Mediators between Kami and the People: What is the position of the Shinto priests?

Shinto is a unique polytheistic religion in Japan based on ancestral rituals and nature worship. According to Japanese mythology, the Imperial Family and many other clans are descended from the kami 神, so successive emperors have important roles as the priest-kings. Shinto shrines have a strong regional character, and unlike monotheistic churches, each has its own traditions and ways of thinking, which are completely different from those of monotheistic churches.

As Shrines Shinto, the most common and traditional Shinto, has no specific doctrines or scriptures, no absolute precepts and no guru, so understanding the reality of the faith can be difficult, especially for people who have never visited Japan. Kami is often translated as “God”, “Gods”, or “Deities” in English. However, these translations can lead to misunderstandings. There are so many Kami, and they are not omnipotent. It is fundamentally different from Christian God, Jewish YHVH, and Islamic Allah. Furthermore, some kami are not only like people as deities of Greek mythology, but also other types of kami as those which exercise the power of growth, of natural objects, and real persons.

An early modern Shinto scholar Motori Norinaga 本居宣長 defined kami in the following way:[i]

Kami are the deities in heaven and earth in mythology, or spirits enshrined in Shinto shrines. Not to mention human beings, birds, animals, plants, oceans, mountains, and whatever else is uncommonly great and rare are called kami. The meaning of great is not necessarily limited to what is precious, excellent, good or meritorious. Even the wicked and the suspicious are kami, if they are powerful or rare.

In fact, since ancient times, there have been many kinds of kami, as there are said to be eight million kami in Japan (In this case, eight does not mean a real number, but a large number). In addition, in Shinto, beings such as the Devil and Satan also can be kami.

In ancient Japanese, ‘Shinto priests’ can be said in several ways. ‘Kamunushi 神主’ means a person who is specialised with, in charge of and cares for kami. ‘Negi 禰宜’ means to wish, pray and labour. ‘Hafuri 祝’ means to throw away sins and impurities. ‘Kamunagi 巫’ means to pacify the spirit of kami. Based on the above, the Shinto priests are often described as intermediaries and interpreters between the kami and the people. In other words, the Shinto priests are neither a robot who merely performs formal and mechanical rituals, nor a spiritualist who specialises only in sixth sense or shamanism.

Jinja Honchō 神社本廳 [Association of Shinto Shrines], which oversees 78,000 of the approximately 80,000 Shinto shrines in Japan, issues licences to priests of these Shinto shrines, and I am one of the qualified persons. To fulfil the requirements for certification, you must be specifically educated and either pass an examination or graduate from one of the training institutions, including universities (distance learning and short courses are also options).

As the saying goes, ‘What is important is not spoken in Shinto’, and the profound secrets of Shinto are extremely abstract, based on what one sees and hears for oneself and acquired through the senses. However, this does not mean that there are no values and indicators based on values that have been cultivated throughout Japan’s 2,000-year history. In understanding these, it may help to know the curriculum of priesthood training.

In this article, I describe the minimum basic qualities required as Shinto priests, based on my learning experience. The majority of Shinto priests pursue their qualifications at Kokugakuin University in Tokyo or Kōgakkan University in Ise, the only two Shinto universities in the world. There are also some technical colleges for training Shinto priests in Japan. During my four years at Kōgakkan University, I completed a BA in Japanese history with qualifications of museum curator and librarian, while simultaneously completing the Shinto priest curriculum and passing the judging for the meikai  明階 rank priest without examination (it was a very demanding schedule as my affiliation was the department of Japanese history, not the department of Shinto studies).

The curriculum consists of modules broadly divided into technical skills and classroom lectures, plus the need to complete practical training at a shrine. In the technical skills, students learn the basic etiquette of rituals and ceremonies at Shinto shrines. Candidates must learn all the detailed rules, such as the angle and duration of bowing, the direction of rotation, how to hold and place utensils, which foot comes out first, etc. (since modern times, standards have been created based on the manners of the ancient imperial court).

They also learn how to dress in the traditional costumes for Shinto priests (these are complicated and very heavy). This is because to show respect to the kami, it is essential to be formal and polite, not only internally but also externally. As it is necessary to sit traditional formal way known as seiza 正坐 on the floor during the ritual, those who cannot sit on the floor for many hours are not suitable for Shinto priests.

In classroom studies, students learn about Shinto and religion in general, as well as the culture and practice required for the priesthood. Considerable specialised knowledge is required of Shinto history, Shinto rituals, Shinto classics including Japanese mythology, cultic methods, yūsoku kojitsu 有職故実 (ancient court customs), and theology. The ritual texts, known as norito 祝詞, which are performed to the kami during ceremonies, are all composed in ancient Japanese, so familiarity with ancient vocabulary and glamour is required.

As reading and writing at Shinto shrines is done with a brush, candidates also must practise calligraphy. Religious studies, the history of Japanese and world religions and philosophy are also studied. In addition, as religious institutions, including Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and churches are legal entities under the contemporary Japanese system, candidates also need to study the relevant laws and regulations, information processing and other skills necessary for management.

