Source: Houston Chronicle

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/religion/2898242

On November 12, 2004 the Houston Chronicle reported, "As old perhaps as Japan itself, Shinto is a rich mixture of folklore, reverence for all things natural and the Japanese nation itself. But to say one believes in Shinto has become almost meaningless: For most Japanese, the worshipping side of Shinto is relegated to a small cadre of priests and their helpers, most of whom inherited their jobs from ancestors. The Japanese today 'practice' Shinto by making wishes at the local shrine, or enjoying its autumn festivals. As recently as World War II, a special brand of state-sanctioned Shinto was the ideological foundation upon which Japan's emperor-worshipping military machine was built. Its treatment of the Japanese people as unique and divine, its emphasis on harmony and its deep-seated fear of impurity continue to be an integral — albeit not always conscious — part of the national psyche. But stripped of its official status and tarnished by the excesses of militarism, Shinto is struggling to find a place in postwar Japan... the ties between Shinto — the faith — and the average Japanese are weakening. The tightknit communities that once kept local shrines alive are unraveling. The small Shinto altars that were once a common household feature are gradually disappearing."