Transcription
This is the Meiji period, because it is a period of Japanese challenge to Europe. It is a period when Japan's nationalist rhetoric against Europe strengthened. It is the period when the nation-state was established. It is the period when Shintoism became a national belief. And indeed, the process through which this strong culture, or rather, this strong civilization structure of modern Japan emerged, actually coincides with the Meiji period. Of course. Welcome, everyone. Today, let's talk a little about Shintoism. Shintoism is not a very well-known belief system, but ultimately, you might have some concepts related to Shintoism that most of you know or have heard of, such as Japanese culture. However, if you are not doing very academic or very systematic research, I don't think there is much information about Shintoism in Turkey. There are publications, of course, academic publications and so on. I will try to summarize Shintoism for you in a small way. Shintoism is the traditional belief, the religion of Japan. For example, if there are about 120 million Japanese people today, a significant portion of them are actually more like Buddhists. In the early periods, or until the early periods of the late Middle Ages, the Japanese were more Shinto. Of course, in the meantime, it might be necessary to say a word or two about the word "Japanese." Where does this word "Japanese" come from? Of course, we say "Japanese." This is naturally a word that came to us from the West. But Marco Polo first brought this word "Japanese" to the West. However, the word Marco Polo used was "Cipango." The word that actually passed from Portuguese, from the 16th century onwards, became "Nippon." The word "Japanese" that we use today actually comes more from the word "Nippon." This is a gift from Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century that has survived to this day. Perhaps you may have some familiarity from here. There are popular concepts related to Shintoism that are frequently mentioned in some films, cinema, or texts you read. These are popular, but they have historical backgrounds. For example, one of them is samurai, one is harakiri, which is suicide, another is ninjas, and then the concept of shogun. All of these are words or concepts that, in a popular context, evoke Japanese Shintoism or sometimes Japanese Buddhism, both in our country and in the West or elsewhere. If time permits, I will explain these to you as well. What is Shintoism? For example, look, I am using the word "Shinto." Actually, the word "Shinto" is not originally a Japanese word, it is a Chinese word. Since the Japanese adopted Chinese culture from a very early period and wrote in Chinese, such as with Kanji, Chinese literature has greatly influenced Japanese literature. Therefore, the word "Shinto" is actually a Chinese word. Its Japanese equivalent is "Kamimichi." "Kamimichi" is actually the Japanese of Shinto, meaning the same thing. "Shinto" means "the way of the gods" in Chinese. "Kamimichi" also means "the way of the gods" in Japanese. Perhaps the word "Kami" in "Kamimichi" might remind you of the suicide planes in World War II, the Kamikazes. The "kami" in "Kamikaze" and the "kami" in "Kamimichi" are actually the same words. It means god, or gods, or supernatural beings. Shintoism has three basic features. One of them is that it is an animistic belief. It originates from very ancient times up to the modern world and, despite being modernized, continues in some way within Japanese culture. I think this is extremely important, and it is very surprising that it still exists and is alive today. And probably no other nation has this tradition besides the Japanese. For example, we have old Turkish beliefs, and there are shamans, perhaps 5 to 10 million people, but the number of Japanese Shintoists is much larger. In fact, Japanese Shintoism and old Turkish beliefs originate from a common root and are very similar to each other. First of all, it is an animistic form of belief. It goes back thousands, tens of thousands of years. It is a form of belief that predates Japan's Neolithic period or is a belief system of Asia. This is the first feature. The second feature is that Shintoism is anonymous. For example, we can say that some religions have founders. Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, or whatever else, Buddhism. But some beliefs, and most beliefs, are not religions with founders. They are anonymous beliefs. That is, we do not know their founder. They do not have a founder, but they are belief systems that emerge cumulatively throughout history, transforming and developing according to sociological and historical conditions. These are called anonymous beliefs. From this perspective, Shintoism is indeed anonymous. It has no founder and developed over thousands of years, taking shape almost in the Middle Ages. The third interesting aspect, or general aspect, of Shintoism is that it is an ethnocentric belief. That is, it is a belief system based on race. For example, if you compare it to Judaism, there is also a basis in race in Judaism. Judaism is also ethnocentric. Jews, at least