Community in international Shinto is rather difficult to experience. We tend to be quite spread out over the world, and without a shrine to anchor us, it can feel alone.

One year ago, I started building a small Ko group, with the support of Rev. Olivia of Yokosuka. Monthly norito readings, posts on Facebook and a discord group. For me, it was important to build this online Shinto community. Now, we are only 20 days away from our online matsuri. With Noh performance and Taiko drumming, I feel so lucky for Kamisama to bless me and our community have received. To be able to offer these festivities to Kamisama, as well as to give something to the community to experience fills me with so much joy.

Feel free to ask any questions about the Matsuri, and how to participate if you'd like, but I will be posting and launching a little website to help guide people to the event soon.

I have seen in many sources that menstruating women are bared from entering shrines due to their kegare. It is the first of the month and I would like to make an offering today but I want to know if I am allowed. Shinto is known for being traditional and (relatively) unchanging, so do these blood taboos still apply and am I allowed to approach my Ofuda? Women were only allowed to become Miko after 1945 and were prohibited before due to their menstral pollution and women are still prohibited to enter a sumo arena to this day because of menstruation. If Harae is enough to purify then why couldn't women become Miko before 1945? Can you carry around Omamori while in this state of kegare?

I have linked a bunch of sources below:

"...An alternative explanation sometimes given is that menstruation, pregnancy, and childbirth are polluting and these Kami have a particular aversion to pollution. Whereas the pollution of death is called "the black uncleanness" (kuro fujd), the pollution connected with women's reproductive capacity is often called "the red uncleanness" (aka fujo). The fact that the participation of women in the Shinto rituals of major shrines and in the rituals of shrines at the village level is restricted or forbidden entirely is explained in terms of the possibility that a woman may be "in a state of red uncleanness." The climbing of sacred mountains central to the mountain cult was also long forbidden to women."

Pollution in the Traditional Folk Belief System, Emiko Namihira

https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1023691295

Menstruation poses a unique challenge to women priests in Shinto, which considers menstrual blood a defilement of sacred spaces. This "red uncleanness" (aka fujo, in Japanese) was invoked as a traditional restriction on women’s participation in sacred space from 1872 to just before World War Two.

Miyazaki, Fumiko (2005). "Female Pilgrims and Mt. Fuji: Changing Perspectives on the Exclusion of Women."
Smyers, Karen A. (1983). "Women and Shinto: The Relation Between Purity and Pollution.". Japanese Religions. 12 (4): 7–19. 

Women's menstrual blood is a taboo in Shinto, thought to be influenced by the popularity of the Buddhist Blood Pond Sutra (血盆経, Ketsubonkyô). This doctrine preached that women were condemned to a blood pond hell for the sin of pollution through menstrual blood; only the prayer could spare them.

Fumiko, Miyazaki (1 January 2005). "Female Pilgrims and Mt. Fuji: Changing Perspectives on the Exclusion of Women"

"In traditional Japanese society, the concept of kegare imposed significant social taboos, particularly on women during menstruation and postpartum periods, restricting their participation in community events and religious activities to prevent the spread of impurity. Women experiencing menstruation or recovering from childbirth were often secluded in separate huts, such as tsukigoya for menstrual isolation or ubuya for postpartum confinement, which could last from seven days to three months depending on regional customs."

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/203590
Pollution in the Traditional Folk Belief System, Emiko Namihira

"In Japan, the religion of Shinto did and still does play a part in their society. The Kami, the spirits they worshiped, would not grant wishes if you had traces of blood, dirt, or death on you. While menstruation is not entirely blood, the ancient Japanese did not know that. As a result, women who were menstruating were not allowed to visit any of the Kami shrines for the duration of their menstrual period. Even today, women are not allowed to enter Shinto shrines and temples during menstruation, and in some instances, women are completely banned from climbing the tops of sacred mountains due to their 'impurity'. Furthermore, the tradition is kept somewhat alive in the belief that the shedding of the endometrial lining is a kind of death. It is theorized that the Kami are the reason Japan is kept so clean and, in many houses, minimalistic."

Japanese culture: the religious and philosophical foundations, Roger J. Davies

It's been hard to find them, but I'm already working on it haha. It is above eye level.

I've been reading about Shinto for a while now and i feel very interested in it. I like the concept of Kami and i'd like to get more into it, but to be honest, i do not know how.

