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Q I’m a Canadian national who has lived in Japan for 3 months with my fiancee, Harumi. Her parents insist that she marries a Shinto man, and they hold the opinion that only Japanese can be Shinto. I’m willing to convert, but I need to show them that their prejudice is misguided. Is there a process for converting to Shintoism? How can I satisfy my in-laws?
Q I have a Japanese friend who visits a Buddhist temple to meditate and travels to a Shinto shrine to ask for blessings all in the same day. When I questioned how he was able to participate in two faiths at once, he told me that his routine was common for Japanese people. Is my friend a Buddhist or Shintoist?
A The answer to this question may seem a bit surprising to you but your friend, much like many other Japanese people, are both Buddhist and Shinto.
Many people may find it hard to believe that one person could believe in two different religions, but it can be very common in Japan. Many people living in Japan practice these religions as a part of their nation’s culture rather than their individual beliefs.
This combination of religion comes from their history as Buddhists from China moved to Japan, bringing their religious beliefs with them. Soon Buddhism became inseparable from Japan’s identity as the people adopted core beliefs from both. This was only allowed to happen because both religions can be observed at the same time with no conflict or contradiction with one another.
A Shintoism is known as the way of the gods. It is a religion that focuses on the beliefs and actions of a person. Shintoism can be seen as a spiritual practice rather than a way of life only accessible to those of indigenous Japanese heritage. It centres on the belief that there are gods called kami which are spirits that inhabit all forms of life and concepts needed for life such as weather, mountains, and trees.
When it comes to Shintoism, there isn’t any system put in place for conversion. As stated before, Shintoism is a spiritual practice and the conversion process would simply be to change your beliefs and practices so that they are in line with core Shinto concepts.
Many see Shintoism as a religion that is only for the Japanese people just like your in-laws. However, this isn’t necessarily true as you can believe in whatever you choose and there is nothing that says you must be Japanese to be Shinto. In fact, there has been an increasingly large number of Western people becoming Shinto in recent years.
If you want to satisfy your in-laws, really study what it means to be Shinto and surprise them with that knowledge. Travel to shrines and partake in some of the many rituals Shintoism has to offer. It’s only a matter of time before they will see how strong your belief is and begin accepting you for who you are.
If you have any questions, ask us at [email protected] or tweet us @ShintoLife