traditional Jews, assume they are chosen by God. It is the same in Shinto. Shintoists also speak of a chosen Japanese race. And they accept or claim that God particularly values the Japanese race. From this perspective, Shintoism truly has an ethnocentric aspect. Normally, it is a very fantastical thing for an outsider to become a Shintoist. Now, keep these three basic features in mind. Have I specifically studied Shintoism? I have studied it specifically. I have also written many articles. I even studied Japanese for a while. It was during my early assistantship period. At that time, I was going to do my master's degree on Shintoism. Therefore, I needed to study it a bit, and I had a professor named Yuri Corsan. He was Japanese, and I took Japanese lessons from him for a year. But I also studied a lot on my own. Of course, Japanese is very similar to Turkish, and in my opinion, it is Uralic, or at least marginal. The Japanese race and language are somehow parallel to the Ural-Altaic languages. There is a connection. It is very similar to Turkish, except for the writing, of course. There are three types of writing in Japanese culture: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Kanji is the old script, which they adopted from China. These pictographic scripts are very difficult. Katakana and Hiragana are somewhat simplified adaptations. If you set aside the writing, the alphabet system, you will see that Japanese is similar to Turkish, Korean, and these Altaic languages. I even published a long article in the journal of Turkic World Studies, probably in the 1990s, titled "The Relationship Between Turkish and Japanese." But at that time, Shintoism was a bit of a luxury. In our academic studies, I turned to Hinduism. Therefore, I had some practice with Japanese culture or the Japanese language. I couldn't dwell on it much, but later other fields of study opened up for me. Now, first, I will talk a little about the main sources of Japanese Shintoism. Then, a little about the historical process, how it emerged and developed. Then, doctrines, beliefs, and a bit about rituals. Perhaps in later chapters, the concept of shaman in Shintoism is very similar to the concept of shaman in our old Turkish beliefs. In fact, Korean shamanism, Turkish shamanism, and Japanese shamanism are quite close to each other. Even with nuances, a chapter could be made on "What is Shinto Shamanism?" But let's leave that for another time. Okay, first, let's start with this. What are the main sources of Shintoism? When I say the main sources of Shintoism, are there sacred books or similar things? Actually, Shintoism is very different from our monotheistic beliefs. Or from the Mediterranean geography, like Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, or others. It is a primitive belief. Therefore, in the classical sense, there is no sacred book. Such a concept does not exist. Or you will not find concepts like prophethood, prophet, prophecy, revelation, divine inspiration in these primitive beliefs. They are also absent in Shintoism. However, if we assume that Shintoism has main sources like sacred books, let's call them traditional books rather than sacred ones. There are two of them. One is Kojiki, and the other is Nihon Shoki. Although Kojiki and Nihon Shoki appear to have traditional authors, they are actually anonymous books. They were compiled at a certain time. We know that these texts have been in written form since around 700 AD. Of course, both of these texts are motifs that were written down, describing certain traditional knowledge, stories, myths, or primitive beliefs of the Japanese that date back to very ancient times. Both Kojiki and Nihon Shoki tell us about divine Japanese kings, the characteristics of Japanese gods, who the first Japanese were, Japanese legends, how the Japanese islands were formed, cosmology, how the world was formed, but especially how the gods formed the Japanese islands as a divine land. They are mythological and narrative texts that explain all of these. But Shintoism, in many contexts, frankly draws its essence from these texts. However, do not think of them as sacred books like our Quran, the Old Testament of the Jews, the New Testament of Christianity, or the Bible. These are the earliest sources related to Japanese beliefs, or even to Japanese culture. These two are important. Of course, apart from the sacred book of Japanese culture, there are historical materials, archaeological materials, and so on, dating back to very early periods. I will briefly mention them. Perhaps you need to know a little about the history of the Japanese or the history of Shintoism. Of course, you cannot really separate the history of Japan and Shintoism. Think of it this way. Normally, the indigenous people of Japan are very likely a people known as the Ainu, who exist around Hokkaido in the north of Japan today. Of course, the Ainu people have been assimilated over time. For example, at the beginning of the 20th century or the end of the 19th century, during the period of peak Japanese chauvinism, intellectuals of the time made great efforts to assimilate the Ainu or to