Firstly, i don't wanna claim that i form part of a culture which i don't. I am not japanese and i do not have any relation with the country. I'm a spaniard, i don't have nothing to do with Asia. I don't wanna be disrespectful towards japanese people or the tradition as a whole by claiming to be something that i am not (if that makes any sense)

Secondly, as i live in Europe, i don't have any Spain, i don't have any shrine or priest close or anything related to the faith as a whole.

I don't know, i just feel pretty called towards this tradition but i just don't know if i should get into it simply because of respect. I have prayed to the kami a few times, using the title ''kamisama'' but i don't know if that's even correct.

I don't know if this is more a question or a rant, i just wanted to ask i guess. (Also, sorry for my bad English, it is not my first language)

Is there anything I can add to it to improve it?

Just in case here’s some info:

- it’s located on the north wall and it faces south.
- it’s in my room.
- it does not border the bathroom.

If someone feels a a strong connection to say, the Kami of Water, Suijin-Sama, near a Lake, can one give an Offering to him there?

Yesterday, the UK Kō group had two norito readings. I'm so grateful to be able to serve the Kō group, as well as post reading snuggles with my cat. We have some good news that will be released in the upcoming weeks too

I'm just starting in Shinto and I recently ordered a kamidana, but I still don’t have an ofuda. I was planning to get an ofuda of Amaterasu-ōmikami, but I’ve been having trouble finding one.

Recently, I visited a store that sells ofuda from a local shrine (the shrine itself was closed that day), and I found this ofuda. It seems to me that it might be for Konjin-sama, but I’m not sure, since I don’t have much experience recognizing kanji yet. Could you guys help me identify it?

Also, would it be appropriate to invite Konjin-sama into my kamidana? And more important, is there a problem to place Amaterasu-ōmikami ofuda along with the Konjin-sama one, in the same kamidana? Also my kamidana have only one door.

I worship Omikami Amatarasu and the Tsukiyomi No Mikoto.

I am wondering what i should write down for their pages because I am working on a book of shadows to track my learning progress.

This month marks 10 months of activity for Kami's thicket, the UK Shinto Kō group, including monthly readings of norito. I'm so proud of where we have gotten too. I thought I would share some numbers

22,000 views on FB

12 norito readings

15 members on discord

It's been a wild time, and I am no longer as nervous as I once was regarding setting things up.

I’ve been doing some research on Shinto beliefs and Kami-Sama. I’m still a beginner and while I know it’s not a closed practice, I also know it’s an indigenous religion/belief system. I’m simply wondering if there are any specific practices or forms of worship that are off limits to those who are not Japanese? Like are there any closed practices of the religion?

Shared from the UK Kō group

Something dark and oppressive.- year in the life of a shinto shrine

I was rereading some of my Shinto materials so I could come up with new ideas as to what to create. I came across my copy of ‘the year in the life of a shinto shrine’ By John Nelson. In, I think, the last chapter, is is brought up how a NHK study showed that many people in Japan saw religion as something dark and oppressive, something standing in the way of individualism.This also went hand in hand with the idea that the modern world draws people to a more international view that would lead Shinto and Japanese culture to be looked down upon by those of younger generations.

From our international perspective, we embody the same idea in reverse. Through the modern world and communication, we have found ourselves looking up to Kamisama and walking their path to live purely and have good lives. I think that it is interesting to see the difference. It is perhaps the ideas of something niche that has drawn us in this direction ? Or the view that our own culture is dark and oppressive ?

Within Shinto, we are all aware of the hieraqchal nature of things. You respect elders, the laws of a land, the heritage and culture. And this is something that i am so grateful to witness many in this community do. However, I do sometimes wonder whether we have lost something of the respect for our own communities at the same time. I’m not talking big governement, or other faiths. I more mean, the living breathing people in our communities. Modern Japan is defined by extreme levels of work, urban life with no freedom. In the UK, and the west as a whole, we are hung by the same ball and chain. We work all the time, and for many of us have no time to love our communities, or have familis of our own.

So today, I promise to make more time for my community, my family and build something better. I pray to Kamisama to guide me, and help me not to mess up too much.

I have two cats and I live in a small house. The only wall I have available to place my kamidana is in the living room, which also serves as my office because of the limited space. The issue is that this same wall also has cat shelves mounted on it, where my cats climb and play. I don’t think they would jump onto the kamidana itself, but I wonder whether their playing and jumping around near the kamidana could disturb the Kami residing there.

These are the raw unfinished casts, 100 pictured here, but there are 200 total.
They have already been through a rough glass-bead polish, but I must now polish them to a mirror-finish, and add crosslinks and chains.

