Deck 7: Shinto

Question 1

Shinto often makes use of

A) purification rituals.
B) meditation techniques.
C) the name of Amida Buddha.
D) animal sacrifices.

Answer 1

purification rituals.

Question 2

A Shinto ritual called _____ involves standing under a waterfall as a ritual act of purification.

A) kamidana
B) misogi
C) jinja
D) shimenawa

Answer 2

misogi

Question 3

The sun goddess of Shinto is

A) Izanagi.
B) Amaterasu.
C) Susanowo.
D) Inari.

Answer 3

Amaterasu.

Question 4

The primeval female kami who was burned by the fire God is

A) Izanami.
B) Susanowo.
C) Izanagi.
D) Tsukiyomi.

Question 5

According to the Shinto religion, which of the following terms refer to a Shinto shrine?

A) jinja
B) kamidana
C) gagaku
D) misogi

Question 6

A torii is

A) a gatelike structure that marks a Shinto sacred location.
B) a wand used by a Shinto priest for purification.
C) the name of a basin where one washes up before prayer.
D) an ornament worn around the neck as a good-luck charm.

Question 7

According to the Shinto religion, which of the following best defines the term kami?

A) a spirit, God, or goddess of Shinto
B) a primordial female parent God
C) the stately ceremonial music of Shinto
D) the devotion to a ruler, demanding loyalty, duty, and self-sacrifice

Question 8

The Ise Shrine is dedicated to Amaterasu, and the high priest and priestess are always members of the imperial family because

A) only the imperial family is allowed in grand shrines.
B) only the imperial family is allowed to converse with Amaterasu.
C) Amaterasu is the ancestor of the Japanese emperors.
D) Amaterasu is the patron kami of Japan.

Question 9

Emperor Meiji often celebrated which Shinto virtue in his poetry?

A) purity
B) sincerity
C) reverence
D) forgiveness

Question 10

A ritual at a Shinto shrine is

A) lighting a candle.
B) using incense.
C) bodily prostration.
D) clapping.

Question 11

In the context of Shinto religious practices, when worshipers visit a shrine for a blessing, a priest says a prayer and waves over them a branch or wand adorned with paper streamers to

A) symbolically drive out dangerous spirits.
B) gain the attention of the major kami.
C) allow the worshippers to pass under the torii.
D) purify the devotees and the surrounding areas.

Question 12

The term Shinto comes from two Chinese words that mean

A) the fulfillment of nature.
B) the way of the Gods.
C) bridge of light.
D) perfect life.

Question 13

The Japanese drew many cultural and technological elements from

A) India.
B) Mongolia.
C) Vietnam.
D) China.

Question 14

The primary focus of Shinto worship is directed toward

A) a single, all-powerful God or goddess.
B) Mount Fuji and other sacred natural sites.
C) the spirits of nature and ancestors.
D) creating a positive flow of energy.

Question 15

According to Shinto beliefs, human beings are

A) fundamentally good.
B) sinful and guilty.
C) distracted by ephemeral pleasures.
D) attached to individualism.

Question 16

Shinto puts great emphasis on

A) strong beliefs.
B) the beauty of ritual.
C) following the commands of a spiritual teacher.
D) regular meditation.

Question 17

Kamikaze, or "spirit wind," refers to

A) suicide pilots.
B) high winds, like typhoons.
C) Gods who live on top of mountains.
D) the special hats of Shinto priests.

Question 18

State Shinto refers to

A) the special role of the emperor of Japan in Shinto.
B) a springtime rice-planting ceremony done for the good of the nation of Japan.
C) Shinto ceremonies carried out at the beginning of each day in schools.
D) a former system of national shrines in the Shinto religion.

Question 19

Confucianism and Buddhism helped generate the warrior code of loyalty, duty, and honor called

A) kamikaze.
B) bushido.
C) harai.
D) ozoni.

Question 20

The emperor of Japan renounced his divine status when

A) Buddhism first entered Japan.
B) Christianity first entered Japan.
C) Japan began to modernize.
D) World War II ended.

Question 21

Tenrikyo, which grew out of Shinto, has created a city near

A) Tokyo.
B) Kobe.
C) Osaka.
D) Nara.

Question 22

The founder of Tenrikyo was

A) Kamo Mabuchi.
B) Motoori Norinaga.
C) Deguchi Nao.
D) Nakayama Miki.

Question 23

Omoto is a new religion that emphasizes the value of

A) art.
B) business.
C) study.
D) technology.

Question 24

Omoto, in order to encourage international understanding, gives a special place to the study and use of

A) Latin.
B) Chinese.
C) Spanish.
D) Esperanto.

Question 25

Shinto and Buddhism

A) developed separately in Japan.
B) began to blend in the nineteenth century.
C) began to blend soon after the introduction of Buddhism.
D) were forced to separate from each other before 1200 CE.

Question 26

The Japanese people

A) have always enthusiastically adopted foreign cultures.
B) adopted the culture of Vietnam for about five hundred years.
C) apparently descended from several immigrant groups that came from the northwest.
D) rejected the culture of China.

Question 27

When he returned from visiting his deceased wife, Izanagi had to

A) mourn Izanami's death for one year.
B) purify Izanami's burial site with fire.
C) get the attention of the other kami by clapping.
D) cleanse himself in water.

Question 28

The Shinto creation myth may have

A) united the beliefs of several tribes.
B) originated in Okinawa.
C) been a retelling of an ancient myth from India.
D) borrowed from the Near East.