formulate a Japanese identity, and they were mostly assimilated. But the Ainu people still exist today, albeit in small numbers. Of course, Japan no longer has such a policy. Since the last emperor, or since the 1990s, Japan has become more tolerant on these issues, considering them meaningless, and values Ainu culture as ethnographic material. In fact, the Ainu have interesting genetic characteristics. They have some common characteristics with the Ural-Altaic peoples, that is, all the Turkic peoples in Asia, and even the Japanese. For example, genetically today, the Japanese genetic characteristics bear traces of the Ainu. It is difficult to know the exact anthropological characteristics and past of the Ainu. However, in recent years, there are theories that the Ainu people were formed as a result of the interbreeding of Homo sapiens with this type of human called Denisovans, discovered in northeastern Asia, based on newly found anthropological materials, such as the Denisova human. We do not know these very well, but what we do know is that the Ainu are still a very primitive community. They are still animistic. They represent an animistic culture from tens of thousands of years ago. Their bodies used to be much hairier. They had very hairy bodies. Recently, perhaps due to the process of modernization, this hairy appearance, this dark complexion, has decreased somewhat, but they have classic and very exaggerated Mongoloid features. That is, epicanthic folds, cheekbones, and prognathism receding backward. This is a very classic, more primitive appearance than that of very primitive Ural-Altaic peoples. They worship certain divine powers in nature, which they call "Kamu." "Kamu" is almost the same as "Kami" in Japanese Shinto. It also appears to be a common word with the word "Kam" used by shamans in the Turkish population. These divine powers that the Ainu call "Kamu." The bear cult is incredibly important among the Ainu because they believe they descended from bears, and the bear is an important fetish animal among the Ainu. Such a people. They still exist in very small numbers only in the north of Japan. The Japanese are the prototype of the Japanese people. It is very likely that they migrated to Japan around 10,000 BC through the connected points between Korea and Japan. And of course, remember that Japan was connected to Asia at that time. Today, it is called Japan, but at that time, it was connected to Asia. Just like the continent of America is connected to Asia, they migrated to Japan through the connected points between Korea and Japan. These processes, as I said, are somewhat speculative, but in any case, archaeologically, we know that a people different from the Ainu people existed in Japan at least from 10,000 BC onwards. These are assumed to be the prototype of the Japanese people, and the first and most widespread culture in Japan, apart from the Ainu, is known as the Jomon culture. This Jomon culture dates from approximately 10,000 BC to approximately 300 BC. Of course, most archaeological materials in Japan are made of wood, and not much material from that period has survived. However, after 300 BC, a new period begins. This is a period called Yayoi. In the Yayoi period, starting from around 300 BC, we see the formation of a Japanese prototype in Japan, and archaeological materials begin to exist. Of course, the Yayoi culture continues to transform. I am not going to tell the history, but probably Shintoism will begin to form from this period, the Yayoi period. However, the historical process of Japan in the classical sense and the period when Shintoism emerged strongly is most likely and to a large extent the Kamakura period, which is around the Middle Ages, from about 1100 to 1300. This is a period we know well. The Kamakura period is the period when feudal lords dominated, and the institution called "dao," which is called "shogunate," and military commanders began to emerge. But a more important period in Japanese history is the Kokugava period or Edo period, which emerged from around 1600 onwards, after Kamakura. The Edo period begins from around 1600 and continues until about 1860s, around 1868. This is actually the period when Japan was formed. Look, before the Kokugava period, Japan was a land of feudal principalities, principalities constantly clashing with each other. There was no central administration. Yes, Shintoism and so on had formed. Buddhism and Confucianism also existed in Japan. But if you are looking for a national Japanese unity for the first time, if you are looking for organized institutions for the first time, if you are looking for a central state formed by the unification of feudal lords called "daimyo," this emerged in the Edo period. This period is when both classical Shintoism and modern Shintoism emerged. Of course, do not forget that Buddhism and Confucianism also arrived in Japan during this period. Buddhism arrived in Japan around 500-600 AD. Confucianism arrived from China around 700 AD. More precisely, Buddhism came to Japan from India via Korea, and Confucianism came to Japan from China via Korea. Of course, these transitions were