SHINTŌ. — From Sino-Japanese *shin* = god and *tō* = way), hence our "shintoism"; with this term the Japanese designated their native religion after the introduction of Buddhism (552 A.D.), is essentially a polytheistic cult of nature, inspired less by fear of its forces than by gratitude and appreciation for its gifts. Later, under Chinese influence, the cult of the ancients and national heroes was added. Lacking a moral code, without metaphysics, without eschatology, without soteriology, Shintō might perhaps have disappeared in the face of the doctrinal superiority of Buddhism and Confucianism, had not its intimate link with the existing political system made it a powerful element of national cohesion. Indeed, Shintō is a "national" or rather "political" religion.
Having come into contact with other imported religions in the archipelago, Shintō underwent more or less profound influences. Its primitive or original character can only be reconstructed, at least in broad outline, through the critical examination of the sources, namely: the *Kojiki* (*Memoirs of Ancient Matters*, 3 vols., written in 712 A.D.), the *Nihongi* (*Annals of Japan*, 30 vols., in 720 A.D.), historical works, and the *norito*, solemn allocutions with a magical-incantatory character pronounced at great festivals.
I. MYTHS
The manifest purpose of Shintō cosmogony and theogony is to demonstrate the descent of the reigning imperial house from the gods who created Japan. The myths, in fact, begin with the creation of the islands of the archipelago by two deities, Izanagi and his wife Izanami, who dies in childbirth giving birth to the fire god (Kagutsuchi). Grief-stricken, Izanagi then goes to the "Land of Darkness" (*Yomi-tsu-kuni*, a kind of Hell?) to retrieve his companion, but flees in horror upon seeing her putrefied. Emerging into the light, he purifies himself in the waters of the river Oto and here begets many deities, AMATERASU (v.), the sun goddess, born from his left eye, and Susa-no-wo, the storm god. The latter, violent and overbearing, causes no little trouble to his sister, who at one point, frightened, retreats into a cave, leaving the world in darkness. After much effort and with the help of all the gods, she is drawn out of the cave, and the culprit is punished by expulsion from Heaven. He then descends to earth and goes to Izumo, a region of western Japan, where he slays a serpent, saving a maiden whom he marries. His descendants, lords of Izumo, will later cede the region to the grandson of Ama-terasu. Meanwhile, one day, observing that the hostilities among the deities inhabiting the archipelago had caused grave disturbances, she sends her grandson Ninigi to restore order and govern it, and at the moment of his departure, she entrusts him with the three sacred treasures (*sanshu jingi*), namely: the "curved jewel eight feet long" (*yasaka no magatama*), the "mirror of eight spans" (*yata no kagami*), and the "sword that mows the grass" (*kusanagi no tachi*), which are the three insignia of legitimate, i.e., divine, power still preserved today. Ninigi, descending to Japan, marries and has children, and among his descendants is Jimmu Tennō, his great-grandson, the first emperor of Japan, a fifth-generation descendant of Ama-terasu, who on February 11, 660 B.C. (according to the official chronology certainly erroneous) ascends the throne at Kashiwabara in Yamato, founding the Empire. In Jimmu, scholars today tend to see the historical figure of a great leader who, with his prestige, succeeded in uniting the various tribes of immigrant populations in the archipelago, leading them to conquer the aboriginal Ainu. In any case, he is the first sovereign of an unbroken line that continues to this day.II. DEITIES AND MORALITY OF SHINTŌ
The deities of Shintō are called *kami* (lit. that which is above, in both spatial and hierarchical sense), a term applied to everything that stands out or inspires awe or respect for being arcane or mysterious, whether it be divine beings (gods, spirits) or animate beings (men and animals) or inanimate things (plants, rivers, rocks, etc.). The *kami* are conceived anthropomorphically; thus they are born, marry, amuse themselves, die; but they also possess sovereign powers, limited, however, to their own sphere of action. They are therefore neither omnipotent nor omniscient. The *kami* are also known to possess a *mitama* (august jewel), a kind of soul, which in temples is represented by the *mitama-shiro* (substitute for the *mitama*) or *shintai* (divine body, which is any object, a mirror, a sword, a stone, etc.) in which the deity is invisibly incorporated in order to come into contact with the faithful. It is therefore not a symbol or an attribute of the deity, as is commonly believed. The number of *kami* is enormous. There are *kami* of the wind, of the rain, of fire, etc., and of stoves, pots, wells, rice, and even latrines! Later, the cult of ancestors enlarged the Shintō pantheon.Although primitive Shintō has no moral code, a rudimentary ethical principle may be found in purity, i.e., the horror of contamination, which is the central idea of the religion of the *kami*. Purity, note well, is ritual and physical, not moral. Contamination, whether visible (e.g., filth) or invisible (such as that contracted by touching things deemed impure, such as blood, corpses, etc.), made one disagreeable to the *kami*, hence the need to rid oneself of it by purification, if one wished to avoid *tatari* (heavenly punishment) which could strike in various forms (illness, accidents, failure, death).
