What is Shinto? 1

神道とは一体何か？

一言で述べなさいと言われれば「私たちの祖先によって、縄文時代よりも以前遥か昔からこの気候温暖で山河や海浜の自然が美しい日本の大地だからこそ生まれた自然崇拝（アニミズム）の想い」だと言えます。太陽や月や星の様な天体をも含めて森羅万象あらゆるものに「畏敬」の念と「感謝」の気持ちから全てのものに神が存在するという想いがその基です。ですから日本では八百万の神々と称して草や花や木々も水の一滴をもそれは神様なのだと敬愛し、それらの想いが極自然に「共有」され長い歴史の中で、親から子、子から孫へと連綿として受け継がれ育まれてきたのです。その思いそのものが「神道」と言って良いと私は思います。

If I were asked to describe it in one word, I would say it is "the idea of nature worship (animism) that was born by our ancestors long before the Jomon period, precisely because Japan is a land of warm climate and beautiful nature with mountains, rivers and beaches." It is based on the idea that gods exist in everything, based on feelings of "reverence" and "gratitude" for all things in the universe, including celestial bodies such as the sun, moon and stars. Therefore, in Japan, we revere and adore the eight million gods, grass, flowers, trees and even a single drop of water, believing them to be gods, and these feelings are "shared" in a very natural way, and have been passed down and nurtured from parent to child, and from child to grandchild over a long history. I think that this idea itself can be called "Shinto."

「畏敬」という言葉を述べましたが「畏」とは　鞭を持って叱るという語源なのですが、そこから「恐れる→畏まる（かしこまる）→畏れ入る（おそれいる）」という意味になっていますね。それに「敬う」を加えて「畏敬」となるわけです。

そしてその「畏敬」の基に「感謝」の想いを込めて暮らしていく！それが「神道」なのです。「大自然」への畏敬と感謝から生まれたごく自然な感情が「神道」です！！！ですから「神道」は宗教ではないのでどんな宗教のお方でも  ああ！日本人の心の故郷なんだなぁ！とそう思って頂ければ本当にうれしい限りです。

I mentioned the word "reverence," but "reverence" comes from the idea of scolding with a whip, and from there it comes to mean "to fear → to be reverent (kashikomaru) → to be in awe (osoreiru)." Add "respect" to that and you get "reverence."

And on top of that, we live with a feeling of gratitude! That is Shinto.

Shinto is a very natural emotion born from awe and gratitude towards nature!!!

So, because Shinto is not a religion, I would be very happy if people of any religion

can think, "Ah! This is the spiritual home of the Japanese people!"