Spiritual Guidance
Am I saying that Shinto, the traditional religion of Japan has no place in modern society? Not necessarily. Am I saying that you might want to think twice before seeking career advice from a nature spirit (kami) that has no frame of reference for the life of a corporate salaryman? Maybe.
Japan’s ancient belief system, known as Shinto, is something of a living relic. While there is a general idea in the west that this belief system is dead and/or dying, it actually seems to be alive and well despite the rapid modernization that has taken place in Japan since World War 2. A rare breed of ancient animist systems and more modern ritualistic practices, Shintoism is surprising for a number of reasons. Cultures all across the globe, at one point, practiced some form of animism, ie-the belief that natural creations (the rocks, the trees, the animals, etc) held some type of spirit that could be turned to for guidance, offered respects to, or that could hinder or harm unwary believers. While most cultures have mutated their belief systems in such a way as to unintentionally conceal these origins (there is, for example almost no hint of animism in the Abrahamic faiths) the Japanese people have held tight to this tradition for thousands of years.
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Like Buddhism, Shinto does not require faith as a measure of belief. Shinto practitioners engage in rituals celebrating many aspects of the natural world from rocks, to trees, to animals and even the spirit of ancestors that have passed on. It is an extremely present belief system, a set of ideals that lauds the current moment as being beautiful and important and supported by the land on which one lives. Recognition of and respect for the place in which one dwells is a theme seen in other animist traditions such as many native American cultures and others that have lived close to the land for thousands of years. Japan, until the mid 1800’s, was still living a feudal lifestyle as part of an empire. Serious modernization efforts did not occur until after contact with America. For this reason, it would seem highly likely that the belief and practice of Shinto would die out, if not during those early years, then at least now that Japan has become a leader in technology, science, and modern living. Strangely, this has not been the case. While Japan has changed drastically in its outward appearance, there are many cultural ideals still going strong beneath the surface. Some of them can be seen as good and others as bad, but what is clear is that Japan’s identity is all its own.
It may be a bit confusing to some in the west how someone can work the demanding schedule of a Japanese salaryman, living in a small apartment and working in a mega-city like Tokyo only to then take trips to the countryside to engage in Shinto rituals or just to be near the trees that grow there. It’s something very different than what we experience spiritually in places like America, but that’s exactly the reason this still happens. Japan has always been different and the nation prides itself on its own unique perspective. While they may borrow from the west where they see fit, Japan’s heart has always been Japanese.
There’s something beautiful in that, something to respect. While it may not be a major player on the world stage, Shinto has a lot to teach people in the west and even the people that ignore it in Japan. Modern living is still supported by the world we all share and to ignore that fact is costly to all of us. Perhaps if Shinto had spread more actively, the world would be a much different place. It’s hard to say.
While I still contend that the spirits contained within rocks, trees, or weasels may not be the best to turn to for advice on modern living, I do think they could teach us a thing or two about respecting our surroundings. Either way, it couldn’t hurt to stop every now and again and offer your thanks to the trees that help us breathe, to the water that we drink, or to the animals and plants that help keep us alive.
Too often we think of ourselves as being apart from the world, something different, something unique and powerful with dominion over the world. Nothing could be further from the truth. While we imagine ourselves emperors supported on the shoulders of the natural world, it would take very little to knock that support out from under us and cause it all to come crashing down.
The world is our home and no matter where you live, taking a moment to stop and appreciate it all doesn’t hurt you.
In fact, it may help put your problems and your life into a new perspective.
Discussion (25) ¬
this is the exact advice I would give and I’m not even a weasel
agreed! The Weasel’s advice makes sense if you take it all metaphorically. XD
metaphorically!? totes makes sense literally. this is what I do in every life situation, its turned out great for me!
Indeed, the Kami are very wise.
The wisest of them all should be the spirit of a cicada.
‘You shall spend almost all your life underground, draining the resources of organisms around you. Then, one you are ready, you shall burst from the ground and change your form entirely. Next, climb a tree among masses of your kind, many shall be picked off by the dozens of predators gorging on the horde. You shall then find a mate by using your new body to create a deafeningly loud mating call to outshine your rivals or you will find the loudest of the courters to mate with. Then you will have your first and only sexual experience, dying in your euphoria and dropping your spawn to find their way underground to fend for themselves and continue the cycle.’
The first and last part sounds like the life of a die hard D&D/Magic the Gathering/WoW etc. fan.
