Shinto outside Japan

[Kami Servant]

Shinto does not have any public shrines in the UK, where I live. I am an English Shintoist, and unfortunately, there are none here.
To those who have said that Japan was not where Shinto originated, you are wrong. Shinto as a religion originated in Japan.

 

[fenrisx]

Anyone?

I know of two Temples that practice Tendai and SHingon based Buddhism which while not Shinto, given the Shugendo influence, it is part of their tradition syncretically.

 

[brad12]

I think it is come from china.... :yes:

 

[Engyo]

I think it is come from china.... :yes:

According to all of the scholarship I have seen, Shinto was native to Japan, and Buddhism is the one that came to Japan from China. If you have evidence to the contrary, I'd be interested to learn more.

 

[Troll_ov_Grimness]

British Spiritualism is the closest thing to Shinto in the western world . You could say that spiritualism is the spirit-mythology of the post-industrial western world. Although you could not adopt Shinto practice with cultural observances like those of Japan's you could easily adopt Spiritualism. Spiritualism could be called a sort of British Shamanism. It was propagated in a period of history when British Empire was encountering yoga and asia. I think it originated in France to begin with though (hence, 'seance'). The French colonial powers when they went to Vietnam also influenced their shamanism and developed the quixotic hodge podgeness of Cao Daism of a certainty. Vietnamese are religiously eclectic. The most similar thing to Spiritualism in Asia I think is Vietnam

song,
The Dreams Of Swedenborg by Therion


Spiritualism is indeed more similar to Shinto than Reiki is to Shinto which would come as a surprise to many . Spiritualism like Reiki also has the laying on of hands and it also features transference of profane for sacred energy . However, unlike Reiki which is master to student, Spiritualism can be done independently, alone, like Shinto.

Also see Len Dong (Vietnam) & Cao Daism, and Muism (Korean Shamanism)

books / bibliography,

Occult Japan : Shinto , Shamanism, Or The Way Of The Gods by Percival Lowell
The Essence Of Shinto : Japan's Spiritual Heart by Motohisa Yamakage
Ghosts Of War In Vietnam by Heonik Kwon
Kut : Happiness Through Reciprocity by Hyun-key Kim Hogarth
Shamanism In Korean Christianity by Jang Nam Hyuck
Korean Shamanism -Muism by Dr. Kim Tae-kon & Dr. Chang Soo-kyung
The Darkened Room : Women, Power, And Spiritualism In Late Victorian England by Alex Owen
The History Of Spiritualism by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

 

[Leftimies]

I have heard a saying that modern Japanese are born Shinto, married Christian and die as Buddhists, reflecting the fact that they utilize ceremonies from all of these faiths/traditions without really believing in or practicing any of them.

This.

Around 70% of Japanese, according to all-knowing Wikipedia, consider themselves non-religious. Also the high level of synchronization implies a cultural lifestyle built around respect towards tradition and identity, rather than actual lifestyle built around faith and adherence.