Shinto is considered the original Japanese religion, as its devotion has been adopted by the first tribes that established in that country’s territories. It derives from many pre-historical beliefs and consists of the cult of the gods (kami). Shinto means in English “the way of the kami” and its name has origin in the Chinese Shendao.
Many believe that kami worship started between the Yayoi period (1000 BCE to 300 CE), but during the Kofun period (300 to 538 CE) Buddhism was introduced and the first syncretism started. Shinto was also influenced by Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Chinese divination practices.
The post-Buddhist elite, formed by leaders and wealthy members, introduced the use of images in Shinto rituals. Before it, Shinto shrines didn’t have sculptures or paintings that were references to kami or ancestries. Member of lower classes used to worship to amulets that were made at the Great Temples, like Ise Grand shrine.
Rice and the amulets were substituted by Buddha’s images, as nature devotional rituals were replaced by Buddha’s veneration. So, artists had to explore the possibilities of sculpture and painting, which resulted in the creation of the “chubby” Buddha, whose image is related to abundance, and to the watercolor technique.
Through the centuries, Shinto hasn’t had an unite and derived its beliefs according to the local communities. Until the Meiji Era (1868-1913), Shinto was one of the Japanese religions, being elevated to State Religion that supported the Emperor divine figure. As Japan was modernizing itself, Shinto had a decisive rule in that social and political changes.