It almost seems ridiculous to ask you this, but have you read American Gods by Neil Gaiman? I just finished it and thought “You know, it would be such a shame if the Happle Tea guy hasn’t read this. I should tell him about it.” Of course, its rather likely you have, in which case feel free to ignore this question altogether.
I tried to read that, but then I got to that part with the prostitute goddess and my older sister took it from me. ;_; I need to find it so I can pick it up again.
unfortunately, i fall in the i-hate-American-Gods crowd. it’s actually pretty appropriative and disrespectful towards cultures that still practice and worship said gods mentioned in novel (as though they are apparently languishing from a lack of attention! pff)
that said, Gaiman has produced excellent work! it just wasn’t American Gods.
Not really; his point was the bastardisation of religion, especially ancient, minority religions, in modern, industrialised America. At the very, VERY end of the book where Shadow meets the Odin spirit that was left in Norway, it’s very faithful and respectful.
I particularly appreciated the blog post about this comic =) I’ve heavily picked up watching Anime in the past year and I am currently in a Chinese religions class, so I am getting heavy doses of Asian culture. It is fantastic that you could add to it.
This is one of the things I’m glad about as far as Anime goes. While I do think there are pitfalls that A LOT of anime falls into (especially the stuff that gets picked up by networks here), there’s a lot of really great stuff in there as well. There is such a different set of storytelling ideas and animation concepts in Japan than here in the states and the elements of myth that make it into Japanese animation are always very interesting. Miyazaki, one of the greatest filmmakers of our time in my opinion, has brought a small taste of the Japanese spirit to the United States and it’s really enthralling to a lot of people.
I’m really glad you’re being exposed to things like this. Getting a feel for very different cultures is an amazing experience. 🙂
Anime that American networks pick up ends up being so watered down by the time it gets to American viewers… although if I’m completely honest it’s those very shows that first got me into anime :p
I always love reading your comics. Not only do I get a laugh, I get something to think about. Sometimes a history lesson, sometimes philosophy. Either way, thanks!
Just a heads up, but your snarky alt-text (mouse-over) for the image is broken because you used double quotes in it.
haha thank you!
D:!!! I just discovered that.. I am reading this ALL over again to see what I missed…I usually read the comic then K’s elaboration at the bottom..gosh I feel so stupid now.
You tend toward such thoughtful and thought-provoking entries for your comics, and I really enjoyed this one in particular. Animisim in general and Shinto in specific are very dear to me; your thoughts really gave me the warm fuzzy I needed to make today a little more bearable. And the reminder to take a moment to appreciate my place in the world is more than welcome, too. ♥
One of my favorite religious myths of all time comes from Shinto. Don’t know if you ever drew it…The Sun Goddess Amaterasu (also, who else has a female sun god?) is upset from her brother playing pranks and breaking her stuff, so hides in a cave and pulls a rock to close the entrance. When the sun leaves the world, the other gods come up with a plan to get her out when the rock doesn’t budge. They set up a raucous party so hardcore Amaterasu can’t help but be enticed. Things come to a head when one goddess gets on a table and starts to, essentially, strip. All the drunken catcalls are too much for the sun goddess, and as she peeks her head out, other gods stationed outside the cave grab her and basically force her to party so the sun comes back into the world. Now that’s a religion I have to give props to. Serious foundation myth, here, and it’s all about drunken parties and stripping.
The comic was funny, but your blog post was beautiful. Completely true, and I think that a lot of people forget that
I must say the blog that went with this comic touched me i get laughed at by friends all the time cause i thank trees for giving me oxygen and a nice shady place to sit and read i’m a huge fan of anime and asian culture in general and have always appreciated shinto so thank u for this
We have a more outdated and even destructive line of religions today that is way out of sync with modern society – the Abrahamic faith (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). This belief system is already a relic, is causing much pain, suffering, ignorance and division amongst people, and is way too inferior compared to the other animistic religions like Shinto in terms of how it views the environment and life of earth.
i think it’s probably rather important to point out that most people in Japan, though, even if they visit Shinto shrines and such on New Years and so on, do so largely out of tradition then anything. As an example, my family prays (very rarely) when there are events upcoming that we feel important to do well on, or before going on a trip of some sort, and we’ll put out a small symbolic offering of food on a separate plate on holidays like Thanksgiving (which are later eaten) but none of us really consider ourselves religious.
nice