Shintoism and Buddhism in my fiction
I’ve enjoyed researching and adding different practices in my stories, trying to make them prominent enough for readers to learn about but not stand out in the prose.
Japan has two main religions, Shintoism and Buddhism, and with how they are both deeply ingrained in Japanese history, they both appear in my stories. So far, for simplicity and also my own interests, I have kept to Shinto shrines in my stories. However with how interconnected both religions are, it’s hard to keep completely away from it.
In Tales of Yamato I frequently mention shrines, have a few different types, and even in Survival we see different parts of a shrine up close. However, this isn’t the only religion based architecture in Japan. There are plenty of temples and shrines all around the country, and for those who don’t know much about them, it can be easy to mix them up. This is another reason I’ve kept close to Shintoism.
Shrines, and shrine related items such as torii gates belong to Shintoism, and are sacred areas for the gods. They can have other important aspects too such as water close by for purification, as well as a forest. Both of these are seen in the shrine in Survival, eventhough it is now one that is rarely used.
There are also temples, which belong to Buddhism. However both religions have been around in Japan for so long, that even these places share similar things.
Torii gates mark a sacred area, often seen in and around shrines, and made of different materials, from wood to stone. Where they are located can signify the levels of holiness. However, they can also be found at Buddhist temples.
And it’s not just torii which are found at both. The Buddhist romon and soumon are both gates that mark the entrance to a temple, and can be seen at shrines also. It’s not just the larger architecture which is seen too, with many temples also having stone komainu guardians, and temizuya for purification rituals. And to top it off, most layouts of a Shinto shrine is Buddhist in origin, however there are some which predate the Buddhist influence.
And although the Buddhist temples haven’t been shown in my stories, the practices definitely influence and appear. In The Cry of the Raijuu we see a little of food mentions. Through research I have learnt that lower class ate small but frequent meals, and that there was a country wide ban on meat because of Buddhism. It wasn’t until 1868 when the government separated Shintoism and Buddhism and it was lifted.
Despite this separation, the two religions are still connected with each other and play prominent roles in Japanese life. One example is the belief in vengeful spirits, onryou, who died without funerary rites. To pacify their spirit so they stop causing suffering for the living, Buddhist rites are used as well as enshrining them as kami, the Shinto way.
I’ve enjoyed researching and adding different practices in my stories, trying to make them prominent enough for readers to learn about but not stand out in the prose. One of my favourite scenes is when Hotaka visits the shrine in the beginning of Survival. It was tricky to explain to readers what comes natural to him and his beliefs, as well as drop the names for parts of the shrine. The hardest was the haiden as there is no equivalent at all for the West, however for those who read manga or watch anime, chances are you have seen one before. It’s where visitors put money into a donation box, ring the bell, and perform the prayer ritual: two bows, two claps, and a final bow.
In The Cry of the Raijuu we also meet a kannushi called Shouhei. He oversees the shrine to Inari, and unlike some other religions, is allowed to have a family and even take on a second job if needed.
Shinto shrines are also only a small part of the religion that I have written about. I also enjoyed adding a festival, and found researching very inspiring. The one I wrote about in Survival was based off the Akita Kanto festival and one I very much want to see in real life, as the video I watched wasn’t enough! No doubt too if there is a chance to add another festival in a future story, I will take it.
Of course the biggest parts of Shintoism which appear in my stories are my favourite parts. The kami and the yokai. I’ll definitely make another article just about yokai as they are numerous and I have much to say about them. As for kami, so far I have only had a small handful of them appear.
I’ve stuck with the biggest named kami such as Amaterasu and Inari, and it’s been great exploring each of their characters. They aren’t just beings which inhabit the world in human form, they inhabit all sorts of matter, living or dead, and also natural phenomenon such as fire, wind, and disasters like earthquakes and tsunami. All kami can be benevolent or destructive, and shrines can help pacify angry gods. There are also some kami who are regarded as destructive or malevolent and prayers are used to dissuade their ire. And if warnings are ignored, or if they act improper towards them, a kami can inflict punishment such as illness or even death. This is called shinbatsu.
I explored this a lot in Broken Waves with Susanoo and his angry ara-mitama, and how he uses the water for destructive purposes. However, Susanoo doesn’t act in true shinbatsu as it’s all goading from the malevolent ara-mitama. His solution to dealing with her, of finding somewhere safe to purify himself once more and calm the ara-mitama with rites also comes from the Shinto harae (purity). A purification ceremony uses fresh water normally—like seen in Survival at the temizuya—however the most effective and ancient form of purification comes from full immersion in the sea.
In Shintoism there is the importance of avoiding kegare (impurity) and purification rites are used to restore those who are kegare back to harae. This is also a theme I have dabbled in in The Cry of the Raijuu, where they must find a way of purifying the raijuu to stop bad luck from either kami or another yokai such as a shinigami.
I’m still learning a lot about all the different aspects of the religion, alongside the kami and yokai, plus history on top. There is so much information to comb through, but I hope it will all filter through into my stories naturally, whilst immersing you all in Shintoism—with a splash of Buddhism too.