Facts about Shinto
- 09
New Year celebrations in Shinto culminate with hatsumode, the first shrine visit of the year, drawing over 100 million Japanese worshippers nationwide during early January.
- 08
Miko, shrine maidens in Shinto, traditionally wear white kosode robes and red hakama skirts that date back to Heian period court fashion from the 9th century.
- 07
Torii gates, the iconic red wooden structures marking shrine entrances, traditionally number 1,000 or more at Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto, creating a tunnel through the mountain.
- 06
Kami, the spiritual entities worshipped in Shinto, number in the millions according to traditional belief, with estimates suggesting 8 million distinct kami inhabiting natural phenomena, ancestors, and locations throughout Japan.
- 05
During Japan's Edo period, Shinto underwent a revival called Fukko Shinto in the 18th century, emphasizing direct emperor worship and native traditions over Buddhist influences that had dominated for centuries.
- 04
Purification through salt, called shio, plays a central role in Shinto practice, with visitors casting salt over themselves before entering shrines to ward off spiritual impurities.
- 03
Four cardinal directions in Shinto cosmology are each associated with different kami and colors, with north linked to Genbu and the color black in traditional shrine orientations.
- 02
Approximately 80,000 Shinto shrines exist across Japan, with over 2.7 million priests and priestesses maintaining these sacred spaces and performing daily rituals.
- 01
The Grand Shrine of Ise, Shinto's holiest site, has been rebuilt every 20 years since 690 CE in a ritual called Shikinen Sengu.