Question 29

Shinto and Confucianism had which particular feature in common?

A) the love of art and imagery
B) the veneration of ancestors
C) the idealization of the simple life of the farmer
D) the appreciation for ritual dance

Question 30

The emperor of Japan came to be considered a father figure for the whole country. This

A) arose from Shinto's love of ritual.
B) was a necessity after the attempted Mongol invasion of Japan.
C) seems to show the influence of Confucianism.
D) came from the Buddhist ideal of the loving bodhisattva.

Question 31

Shinto

A) has helped the Japanese maintain a sense of their unique identity.
B) has been quite warlike throughout its long history.
C) is a religion with organization and strong structure.
D) developed a statement of belief and a set of commandments after 1400 CE.

Question 32

In Shinto practice, daily worship occurs in the home, where a small Shinto shrine called the _____ is maintained, usually on a high shelf.

A) kamidana
B) shimenawa
C) gagaku
D) kadomatsu

Question 33

Izanami and Izanagi created Japan when they stirred the ocean with

A) the sandal from Izanami's right foot.
B) a white camellia flower.
C) a branch of the sakaki tree.
D) a jeweled spear.

Question 34

Izanagi searched for Izanami

A) on the Floating Bridge of Heaven.
B) in the underworld.
C) in a cave near Ise.
D) in the ocean east of Japan.

Question 35

The basis for the Japanese writing system came from

A) Vietnam.
B) Malaysia.
C) China.
D) India.

Question 36

In Shinto practice, on New Year's Eve, families gather to eat a special soup made of vegetables and mochi, which is called

A) sake.
B) ozoni.
C) shimenawa.
D) gagaku.

Question 37

The stately ceremonial music of the Shinto religion is known as

A) kadomatsu.
B) jinja.
C) shimenawa.
D) gagaku.

Question 38

The goddess Amaterasu was lured from a cave, where she was hiding, by

A) the music of a flute.
B) the smell of food being cooked.
C) the sound of flags being blown by the wind.
D) dancing nearby.

Question 39

According to Omoto, all art is religious because Omoto

A) resides in any place in nature that is awe-inspiring.
B) places little emphasis on doctrines and ethical demands.
C) focuses on heavenly reason teaching.
D) sees in the creation of art the essence of religious manifestation.

Question 40

The Church of World Messianity (Sekaikyusei-kyo) is an offshoot of

A) Tenrikyo.
B) Omoto.
C) Honmichi.
D) Soka Gakkai.

Question 41

The islands of Japan, according to the Shinto creation story, are a sort of this-worldly heaven because

A) the Gods made them.
B) humans share the islands with divine beings.
C) the deity of the wind has promised to protect all who live there.
D) Amaterasu is buried there.

Question 42

Part of the accommodation between Shinto and Buddhism included

A) separate shrines in different regions of the country.
B) shared priests between the two religions.
C) an agreement not to use Chinese art and architecture.
D) a division of focus, with Buddhism being associated with philosophy, death, and afterlife, while Shinto was called on for agriculture and fertility.

Question 43

During the Meiji Restoration, Shinto became tied to growing nationalism through

A) an emphasis on the divine origins of the emperor.
B) large state-sponsored shines.
C) a renewed emphasis on traditional martial arts.
D) the assimilation of Western educational and governmental models.

Question 44

In 1868, Mutsuhito imported European and American experts to build up the governmental, military, and educational systems according to Western models that marked a turning point inJapanese history known as the

A) Shinto Scholarly Revival.
B) Japanese Spirit.
C) Meiji Restoration.
D) Mootori Age.

Question 45

Kami are associated with natural places, the ancestors, and

A) Buddhist saints.
B) animal spirits.
C) famous samurai.
D) Confucian scholars.

Question 46

A special New Year's ritual in Shinto is

A) the setting off of firecrackers.
B) the dragon dance.
C) rice pounding.
D) the veneration of those who died in war.

Question 47

In Shinto practice, during New Year's celebrations, rice is pounded into a soft dough called

A) omikoshi.
B) miko.
C) mochi.
D) ozoni.

Question 48

In Shinto practice, Shrine dance eventually evolved into the stately _____ dance dramas that tell the stories of people and their contacts with the spirits.

A) Izanagi
B) Kojiki
C) Nihongi
D) Noh

Question 49

Explain the derivation of the term Shinto. What does the name tell us about its relationship with China and Buddhism? Please explain.

Question 50

How did Amaterasu come into being? What role did she play in Japanese history?

Question 51

Describe how areas of influence are typically divided between Shinto and Buddhism in Japan. How might this be evident at a Japanese temple complex?

Question 52

Explain the emergence of State Shinto in the context of the Meiji Restoration.

Question 53

Explain the basic Shinto notion of kami. Describe and name the most important kami.

Question 54

According to basic Shinto belief, how are ancestors understood?

Question 55

Describe the basic rituals associated with visiting a Shinto shrine. What is the importance of these rituals to the practitioners of Shinto?

Question 56

List at least three ceremonies that are typically performed by Shinto priests.

Question 57

Summarize New Year's rituals associated with Shinto.

Question 58

What roles does the emperor of Japan play in Shinto ritual?

Question 59

Describe a torii. What is its function? Where is it found?

Question 60

Describe the key beliefs of Tenrikyo.

Question 61

Describe the key beliefs of Omoto-kyo.

Question 62

Describe at least four ways in which Shinto beliefs and practices are relevant to the problems of the modern world.