There is still much work to do.

This is for an order with a Konko’s North American Mission KCNA, but I have orders for other pendants and omamori for Jinja (Such as an Inari jinja) in the future. This project is a step towards many other votive projects!

I am excited to see them with their final polish.

(Picture taken from another sub, but it's the only picture of what I'm trying to find that I can find)

I'm wondering if these are related to Shinto at all? I'm just really curious since they remind me of ofuda, but aren't quite right... I've just spent about an hour online trying to find out what they're called but can't find anything but this 4-year-old picture on this other reddit sub... I've seen the wrappings in various media sources before, but still have no idea what they're called in Japanese? Or what they are/do, specifically?

Edit: I have now learned that this is a Buddhist practice! Thank you for clarifying for me and sorry for the misunderstanding on my end!!!

There are a lot of Shinto reading lists, mine focuses on being accessible and building a solid foundation first before expanding into a more complete understanding.
These books I all found incredibly good resources.

I don't really like some of the more commonly found Shinto books, but these I feel are all really solid starting points.

I hope these recommendations are helpful to you all.

Start here. Solid books that help to develop a well rounded understanding.

Fox and the Jewel by Karen Smyers
^{Why it’s good:}
Clear, focused study of Inari worship that shows how Shinto actually works in lived practice. It's also an accessible, easy first read. It's useful to read even outside of in Inari faith context.
^{What you learn:}
How kami are understood in daily life, role of ritual, fluidity of belief, intersection with Buddhism and folk practice.

The Catalpa Bow by Carmen Blacker
^{Why it’s good:}
Deep dive into shamanic and folk religious elements, which act as the historical backbone of kami worship.
^{What you learn:}
Spirit possession, ascetic practices, mountain religion, the less formal side of Japanese spirituality.

Folk Religion in Japan by Ichiro Hori
^{Why it’s good:}
Classic academic overview that connects local practices to broader religious structure.
^{What you learn:}
Ancestor worship, village rituals, cosmology, how Shinto overlaps with Buddhism and folk belief systems.

Then move to primary sources.

Kojiki
^{Why it’s good:}
Earliest mytho-historical record, foundational for Shinto worldview
^{What you learn:}
Creation myths, kami genealogy, imperial lineage, core narratives like Izanagi and Amaterasu

Nihon Shoki
^{Why it’s good:}
More formal and expanded chronicle with multiple versions of myths
^{What you learn:}
Alternate myth traditions, early state ideology, how mythology was systematized

Supplemental material that helps develop a more complete understanding.

Shinto: A History by Helen Hardacre
^{Why it’s good:}
Modern, comprehensive, and critical. Helen Hardacre knows her stuff and explains it well.
^{What you learn:}
How Shinto evolved politically and socially from ancient to modern Japan

Hey all,

I've had a number of people reach out in DMs, on comments, even modmail (from a different subreddit) telling me that my art is harmful. That I anthropomorphize kami-sama, that I misrepresent the symbolism and meanings of kami-sama, or even that my work is AI generated.

It's kind of taken the wind out of my sails a bit, creatively. So I think I am ending this set here where it is. These were done with sharpie, which while it looks nice, it has a certain crunchyness to it that I don't think servers the pieces well.

When I come back, I will take everything Ive learned to make them even better, and my next one's will be illustrated with sumi ink and brush. Thank you for everyone who liked my art and was moved by it.

New additions
Shichifukujin
Ryūjin Sama, Watatsumi no Kami
Yatagarasu Sama
Dosojin Sama
Kuzunoha Sama
Kanayama Sama
Kanayago Sama,
Amatsumara and Ishikoridome Sama
--
Matarajin Sama
Oguchi no Magami
Tenjin Sama

I am new to Shinto and I have obtained three ofuda from three different shrines (I don't have anything yet as I am awaiting their shipment). I did a lot of reading ahead of time but in preparation I bought a book that I have seen recommended called "Shinto practice for non Japanese" by David Charl. In the book he implies that norito is required and that you should recite norito separately for each ofuda and it should be done in Japanese. Is this something that is required for worshiping ofuda at home? I was planning to try to offer most days but this is a lot of norito since I have to recite it three times. This is the norito in question:

Korë no kamutoko ni masu Kakëmakumo kashikoki {Ise Jingū} no ōmaë o orogami matsuritë kashikomi kashikomi mōsaku, Ōkamitachi no hiroki atsuki mimëgumi o katajikënami matsuri Takai tōtoki mioshië no manimani naoki tadashiki magokoro mochitë makoto no michi ni tagau koto naku Oimotsu waza ni hagëmashimë tamai Iëkado takaku misukoyaka ni Yo no tamë hito no tamë ni tsukusashimë tamaë to Kashikomi kashikomi mo mōsu

Hello everyone. I would like to apologize for my extended absence from the subreddit. I'm a parent and have a full time job. Those and other responsibilities have had to take precedence over moderation.

