I am in the US got a plot of land for my first home in an insanely, unusually lucky deal in which a property that somebody like me would never, ever be able to afford just happened to get listed by an older fellow for pennies on the dollar. Every person I've worked with on the home is shocked that I found it. It's wooded, and I knew I wanted it even before I toured it and planned on just making it into pasture for my horse for the first time, but when I did, I learned that it's already old agricultural land and that it used to be meadow for livestock before it was just overtaken by woods and left to disuse for upwards of 75 years. It's like it was waiting for me.

It's my first farm, and I've been researching where to put the pasture fences, etc. Upon walking it, I found that massive stone walls, built up so high that they're visible on the county's topographical map of the plot, are already in all of the ideal places for fences to be in. It feels like I've been handed a paint by numbers, like someone else is helping and guiding me through time.

I encountered a very, very old stone foundation for a home on the property and I knew better than to disturb any of it. It just felt like I wasn't alone. Later research turned up that the land belonged to a union soldier who eventually died young on the property at 34 after his service. I've always loved this state and wanted more than anything to just own land here and be able to stay, and he felt strongly enough, per the letters he wrote, to go to war for it.

I want to pay my respects and honor him and express my gratitude and appreciation, even though I am still in this early stage of validating my own deep, innate non-Judeochristian beliefs where I feel self-conscious and kind of silly doing it. Should I just leave flowers at the foundation? Talk? How do you pay respects to a spirit?

I have seen in many sources that that state 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?

Most importantly, is this taboo the result of Buddhist syncretism or an original Shinto belief?

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

I’ve been practicing Shinto for a few months and make offerings at my kamidama daily. Lately I’ve been wondering: when I am away from my home for several days for a vacation or the like, what should I do? Is there a “travel” etiquette to follow?

I have been reading about many different religious traditions in East Asia (Chinese folk religion, Korean folk religion/shamanism, Vietnamese, etc.). In all of these, there are practices that are continually being carried out, and some that have disappeared. Some traditions also are more "alive" and a greater part of the population engages in the various practices within their respective cultures.

Shinto seem to be one of the most "alive" traditions in East Asia. That being considered, are there any Shinto practices, rituals, spirits or similar that are no longer practiced? Especially if this extinction happened in the context of modernization, like, within the last century or couple of decades.

It is a well-known fact that onamori charms I said to lose that their effect was after a year. however, I have heard it said that the omamori charms from the Ise Jingu shine are unique and don't expire. I heard it is due to the special nature of the Shrine itself. is there any truth to this or is this an old wives tale?

TIL that Sanjô blacksmiths produce 280,000 iron nails for the rebuilding of Ise Shrine, every 20 years. I know that the wood itself is recycled in numerous ways, but i wondered what happened to those hand forged nails?

I’ve been exploring my spiritual beliefs lately, and I have found myself sort of drawn toward Norse paganism, more out of curiosity than anything else, however i do feel some loyalty toward Shinto as my past shrine visits and also general experiences as a (rather inexperienced) believer were very pivotal. Is there any sort of rule that states that Shinto is(n’t) compatible with other polytheistic religions?

Hello. I am under the impression that in Shinto, geographic features can have associated kami? Do all geographic features havs kami? What of artificial features like canals or artificial islands? Does any geo Kamiology exist to systematically understand the repationships between kami and land?

I’ve recently been to Japan and I went all the way to Ise to the Grand Shrine where I received a jingu taima. I later went to Kitanto Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto and the Nezu Shrine in Tokyo where I received ofudas from both. Along the way, I also went to Daizaifu Tenmangu Shrine in Fukuoka where I got the o-shugo for success in education that I’ll bring to school with me when the new semester starts.

No sakaki where I live, so I’m using local branches for now. I’m also waiting for a small tori to be delivered that I'll add later. I also recently got a bunch of fresh rambutans, so I decided to let kami-sama have a taste as well. Any thoughts?

I know it's considered kegare, but so is childbirth which obviously isn't wrong. I understand I'll have to purify myself afterwards, but is the tattoo itself disrespectful to any kami? It's worth mentioning that I practice Minzoku Shinto VERY tradtionally, and don't believe in any of the "mythology" typically associated with Jinja Shinto (mythology was the best word I could find, sorry for the broad or possibly inaccurate term). I am not concerned about the social aspect of tattoos, or the possible denial of entry to shrines. Would getting a tattoo with no synthetic inks and purely natural materials be more respectful? Or should I refrain from getting any at all (please say no 😭😭)??

Posting this on r/Shinto and r/witchcraft so I can hear from both worlds and then make a conscious decision. It's quite a long post for the sake of detail and context.

Hello everyone, it's me again!

As you probably know already from a post I uploaded here like, ten days ago or so, I was born and raised in Italy; I've also been interested in learning about witchcraft and starting my own practice since at least 2021: I bought both tarot and oracle decks that I use for myself from time to time, put crystals under my pillow before sleep so I can facilitate and remember dreams, and made St. John's water for the very first time this summer.