not easy. Buddhism and Confucianism were not well received in Japan at first, but do not forget that Buddhism greatly influenced Japan. A form of belief was born between Buddhism and Shintoism, which still has an effect today. I will touch upon this again shortly. From 1868 onwards, from the end of the Tokugawa period, a very important period begins. A period called the Meiji period begins, which is important for European history, modern world history, Asian history, and Japanese history. This is a new process that began in 1868, the Meiji period or the Meiji Restoration period. It is the Meiji period because it is a period of Japanese challenge to Europe. It is a period when Japan's nationalist rhetoric against Europe strengthened. It is the period when the nation-state was established. It is the period when Shintoism became a national belief. And indeed, the process through which this strong culture, or rather, this strong civilization structure of modern Japan emerged, actually coincides with the Meiji period. Of course, the Meiji period is a period that needs specific attention, but it goes beyond the history of religions. It is related to the historical aspect of Japan. After the Meiji period, a new period began in 1912, called the Taisho period. The Taisho period lasted from 1912 to 1926. Actually, the Taisho period appears to be a somewhat softer interim period, but Japanese nationalism will continue in any case, and Shintoism will become increasingly intertwined with Japanese nationalism, and Shintoism will truly become a political, ethnocentric belief system and the divine and official religion system of the Japanese Empire. After Taisho, from 1926 onwards, a new period called the Showa period began. The Showa period is the period from 1926 to 1989. These are more recent times. This period is, of course, the period when Japan lost World War II. But this period, the Showa period, is the period when Shintoism became a state religion, especially towards World War I, and incredible pressures began to eliminate all forms of belief in Japan. Shintoists raided Buddhist or Confucian or other places of worship and suppressed other religious identities. But this, of course, resulted in World War I. The emperor of this period was Hirohito. After Hirohito came Akihito, and then the last emperor, Naruhito. And they are children of each other, from the same generation. During the Taisho period (1912-1926), Emperor Hirohito. Then, in the next period, the Showa period, his son Akihito, and then from 1989 onwards, Naruhito, who is the current 126th Emperor of Japan. Naruhito is descended from the previous two emperors. The period of Emperor Naruhito is actually the latest historical period of Japan. The name of this last period is the Reiwa period in Japanese history. Emperor Naruhito is actually the emperor of this Reiwa period. Of course, traditionally, all Japanese emperors are believed to have descended from a single place, from a single person, a single identity. A legendary Japanese emperor. All Japanese emperors traditionally descend from Emperor Jimmu. Emperor Jimmu is also a legendary hero. Of course, he is mentioned in the Kojiki, let's call it the sacred book. Emperor Jimmu is traditionally considered the first emperor of Japan in the 600s BC. According to these accounts, Naruhito has become the last of all Japanese emperors descended from him. Of course, historically, one of the most problematic periods is the period during World War I, the Showa period. During that period, some historians, very exceptional historians, one of them being Tsuta Sokichi. Tsuta Sokichi was an important historian of the time, living in the 1940s. In 1940, just before World War I, he criticized the official state Shintoism prescribed by the state, in connection with the celebrations of the legendary Japanese Emperor Jimmu's 2600th year of reign, and wrote the following: "All these stories told are fabricated. They have no basis in reality. And they are purely chauvinistic ideologies developed from classic Japanese legends to legitimize the Japanese state." However, this caused him a lot of trouble, his publications. But of course, these things always happen like this. After World War I, after 1945, when Japan was defeated, Sokichi's work gained importance, and his historical thesis became a popular thesis in Japan. The history of Japan, and therefore Shintoism, can be outlined in broad strokes like this. Actually, it must be said that today there is no single form of Shintoism. What does this mean? This means that before Buddhism entered Japan, yes, Shintoism existed as a nascent animistic, unified belief system. However, after Buddhism entered Japan, around 500 AD, Buddhism had a great influence on Shintoism, and in parallel with this influence, Japanese Shintoism and Buddhism became a combined belief system in Japan. Today, there are almost four types of Shintoism. One is the earliest, most authentic Shintoism from the earliest periods. But as I said earlier, a syncretic belief emerged due to the influence of Buddhism after its introduction to Japan. It is a bit of Buddhism, a bit of Shintoism. This