Impurity was thus "sin" (*tsumi*), which was always such, even if involuntary. There was therefore no ethics of conscience, which the Japanese would learn only when, through Buddhism, they acquired the notion of sin based on ethical presuppositions. A list of the 21 most important *tsumi* has been preserved in a *norito* and is of great value for understanding the ethical-religious conceptions of the ancient islanders. In this list, adultery, pederasty, incest between brothers and sisters, lying, and theft do not appear. To avoid *tatari* and remain within the community, the contaminated had to purify themselves by resorting to three types of rites: exorcism (*harare* or *harai*), lustration (*misogi*), especially with water, and abstention (*imi*).
### Harai
Harai (harau, to sweep away) is the most ancient rite and is always performed by priests. It consists of the reading of a *norito* and the offering of the so-called *harae-tsu-mono* (purification objects), which are not gifts made to the *kami*, but vehicles upon which, during the reading, the sins (impurities) of the person or persons being purified pass, in a manner similar to the scapegoat of Mosaic law. After the ceremony, the *harae-tsu-mono* are thrown into the sea or rivers. Originally, these *harae-tsu-mono* consisted of objects belonging to the penitent. Later, as the sense of economy became more firmly established, they took on a symbolic character, and from this tendency arose the current use of *katashiro* (substitute forms), which have replaced them. These are small pieces of paper cut in the shape of a garment, on which the person being purified writes their sex and the year and month of their birth. The paper is then rubbed over the body while breathing upon it, so that the impurities pass onto the *katashiro*. During the rite, if the *harai* is collective, the various *katashiro*, gathered in a bundle, are thrown into the sea or rivers.
Among collective *harai*, the *Ō-harai* or Great Purification of the entire people has always held great importance. It is practiced twice a year, on the last day of the 6th and 12th lunar months (now June 30 and December 31). During the *Ō-harai*, a special *norito* is read.
### Misogi
*Misogi* (from *mizu* = water and *sosogi* = washing) is a lustral ablution performed with water or water and salt to free oneself from occasional contaminations (resulting from illness, sexual relations, wounds, childbirth, contact with corpses, etc.). It is practiced without the intervention of priests.
### Imi
*Imi* (from *imu* = to shun) is properly a prophylaxis against impurity. It consists in avoiding any contact or action that might render one impure (personal cleanliness, eating certain foods cooked over pure fire, wearing only certain purificatory garments, etc.). It is mostly reserved for priests, who, by virtue of their ministry, must act as intermediaries between the people and the *kami*.
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### III. Places of Worship
Originally, the *kami* were venerated in sacred enclosures (*himorogi*), made with a straw rope stretched between four poles around a branch of *sakaki* (Cleyera japonica, the sacred tree of Shintō). It appears that under Emperor Sujin (97–30 BCE, according to official chronology), the first temples (*yashiro* or *miya*) were built. These temples, in their architecture and materials used (raw wood of *hinoi*, the Japanese cypress), are simple and primitive, reproducing the ancient indigenous hut. They consist of at least two buildings: the *honden* (sanctuary), where the *shintai* is preserved and which is forbidden to laypeople, and the *haiden* (oratory) for visitors, often connected by a corridor (*ai no ma*). Larger temples have various accessory buildings. The whole complex is surrounded by one or more fences. Characteristic are the *torii*, kind of wooden gateways of unknown origin and meaning, placed at the entrance.
Shintō temples are organized into a hierarchy, at the apex of which are the *jingū*, temples to which a particular character of sanctity is attached, such as those of Ise and Atsuta. All others are called *jinja* and are divided into: 1) *kwampesha* (State temples), where ceremonies take place under state control; 2) *kokueisha*, provincial temples; 3) *fukensha*, temples of *fu* (urban districts) and *ken* (prefectures); 4) *gōsha* and *sonsha*, temples of rural districts and villages. Each of these receives a subsidy from the state, proportional to its category. The greatest sanctuary is that of Ise, located on the outskirts of the city of Uji-Yamada (Mie Prefecture). It consists of two temples: the *Naikū* (inner), dedicated to Amaterasu, and the *Gekū* (outer), to Ukemochi, the goddess of food. Founded in remote antiquity, they are rebuilt every 20 years, identical to their predecessors, while the old wood is used to make amulets sold as sacred. A pilgrimage to Ise is the greatest aspiration of the Shintō faithful, who believe it determines their success in life. Other major temples include those of Kizuki (Shimane Prefecture), dedicated to Ōkuninushi; Kasuga (Nara), to Ame-no-Koyane; Ikuta (Kōbe) to Wakahirume; Atsuta (Nagoya), to Amaterasu and other *kami*; the Meiji Jingū (Tokyo), to Emperor Mutsuhito (1868–1912), and others.
