Shinto

The torii gateway to the [[Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, one of the most famous examples in the country. Torii mark the entrance to Shinto shrines and are recognizable symbols of the religion.|right|thumb|upright=1.1]] , also called Shintoism, is the native religion and former ethnic cult of Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners Shintoists, although adherents rarely use that term themselves. With no central authority in control of Shinto, there is much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners. As polytheistic and animistic religion, Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the (神), who are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations.

The are worshipped at household shrines, family shrines, and jinja public shrines. The latter are staffed by priests, known as , who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific enshrined at that location. This is done to cultivate harmony between humans and and to solicit the latter's blessing. Other common rituals include the dances, rites of passage, and kami festivals. Public shrines facilitate forms of divination and supply religious objects, such as amulets, to the religion's adherents. Shinto places a major conceptual focus on ensuring purity, largely by cleaning practices such as ritual washing and bathing, especially before worship. Little emphasis is placed on specific moral codes or particular afterlife beliefs, although the dead are deemed capable of becoming . The religion has no single creator or specific doctrine, and instead exists in a diverse range of local and regional forms.