is called "Shinbutsu-shūgō," meaning the synthesis of Buddhism and Shintoism, but with a Shinto emphasis. Besides this, the third form is what is called "Koshinto," which is an effort by groups who tried to separate Shintoism from Buddhism after Buddhism entered Japan and rejected Buddhism, to create a purer Shinto. This Koshintoism, which emerged in the 19th century or perhaps a bit in the Edo period, from the 1800s onwards, but especially during the Meiji period from 1868 onwards, then the Taisho period, and later periods of Japanese history until World War II, this Koshintoism, the pure Shintoism that tried to move away from Buddhism, formed a third model. This is called "State Shintoism." This means a chauvinistic Shintoism prescribed by the state, especially during the Meiji period. A return to a more primitive Shintoism, completely purified from Buddhism and free from Confucian influences. From this perspective, this was at least a Shintoism in itself for that period. However, today, if you ask which Shintoism survives, the very primitive Shintoism in Japan, called Japanese State Shintoism or Koshintoism, the purest Shintoism, is of course very limited in Japan. There is a famous shrine in the middle of Japan called Ise, and some Shintoists in that area. The number of these is estimated, these are not very statistically precise. You can find about 10 million people practicing a classic, pure Shinto. But most Shintoists in Japan today come from the lineage that is a bit Shinto and a bit Buddhist. For this reason, for example, if you go to a Shinto shrine, you will also find a Buddhist chapel, or if you go to a Buddhist temple, you will also find a Shinto shrine. That is why they rightly say, "Everyone in Japan is born Shinto and dies Buddhist." Therefore, the prevalent model today is this. However, these three or four models of Shintoism are important. It is difficult to find pure, unadulterated Shintoism in Japan today. Even in the Ise area, how authentic it has remained is debatable. Also, Confucianism did change Shintoism in Japan to some extent, but this influence is more limited. Buddhism is the primary influence on Shintoism. So far, I have given you a brief introduction, a bit about sacred texts, and a bit about the historical process. Let me talk a little about its beliefs. Of course, remember that Japanese Shintoism, as I said at the beginning of the recording, is an animistic belief. This means that the Japanese, Shintoists, believe that everywhere in nature, known as Kami, similar to the old Turkish belief in good, or as in all old animistic beliefs, or in all pagan systems, they worship or believe in a divine power everywhere in nature. They call these "Kami." There is a concept called "Yoyorozu no Kami." "Yoyorozu no Kami" means "eight million Kami." This "eight million Kami" naturally expresses this: a power that exists everywhere, within the world or within the universe, in every force, in everything that is active. The Japanese use the term "eight million Kami" to indicate this. Of course, in primitive cultures or animistic cultures, do not think of Kami in the same way as the idea of God that has existed since the late Middle Ages. Do not compare them. Kami are powers that control the forces of nature, divine beings. Of course, apart from Kami, will you look for a concept of a god superior to Kami? Do not look for it in Shintoism, because it does not exist. In animistic cultures, there is no higher idea of God beyond this cadre of divine powers that govern or manage nature. They themselves are divine powers enough. That is why, for example, Shintoists cannot understand monotheistic believers very well. In their mentality, some power must be governing everything in nature. Some Kami must be governing it. How can there be a Kami that organizes all of nature? How can there be a single God? This is a question that Shintoists cannot answer. You can think of this in parallel with something like the "Numinen" in ancient Romans, the powers that control everything in nature. In the Greeks, and generally in almost all Indo-Europeans, even in Indian texts, it is mentioned as "Dius," meaning gods. "Dius" means this: the power controlling the sun from behind it, the power controlling the rain from behind it, the power controlling earthquakes, or the power that creates the wind. So, imagine hundreds of thousands of supernatural beings everywhere. Kami are divided into two groups among themselves. One is "Nigi Kami." "Nigi Kami" means softer divine powers, better, more easily understandable by humans. These are supernatural beings that humans can contact more easily. But there are also "Ara Mitama" or "Ara Kami." These are not actually malevolent beings, but they are harsher, and Kami that humans need to pay more attention to. Actually, regardless of which Kami it is, there are always rituals related to it. That is, what you need to do. Therefore, as long as you perform those rituals, there is no problem. In fact, I often emphasize this. Think of the primitive world like this: just as you see how the modern neurotic person is hesitant about everything, afraid of