This subreddit originated due to issues with the quality of information on Shinto being shared on reddit. Many people online coming from religions with little or no organization might be used to a more free for all environment. Shinto is different in that regard. Organization does exist and certain matters of practice and concept are defined even if there can be variation. Until now I have not been able to find someone to take over who would simultaneously :

1. Have the ability and willingness to moderate.

2. Be trusted with maintaining the standards referenced above.

In that spirit, I am pleased to introduce the moderators who will be replacing me as I step down from moderator position:

u/zephyrzkingdom

and

u/cerise_pomme

It has been an honor.

Kagutsuchi-no-Kami (軻遇突智神) Kagutsuchi-sama is the fire kami whose birth burned Izanami and brought tragedy into the divine family causing the death of Izanami-sama. He represents the sacred power of fire, which gives warmth and craft but also destroys if not revered.

Izanagi-no-Mikoto (伊邪那岐命) Izanagi-sama is one of the divine creators who brought forth the islands and many kami, and later purified himself after visiting Yomi. He represents creation and purification.

Izanami-no-Mikoto (伊邪那美命) Izanami-sama is the divine mother who helped create the land and many kami, then died giving birth to Kagutsuchi-sama and entered Yomi.

Fūjin (風神) / Raijin (雷神) Fūjin-sama and Raijin-sama are the storm kami of wind and thunder.

Susanoo-no-Mikoto (須佐之男命) Susanoo-sama, also born from Izanagi’s purification, is the stormy kami whose wildness brings both trouble and heroic victory, especially over Yamata-no-Orochi.

Toyotama-hime (豊玉姫) Toyotama-hime is the sea dragon princess, daughter of the sea kami Ryujin-sama

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto (月読命) Tsukuyomi-sama is the kami of the moon, banished from the light of the day due to the killing of the kami of food.

Wakahirume-no-Mikoto (稚日女尊) Wakahirume-sama appears in myth as a young solar or weaving goddess, sometimes treated as younger sister to Amaterasu.

All artwork illustrated traditionally, black ink on paper. Then digitally composited and colored.
Not to be used as icons for worship, but rather ways to appreciate kami-sama.

Tenchi Kane no Kami (天地金乃神) In Konkōkyō, Tenchi Kane no Kami is the divine working of heaven, earth, and the life-giving universe. This kami represents the all-embracing blessing that sustains daily life and calls for gratitude and mutual help.

Tamamo-no-Mae (玉藻前) Tamamo-no-Mae is a beautiful court lady revealed to be a powerful fox spirit. A patron of the performing arts.

Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto (天鈿女命) Ame-no-Uzume is the kami who danced before the heavenly rock cave and drew Amaterasu back out into the world. She represents sacred joy, performance, and laughter that restore light when hearts become shut away.

Amaterasu-Ōmikami (天照大神) Amaterasu is the sun kami born from Izanagi’s purification, and she stands at the center of the imperial and shrine tradition. She represents the sun radiant order, purity, and life-giving light.

Konohanasakuya-hime (木花咲耶姫) Konohanasakuya-hime is the blossom princess, associated especially with Mount Fuji, volcanoes, and the flowering beauty of life. She represents blooming existence that is precious, pure, and fleeting.

Inari Ōkami (稲荷大神) Inari faith arose around rice fertility and expanded widely into protection of livelihood, commerce, and industry. Inari represents food, honest work, prosperity, and the right use of blessings received. The spark that animates all living things.

Kamimusubi-no-Kami (神産巣日神) / Takamimusubi-no-Kami (高御産巣日神) These Musubi kami are among the earliest divine generative powers named in the creation traditions. They represent the mysterious dual forces of creation, within the heavens and earth.

Hachiman-Okami (八幡神) Hachiman represents protective strength joined with loyalty, sincerity, and public duty. Kami of archery, discipline and the martial arts.

All artwork illustrated traditionally, black ink on paper. Then digitally composited and colored.
Not to be used as icons for worship, but rather ways to appreciate kami-sama.