1.神道【SHINTOU】or ”SHINTOISM”: All Japanese are natural born Shintoist .
All Japanese belong to nearest 神社【JINJYA】Shrine as 氏子【UJIKO】, “lineage children” when they were born.
神道【SHINTOU】is Japanese 【皇室】Imperial Family’s Religion and supreme deity is a Goddess named 天照大神【AMATERASU-OOMIKAMI】.
The top of Shrine is 伊勢神宮【ISE-JINGUU】in 三重【MIE-PREFECTURE】and there are countless 神社【Jinjya】 shrines in all over Japan. You can find so many small and large 神社【JINJYA】shrines all over Japan even in very small villages.
All Japanese are belong to nearest shrine where he or she was born as 氏子【UJIKO】Shrine parishioner, so all Japanese are natural born Shintoist, regardless of they are conscious it or not.
▶How different 神道【SHINTOU】and 仏教【BUKKOY】？
(It is said that SHINTOU is regional religion while Buddhism (Christianity or Islam, too ) is World Religion which have many believers all over the world regardless regions and countries).
Peoples go to 神社【JINNAYA】Shrine when babies are born and greet with 神様【KAMI-SAMA】of their region as 初宮参り【HATSU-MIYA-MAIRI】”First Imperial Visit”. When Children become three, five and seven years old, families go to shrines and say thanks to 神様 and this event is called 七五三【SHICHI-GO-SAN】literally mean “Seven-Five-Three”.
Many people go to 初詣【HATSU-MOUDE】,The first visit to Shrine in the year on January 1st. And Wedding ceremonies are hold in Shintoism Way(Recently, Christianity style wedding ceremonies are popular, too ).
At 祭【MATSURI】Festivals, much of them are hold in summer, young men of 氏子【UJIKO】carry 神輿【MIKOSHI】potable shrine or vehicle for 神様【KAMI-SAMA】and move around towns . Each towns have their own MIKOSHI.
▶ESSAY about 宗教【RELISION】: How different Japanese 神【KAMI】dieties and GOD?
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