everything, assume that the primitive person is equally, or perhaps more intensely, afraid of everything they do not understand the logic of its formation in nature. But the extra feature of the primitive person is this: they have found mechanisms of healing for these divine powers in nature that they fear. They can communicate with the powers they fear through rituals or similar things. But in the modern world, it is perhaps more arduous for a neurotic person to recover or get better, or it requires medication or similar psychoanalytic methods. Apart from Kami, are there similar divine powers that control the universe? There is a category called "Yurei." "Yurei" in old Japanese. "Yurei" actually means these are powers that have the potential to harm people, the spirits of the dead, rather than controlling natural forces. That is, the spirits of ancestors, or the spirits of ancestors who are not satisfied, for whom sufficient rituals have not been performed, and whose spirits remain in this world. They can cause some harm. These are daemonic beings. But there are also rituals performed for them. When you perform these, you can continue to exist without problems. But apart from these, there are "Oni." "Oni" is another category. "Oni" is actually a divine power with ontological existence, and rather than a power that controls any world order, they are imaginary beings that can cause psychological problems for some people. These are much more ambiguous. Of course, all of these are detailed in the Kojiki or Nihon Shoki, the texts I mentioned earlier. Among these Kami, the most important Kami, the most important divine powers, or let's call them gods. The most important among the gods is Amaterasu Omikami. Amaterasu Omikami is the sun goddess, and she is the sustainer of the cosmic universal order. Without her, nature cannot continue to live. She is also the one who created the Japanese people. The Japanese people descend from two divine beings, Izanagi and Izanami. The creator is actually Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess. The red sun on the Japanese flag is also a symbol of Amaterasu's sun. Of course, there are many other Kami. What about the afterlife in Shintoism? Generally, let me state a basic principle. In primitive cultures, there are ideas about the afterlife. There is no religion that does not believe in life after death. But in primitive cultures, especially in animistic beliefs, the idea of the afterlife is not dwelled upon much, but life after death exists. It is believed. Shintoists think like this: after a person dies, their soul, "tama," which means the soul of the dead in Japanese, continues to live. For example, how do they live? Some go to their ancestors, meaning they are with their deceased ancestors. They continue to exist. However, most of them go to what the Japanese call "Yomi no Kuni." "Yomi no Kuni" means the place where the souls of the dead, the "tama," go. That is, the afterlife, the other world after this world. They continue to live there in some way. Reaching the ancestors also means becoming part of this world. If you have performed your rituals or fulfilled whatever duties were given to you in this world, it is expected that you will become a Kami after death. That is, Kami are the good deceased, let me put it that way. In these types of beliefs, there is not a very clear concept of good and evil, but the good ones, or those who have fulfilled their duties sufficiently, become Kami after death. So their afterlife is more about becoming Kami. In fact, among the Japanese, there is even the idea that the stars in the sky or celestial objects like the moon, stars, suns, are actually formed from the Kami of the deceased. Therefore, Kami is also a status attained by some of the deceased. However, life is lived eternally, it seems from the texts. But there is not much detailed information about how this life is. Normally, death is not perceived as a bad thing in Japanese beliefs. Only the act of dying itself or the dead body is problematic because the dead body is known as "kegare." "Kegare" means something that is contaminated. That is, the body of the deceased is dirty. The soul of the deceased has already gone to another place, but "kegare," contamination, remains. Therefore, long rituals are performed after the deceased to remove this "kegare," this contamination. These rituals are purification rituals. The purpose of these rituals is both to prevent the soul of the deceased from haunting this world and to facilitate the soul's journey to the other world. In fact, when it comes to Kami, a concept that needs to be known is "Kagura." You may have heard of "Kagura," which is a theatrical performance, a shamanic theatrical performance. It is still performed in Japan today. It took its current form after the 13th-14th century. They are also called Noh plays. Although they have become very secularized today, Kagura dances were originally a type of dance related to Kami, and a type of dance performed by shamans, Shinto shamans, who communicate with Kami. The movements are very similar to the movements of Central Asian shamans. But today, it can be