From my friend in Japan:
- Some Confucian ideals and STATE Shinto do mesh (used mostly to illustrate the code of bushido, not so much in the spiritual) - although we do have to note that this connection addresses state, not secular Shinto - there are some differences, but generally both components are considered unified. Think national combined with local/tribal/folk here...Yes, Shinto is thought of as the "pure/true" spiritual heritage of Japan and a verification of the imperial lineage as descended directly from the Kami - this is the claim to the notion that this is a "purely" Japanese religion (Historically,this is questionable because of numerous invasions of Chinese and Koreans - who many scholars say were far more advanced and literate than the "barbaric" and provincial Japanese - but let's not go there).
Anyway, someone mentioned the Kojiki - first, I want to verify that Leeside is right on the money by saying that no one (I mean, the average person) reads it. I had to because I read it for a course. In fact, I got laughed at once here for asking about that...but, if I had asked it before, during and just after WW2, the answer could have been very different. At any rate, now most people (and scholars) recognize it for what it is - a sort of imperial mytho-geneological compilation with some folk religion thrown in for good measure. It was created in the late 6th (destroyed by fire)- and finished/re-written in the early 7th century by the imperial compiler - Yasumaro, only to be muddled again and again after that...(if anyone on this board does embark on the daunting process of reading it, Donald Philippi has one of the most recommended translations, and W.G. Aston one of the best Nihongi (Nihonshoki) translations from Chinese and Japanese. Good luck!). In short, no one should look at the Kojiki as a summation of what is and is not the "truth" of state or secular Shinto just because it's Japan's oldest extant book on the subject. I tend to believe what is true secular Shinto isn't written down so much as it is culturally transmitted...
The posts go on to ask, is Shinto used to prop up Nationalistic bits of propaganda? You bet it was, and by some it still is - google the (ongoing) Yasukuni Shrine controversies of last year. Consider that it's only been a little over 60 years since the war and many people are still alive who experienced it directly in some capacity (granted, many who are now, or retired beauracrats) - it still survives in dark corners so to speak. Albeit a large part of the younger generation dosen't buy into it - but it's still holding on. I guess you have to really come to understand the pull of the all-encompassing "imperial way" - THE formula for the Japanese people to overcome their all-too keen awareness of spiritual and economic subjugation by the West (this goes back much further than WW2 btw). The cult of Emperor worship (grant's question) for sure encompassed EVERY THING under the imperial umbrella - the rocks, trees, wind and all...I mean, someone mentioned kamikaze - prime example of this:1275 Kublai Khan's fleet tries to invade Japan - a wind knocks them all out - the imperial court issues a report that says a "divine wind" protected Japan from invasion...mythical national defence! How seductive! Of course, we all know this name was revived and bestowed honorably on those young ones who sacrificed their lives to protect Hirohito (the embodiment of the essence of Japan) - which of course, was a mission of unspeakable failure on so many levels. A good read on the emperor's life and historical impact is Herbert Bix's Hirohito and The Making of Modern Japan.
Anyway - on to what I know of, and have experienced firsthand...Folk religion in Japan is still alive, although I don't know if there is such a thing as pure Shinto because there is so much Buddhism in the mix (don't forget Shugendo esoteric Buddhists (you may know about mountain priests, or yamabushi) whose faith incorporates many land-based (shinto) rituals (see also Shingon-shu). It's not at all unusual to see evidence all over the place - roped (sacred) trees and rocks out there in close proximity to daily life. In the city, you will see it, but not nearly as much as there are out in the sticks where I am. Also, I think you have to attribute much of the preservation of this religion/philosophy to older people - which Japan is absolutely chock full of - with their folk remedies and the best places to find wild food in the mountains, for example. From what I know, younger generations don't have the time to live like that anymore (people continue to work absurdly long hours), so lots of nature-based knowledge and ritual is undoubtedly fading. That's not to say younger people don't worship or have any concept, because they do - primarily on major hoildays which are considered spiritual/national - such as New Year's - but it isn't so off the mark to say that most people do it out of 1) cultural obligation and 2) superstition (this is a highly superstitious society - Leeside was right about the charms, the house shrine), and also because everyone else does it. Know - Japan is really and truly a collective group-oriented society to the core (this is not at all an individualistic society) - socially in particular, and somewhat less so spiritually (there is a tiny population of active christian faiths here). You kind of ride the wave with everyone else...
I also want to add that as a foreign person, I can't be privy to much other than what happens in my own house and what I observe casually. I am outside the periphery still, though I am technically part of a Japanese family. As my husband is often wont to say "things haven't changed much in 250 years."
Hope this sheds a little more light somewhere.
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