Source: Daily Yomiuri
Wire Service: AP
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/culture/20070705TDY16001.htm
Shinto priest Mitsutaka Inui provided a rare glimpse into various aspects of the nation's indigenous religion at an English seminar on Shinto held in Osaka last week.
The seminar was organized to celebrate the first anniversary of the launch of The Daily Yomiuri's Kansai edition.
Inui, a deputy priest of Kamigamo Shrine in Kita Ward, Kyoto, explained to about 80 participants how the beliefs and practices of Shinto are deeply embedded in Japanese cultural habits.
Beginning with the basics, Inui explained that Shinto first appeared in the "Chronicle of Japan" in the sixth century, around the same time Buddhism was imported into the country.
He said Japanese beliefs of divine spirits in sacred locations such as forests and bodies of water date back to ancient times, adding, however, that Shinto practices are still seen in people's daily lives.
According to Inui, about 25,000 priests, of whom about 8 percent are women, serve 80,000 shrines nationwide.