said to have turned into a very secularized dance performance. The most important aspect of Shintoism is this. For example, it is also in conflict with Buddhism. For example, there was Motori Norinaga. Motori Norinaga was an intellectual, an anti-Buddhist Japanese master who emerged around the 18th century. He both criticized Buddhism and put forward ideas on how Shintoism should be purified. His main thesis was this: when it comes to the difference between Buddhism and Shintoism, for example, Buddhism has a very fantastical cosmology, according to Norinaga. The Buddhist belief in reincarnation, the Buddhist cosmology, and morality. According to these intellectuals who emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries, whose motto was: "Eliminate Buddhism." In Japanese, this was "Haibutsu Kishaku." Under this motto, Shinto masters looked down on Buddhism and considered Shintoism purer and more fundamental. They thought of it outside the complex and fantastical things in Buddhism. People like Motori Norinaga said that Buddhism is unnecessary, a fantastical aspect. However, Shintoism is real and is a belief system that contains all the details of cosmic reality and also has a divine aspect. Therefore, they made great efforts to purify Shintoism, to separate it from Buddhism. According to them, and according to traditional Shintoism, there are three aspects. One is the belief in Kami. I have talked about this. Without worshipping Kami or performing rituals related to Kami, you cannot exist. This is one. The second is "Kandagara no Michi." "Kandagara no Michi" means cosmic order. For a Shintoist, this is the belief: cosmic order. That is, there is a principle of order in the universe, a harmony and balance. Only by participating in this harmony can one be moral or wise, not by reading sutras or performing certain rituals as Buddhism prescribes. Therefore, this second aspect of Shintoism is important. The third aspect is this: there is no worship in Buddhism. There is a concept called purification, known as "Magakoro" in Japanese. "Magakoro" means purification, not worship. It is a purification. Why purification? Because to be with Kami, to serve Kami, and to participate in universal harmony, the cosmic harmony I mentioned earlier, what you need to do is not worship. Therefore, temples are not places of worship. Temples are places of purification. Because once you are purified in the temples, you can communicate with Kami and even contribute to their continued existence. This, of course, is the belief in Kami. Among all these three basic forms of belief, the story is told in old Japanese myths to emphasize the importance of Kami. Of course, for a Shintoist, this is a reality. We call these myths from another perspective, but for a Shintoist, it is a reality. According to these myths, the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami, the Kami of Kami, perhaps the most important of the Kami, because she is responsible for the rising of the sun, its existence, and cosmic order. According to these myths, one day Amaterasu Omikami was greatly angered by the other gods and retreated into a cave. She withdrew into a cave. Of course, she is the sun. From the moment she retreated into the cave, the sun no longer descended to the earth, because the goddess had shut herself inside the cave. She was angry with the other beings. And as she remained shut in the cave, the sun did not shine, the sun did not rise. The entire cosmic principle began to reverse, and chaos ensued, for all beings and for the other Kami. So the gods made a plan. How can we bring Amaterasu Omikami out of the cave again so that the sun can rise again and the cosmos can continue to exist? All the birds gathered in front of the cave by the gods. And in front of the cave is a structure known as "Torii," which is one of the most important architectural units in Japanese temples today. This is an architectural structure, and all the birds on earth perched on this cosmic Torii, making a lot of noise. Hearing this, Amaterasu Omikami became curious about what was happening outside the cave and began to stick her head out of the cave. Of course, it has a narrative aspect, but it has an etiological logic, you understand. The second part of the plan is this: they placed a mirror in front of the cave, and as Amaterasu Omikami began to come out, hearing the birds' voices, she began to see herself in the mirror. For this reason, mirrors are very sacred to the Japanese. They represent the pure self. What you are is the essence of Shintoism, because it is that. And at the same time, it is a symbol of Amaterasu Omikami, just like the symbol of the sun. And when Amaterasu Omikami saw her reflection in the mirror, she was even more surprised and began to come out. Thus, the cosmic order was restored, the sun rose again, nature revived, and everything continued as before. Amaterasu Kami is indeed the most important and popular among Japanese Kami. She has two myths. I just told you one of them. The second version of this story is about another goddess named Ameno Uzume. Uzume is a Kami with an interesting role. She is a goddess