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### IV. The Clergy
The intimate connection, from ancient times, between worship (*matsuri*) and matters of government (*matsurigoto*, matters of worship), which made Shintō ceremonies administrative acts, prevented the formation of a priestly caste. The priests (*kannushi*, from *kami-nushi*, ministers of the *kami*) or *jinkwan* (officials of the *kami*) have purely external duties; they are nothing more than public officials. Their task is to care for the temples, in which many have hereditary interests, and to perform the rites, during which they wear a garment that is that of the ancient Imperial Court. They are organized into a hierarchy of eight grades: 1) *saishū* (master of worship), the highest, represented only in the temple of Ise by a prince of the blood; 2) *daigūji* (grand master of the temple), assigned to the superiors of *kwampesha* and *kokueisha*; 4) *negi* (orant); 5) *gonegi* (sub-orant); 6) *shiken* (executor of canons). The priests of *fukensha* are called 7) *shikwan* (executors), those of *gōsha* and *sonsha* are below, called 8) *shishō*. There are no convents or religious orders.
Women have a limited role as *miko* (august daughters), girls aged 10–12, mostly daughters of the priests themselves, who perform sacred dances and are dismissed upon reaching marriageable age. Until the 14th century, moreover, every sovereign ascending the throne assigned a princess to Ise with the duty of watching over the sacred mirror kept there.
Individual worship consists of offerings of various kinds, bows, clapping of hands (*kashiwade*), and prayers, whose current formulas are strongly influenced by Buddhism. These are directed toward obtaining benefits from the *kami*, not the forgiveness of sins. Prayer, as a mystical elevation of the soul to God, is unknown. In the old cult, however, it played an insignificant role.
### Festivals
The festivals (*matsuri*) vary in number and significance depending on the place. The ceremonies performed during them consist of offerings (food, silk, etc.) to the *kami* and follow a strict ritual, including the reading of *norito* and dances accompanied by music. Since the 8th century, they have been divided into great, medium, and small. The only great festival is the *Ōnie* or *Daijōsai* (festival of the great tasting), performed at the accession of each sovereign. The others are numerous: the medium ones have an agricultural character, such as the *Toshigoi* (first month of the ancient calendar) at the time of rice planting, the *Kanname-matsuri* (9th lunar month), in which the new rice was offered to the *kami* and to the imperial ancestors, etc.; the small ones include various rituals to obtain abundant rains, ward off fires, epidemics, and the like. Many national festivals and those held at court are also connected with Shintō worship, such as the *Shihō-hai* (January 19), in which the sovereign prays to the Sun Goddess for the happiness of the people at the beginning of the year, and the *Kigensetsu* (festival of the Sun).
Shi're - A young negro priest gives his first blessing to his aged mother, on leaving the cathedral of Limbe (1938).
(1 Feb.) anniversary of the founding of the Empire by Jimmu Tennō, etc.
Shi'rē. — This is the region comprising the southern part of the British protectorate of Nyasaland.
Until May 1952, the Apostolic Vicariate of S. embraced the entire region of the same name. This territory was detached on 3 December 1903 from the Apostolic Vicariate of Nyassa and elevated to an Apostolic Vicariate on 14 April 1908. On 15 May 1952, it was divided into two Apostolic Vicariates: Zomba in the north and Blantyre in the south (civil districts of Blantyre, S. centr.-e, Mlajne, Cholo, Cikwawa, and Lower-River, otherwise known as Port Herald). The two vicariates are entrusted to the Fathers of the Company of Mary (Monfortans), who arrived in the area in 1901 as auxiliaries to the White Fathers. Currently, the Apostolic Vicariate of Blantyre is entrusted to the fathers of the Dutch Province of the said Company.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Blantyre covers an area of approximately 21,840 sq. km., has a population of about 700,000 inhabitants, and includes over 116,000 Catholics. It has 13 main mission stations and 40 foreign priests.