the idea of kami is so difficult to understand? Why is its definition so open to interpretation?
3. Do you think it is a good idea to consider certain humans divine? Why or why not?
4. Based on the idea of kami, why do you think Shinto does not deal with questions of life after death?

III. Transparency Overhead: Meiji Shrine
1. Describe what you see.
2. Why would Emperor Meiji be considered kami?
3. The Emperor is believed to be enshrined in the Meiji sanctuary. How would you interpret this?
4. There are no bones, ashes or physical remains at this shrine. Only the spirit is preserved. What does this tell us about the nature of Shinto and kami?
5. Why do you think one needs to be purified before entering a Shinto shrine? (There is no emphasis on good and evil. The assumption is that humans are good and that pollution needs to be washed away. Water is important in purification and in folklore; water joins the world of the living with the spiritual world of the dead.)

IV. Group Activity:
Divide the class in groups of two or three. Examine different photographs of objects from Japanese temples and gardens. Objects may include: a stone lantern near a torri gate at the Tokugawa shrine, Shinto prayer cards, a torri gate with rope, waterway in a botanic garden, a stone with carvings. For each object, answer the following questions:
1. Describe this object. What is it made of and where is it located?
2. How does this object reflect Japanese respect for the environment?
3. How does this object reflect Shinto values?

V. Transparency Overhead: List of festivals
1. Describe the kinds of festivals/matsuri found in Shinto.
2. How do these festivals relate to nature and the environment?
3. Why would these festivals reinforce both religious and environmental concerns?
4. Based on what you have learned, why is Shinto associated with happy life celebrations?

Summary: How do Japanese religious beliefs appreciate the environment?

Application: How do you think Shinto and Confucian values affect modern Japanese society? (For example, modern industry bears similarities to our culture, but also differences - respect, cleanliness, family, etc.)