The Shinto Religion

• Shinto believers recognize that mountains, rivers and the wind are sacred. Each shrine in Japan is devoted to one Kami or the other.
  
  
• When you enter a shrine there is a gateway called a Tori that separates the land of the Gods from the land of living.
  
  
  This is the Tori of the Meiji Shrine taken from Here
  
  
• In the past believers believed in misogi, the act of cleansing one's body in a river near the shrine. However, people now just wash their hands and mouth in a wash basin provided within the shrine grounds.
  
  
• Kagura is a sacred dance performed by skilled and trained dancers which consists of a group of young virgin girls and men.
  
  
• You probably know Mamori from most anime you have watched. They are charms that aid in healing and protection.
  
  
• Throughout a believer's life they are expected to visit their shrines for blessings from the shrine priest/priestess. For example, Shichigosan Matsuri is held every year on the 15th of November in which a blessing is given by the shrine priest to girls aged three and seven and boys aged five.
  
  
• A Kami-dana (Shelf of Gods) is found in many Shinto homes across the country in which believers create their very own make-shift shrine and is the central area in the household .
  
  
• Also on shrine grounds there are two dog statues that face each other called Koma-inu. In the Shinto religion, animals are considered sacred messengers of God, so to honor them Koma-inu are placed on shrine grounds.
  
  
  Above is a Koma-Inu taken from Here
  
  
• Origami (Paper of the Spirits) is a Japanese folk art in which paper is folded into beautiful shapes. To show respect to the tree spirit that gave its life for the paper, the paper should never be cut!

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