the State."[1] It requires of its adherents nothing except worship at certain temples or shrines on stated days. A "pure Shintō" temple is an exceedingly plain affair, in front of which, at a little distance, is invariably set a torii, or arch. Without idols, the temple contains, as emblems of Shintō, strips of paper hanging from a wand, together with a mirror. The form of ordinary worship is simple: it consists of washing the face, or hands, or both, with holy water; of ringing a bell, or clapping the hands, to call the god's attention; of casting in a coin as an offering; of standing with clasped hands during a short prayer, and of making a farewell bow. This ceremony is sufficient to "cover a multitude of sins"! At the regular festivals there are special and elaborate services, at which the priests (often lay-men) officiate. Pilgrimages to holy spots, usually "high places," are important in Shintō.
But Shintō seems destined to decay as naturally as it developed. According to the best authorities, it was, in the original and purest form, ancestor-worship combined with the worship of nature. That is to say, it arose from the natural reverence paid to ancestors, whether individual or national, and from
- ↑ "Shintō signifies character in the highest sense,—courage, courtesy, honor, and, above all things, loyalty. The spirit of Shintō is the spirit of filial piety [Lat. pietas], the zest of duty, the readiness to surrender life for a principle. . . . It is the docility of the child; it is the sweetness of the Japanese woman. . . . It is religion—but religion transmuted into hereditary moral impulse—religion transmuted into ethical instinct. It is the whole emotional life of the race,—the Soul of Japan."—Hearn.]