who corrects cosmic disturbances or removes things that hinder the progress of the cosmos, similar to the avatar concept in Hinduism. The second story or variant of how Amaterasu Omikami was brought out of the cave is this: How will they get her out? Ameno Uzume, the goddess who corrects disorder in the universe, comes to the front of the cave and performs a divine dance, similar to what Shiva does. Look, this is a cosmic dance. That cosmic dance actually means the sun goddess reviving the cosmos. And the divine dance performed by Uzume brings the goddess out of the cave. Therefore, with the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami coming out of the cave, the universe returns to its former state, and the cycle of nature continues as before. Therefore, the relationship between humans and Kami is very close. The relationship between Kami and Kami, the relationship between humans and Kami, there is a cosmic unity. All these beings actually need each other, and for humans to be able to communicate with Kami, they must have undergone purification. In this context, what about the concept of temples? Let me talk about that a bit. Japanese temples are very interesting places. From the outside, you can easily distinguish them from a Buddhist temple or other temples. They have a very pure, unadulterated beauty. They are built in harmony with the surrounding landscape or architecture. Our producer, Emre Şahin Ataşer, stayed in Japan for a long time. He saw these a lot and sometimes sent me images. Japanese temples are very impressive places. They are called Jinja. Jinja have a more or less similar architecture. Imagine a long, narrow path. At the very entrance, you are greeted by a structure known as Torii, which I mentioned earlier. As you begin to enter through the Torii, small complexes belonging to the temple begin to appear before you. For example, when you enter a Japanese temple, there is always water to wash your hands for purification. You must perform a purification ritual there. As you proceed inside the temple, the most fundamental place is the main space where the Kami descend, or where the Kami reside. It is called Honden. Honden is the place where the main Kami incarnates. It is a small wooden structure. The Kami incarnates inside it. That unit is important, and therefore, you are purified here. You do not worship here. Of course, festivals or similar days are important. In the end, perhaps there are no rituals in the classical sense for the Japanese, but there are certainly many festivals or similar folkloric traditions, folkloric traditions mixed with beliefs. But these are endless, of course. It is impossible to describe them. This purification with water is important. It is called Temizuya in Japanese. The ritual of cleansing with water. It is a ritual that brings you to the purity of the Kami before you go before the Kami. You must perform Temizuya, that is, cleanse yourself with water. Of course, visiting a Shinto shrine is important, but you can also perform your rituals at home. Kamidana, the small Japanese shrine in the house, is called Kamidana. Many of the things you do in a large shrine can be done at a micro level within the Kamidana, within the home, as a family. Yes. Of course, Shintoism is a very broad topic. As you may have noticed, in these first videos, I am trying to draw general outlines, but in later videos, I will elaborate on these in detail. For example, what does samurai mean? Sumo, harakiri, seppuku. Therefore, we could not talk about all these traditional things due to time constraints. For example, there are a few main things that represent Japanese culture, or rather Shintoism. One is the jewel, one is the sword, and one is the mirror. These are perhaps folk materials, but they are important. These are traditional motifs. We can talk about many more things. I will probably make videos in the future that elaborate on these further. But for now, I think I have given you a very comprehensive overview of Shintoism. Let's leave it at that for now. We will continue with Shintoism in the following episodes. What will come in the next episode, the 6th episode, I am also waiting to see. Because we have a lot of material. We are also filming in open areas. Since we want to make documentary-style content, we will also have topics that include the footage shot in open areas. But we will look at this material in the coming days. What will be the 6th episode? Personally, I don't know either. Thank you all very much. Please continue. Of course, my director friend is signaling me. My friends, he is telling me this: Please subscribe. Because here, friends, a lot of effort is really put in. You don't know the background here. This team of mine is a very sweet team. Most of them are young friends I have known for years, like friends. Therefore, they are signaling me to subscribe. I don't know if you will subscribe or not. I don't understand these things very well, but it probably speeds up the process and expands it further. Therefore, thank you very much for watching me, and I hope to see you again in the next episode. I wish you all goodbye. Yeah.