As Shinto priests are expected to be highly educated, candidates are also required to acquire an adequate knowledge of Japanese literature and history. In addition to these basic subjects, candidates also study a wide range of other subjects such as gagaku 雅楽 (ancient court music), the Imperial Family, the Grand Shrines of Ise, the history of thought, folkloristics, Buddhism and contemporary Japan, etc.

In practical training, students stay overnight at Shinto shrines around Japan and perform the duties of the priesthood. The aim is not mere work experience, but to actually serve the kami and worshippers and learn about the actual situation on the ground. Especially for students who are not from priest families like me, it can be a great opportunity to learn about reality, including their own aptitude. If candidates aim to obtain a licence for a higher rank, practical training at the Grand Shrines in Ise and Jinja Honchō in Tokyo is also compulsory (I have completed both).

In addition, at Kōgakkan University, dormitory students in particular are required to make morning prayers at the dormitory shrine every morning and are also encouraged to make a monthly campus-wide visit to Kōtai Jingū 皇大神宮 (also known as Naikū 内宮) at the Grand Shrines of Ise. Combined with its location at the knee of the Grand Shrines of Ise, the most sacred Shinto shrine in Japan, Kōgakkan University has a very good environment for learning about Shinto and Japanese Studies.

Those who complete all of these curricula and graduate from the university become certified Shinto priests. However, the licence is just a licence and only a minimum foundation. The Jinja Honchō has the following ‘Guidelines for a Respectful Life’, which is only like a guideline for faith in daily life, not a doctrine:[ii]

Shinto is the great way of heaven and earth, the foundation for cultivating a noble spirit and opening the way to peace. It is the mission of Shinto to respect the kami, inherit the legacy of our ancestors, demonstrate the excellence of the way and promote the welfare of mankind. Jinja Honchō now set forth this mission statement to clarify our goals, strive to put them into practice and uphold the great way;

We are grateful for the blessings of kami and the kindness of our ancestors, and we shall strive to perform the rituals with a bright, pure and sincere spirit;

We serve the society and people, and create and consolidate the world in accordance based Imperial deree by kami;

Under the emperor’s will, we are in harmony with each other and pray for the prosperity of the nation and the co-existence and co-prosperity of the world.

By the way, most Shinto priests of Shinto shrines that are not affiliated with the Jinja Honchō, or of Shinto shrines of Sectarian Shinto (different from Shrines Shinto), also obtain their licences from the Jinja Honchō. This is because the basic knowledge and skills of Shinto are included in the curriculum for acquiring a licence by Jinja Honchō. Many of the priests of Sectarian Shinto have further training specific to their own denomination after obtaining their licence from the Jinja Honchō.

For those interested in learning more about training for the Shinto priesthood, I recommend three things:

The first is to visit more Shinto shrines. As there are said to be 80,000 kami in Japan, each Shinto shrine has a variety of beliefs. Also, as mentioned above, Shinto has no unified doctrine or scripture, so Shinto shrines are highly regional and unique. The best way to find out about this is to visit various Shinto shrines around Japan in person.

Second, you should set up your kamidana 神棚 [Shinto altars for the households] at home. To cultivate a sense of reverence, it is important to practise daily worship of kami. By placing ofuda 御神札 [secret tablets] from the Grand Shrines in Ise, your own local Shinto shrine known as ujigami jinja 氏神神社, and other favourite Shinto shrines on the kamidana, offering rice, salt, water, sake and others items every day, and reciting norito, you will feel closer to the kami. This is particularly recommended for those who cannot easily visit Shinto shrines due to time schedules or geographical reasons.

Thirdly, practising languages and seiza is useful. As most of the material written about Shinto is in Japanese, you need to be fluent in contemporary Japanese. In addition, you also need to be familiar with classical Japanese and classical Chinese to learn about mythology, rituals and the history of Shinto. As mentioned above, the celebrant must write in archaic Japanese. It is extremely difficult to improve your language skills only during the priesthood training period, especially if you are not a native Japanese speaker, so it is advisable to familiarise yourself with Japanese to some extent beforehand. In addition, it is not easy for contemporary people, whose lifestyle generally consists of a table and chair, to sit on the floor for long periods of time. therefore, by sitting in seiza little by little every day, one can improve one’s ritual skills. As an aside, it is said that even the Emperor of Japan practices seiza before important rituals!

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[i] Kojikiden. Available at: https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/2556363/1/9

[ii] Jinja Honchō, ed., Keishin Seikatsu no Kōryō: Kaisetsu (Jinja Shinpōsha, 2011), 9.

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References

Norman Havens, Nobutaka Inoue, eds., Encyclopedia of Shinto: Volume One Kami (Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics, 2001), Translated by Norman Havens.

Sokyō Ono, Shinto: The Kami Way (Charles and Tuttle, 1962).

Public Affairs Headquarters for Shikinen-Sengu, Soul of Japan: An Introduction to Shinto and Ise Jingu (Public Affairs Headquarters for Shikinen-Sengu, 2013). Available at: https://www.jinjahoncho.or.jp/en/image/soul-of-japan.pdf

Satoshi Yamaguchi, Shinto from an International Perspective: English-Japanese (Ebisu-Kosyo Publication, 2012).

Satoshi Yamaguchi, A Visual Guide to Shinto: English-Japanese (Ebisu-Kosyo Publication, 2016).