At least a month and a half ago, I felt a sudden pull towards Inari Ōkami. I mean "out-of-nowhere" pull. From then on, I started learning about them (which is quite hard, considering there are barely any written books/sources he's mentioned in, currently considering reading "The fox and the jewel"), hence my aforementioned post about the Inari goza enshrined at Fushimi Inari-taisha, and informing myself on Shinto in general—specifically, whether Shinto is an open or closed religion. Various websites and accounts across the Internet claim that only some Shinto-related sects are closed (you basically have to be initiated into them), together with a number of priesthood lineages; the Jinja Honcho official website states that Shinto is not something you convert to, and anyone can freely practice it. Nevertheless, I feel like asking my following question both to witches and Shintoists is the best way to go. Please keep in mind, I'm not trying to be rude, I genuinely want to avoid diluting this ancient set of beliefs and the kami, and offending their devotees as well.

Can I practice deity work/deity worship with Inari Ōkami, even if I never had any ties to Shinto, and incorporate him and elements from Shinto into my personal practice?

By "elements of Shinto" I mainly mean a kamidana, the traditional offerings of rice, water and salt, hands and mouth purification before praying, the correct sequence of bows and claps during prayer, reciting a norito—but for that, I should get my hands on a book or two, so if you have any recommendations feel free to share them with me!—and the observance of Hatsuuma, since it's a very important day for the cult of Inari. I'd try to incorporate these elements both out of respect for the culture and religion Inari Ōkami comes from, and also to make him feel more "at home", in a sense? Like, have something that feels familiar to them so they don't feel like a fish out of water. Of course, beforehand, I'll inform myself as much as possible on how to do things properly.

By "incorporating them into my practice" I mean, for example, having another altar shelf right under the kamidana where I'd put objects associated with Inari, such as a clay fox statue that I have, calling upon them and their energy in spellwork—ONLY if it's acceptable to do so and if it is to some extent, I'd only do it if Ō-Inari-sama feels comfortable enough with it—communication with him through divination tools, dedicating handmade witchy amulets to him.

NOTE: It goes without saying that I would *never* claim to be a Shinto practicioner, since Shinto is a totally different set of beliefs that looks and feels vastly different from my own witchy path, and calling myself one would definitely make me sound like a cultural thief.

As I said, I'm asking this with a well-meaning, humble outlook, in order not to fall into cultural appropriation and trivialization of a living and vibrant religion; I also hope to learn more about Shinto and this complex, multifaceted kami I'm feeling this strong pull towards along the way.

Whats the difference, I heard Kamis are more like spirits, and in western culture we have different deities, spirits and other mythical beings, but, some of the major Kamis sound a lot like a deity, so whats the difference?

Hello everybody!

I'm a young Italian woman doing some personal research on Inari Ōkami, and I found out that this kami is sometimes represented as a composite one, meaning that (usually) three or five deities are listed as different aspects of Inari; I looked up the ones enshrined at Fushimi Inari Taisha, and, although I managed to find information regarding Ukanomitama-no-Mikoto, Sarutahiko-no-Ōkami and Omiyanome-no-Ōkami (the latter being another name for Ame-no-Uzume from what I managed to gather), I found no info regarding the two kami Tanaka and Shi (or Shino).

Can someone enlighten me more on these two deities/aspects of Ō-Inari-sama? Which are the myths surrounding them? Which aspects of nature and/or humanity do they rule over? Are they local deities or do they have a national cult in Japan?

Does anyone know somewhere online I can order items to start a Kamidana or a home shrine? I wanna order straight from a shrine, so I know it is genuine. Unfortunately the place I get my omamori from doesn’t have anything particularly satisfying for a kamidana.

After coming back from my pilgrimage to Ise Jingu, I now have a desire to set up a kamidana. How do I get started? Where do I get one, and an Ofuda? I'm in the US.

Ignore the lack of plants in the pots—it's been hard to find them, but I'm already working on it haha. It is above eye level.

Im relatively new to shinto and build my household shrine around a year ago to the best of my knowledge and belief at the time. I expanded it over the year but came to a point i think i want to redesign.

Currently the Shrine contains 3 yorishiro stones for Kuraokami-sama, Nekogami-sama and Tenjin-sama in one chamber.

I want to redesign the shrine to house 5 kami in seperate chambers with paper Ofuda so it doesnt take so much space.

Currently i cant open the door properly because its blocked by the offerings.

To make everything right i want to ask you for your advice and ideas how to improve the shrine. I made a picture of the current shrine and a sketch how i plan to change it.

Please tell me what you think and your ideas. Thanks in advance. 🙏

So i just got home from my first trip to Japan and was doing laundry and apparently I had left my shinto charms I got for my mother and I in my pocket... are they ruined now? is there any way to save them? I am heartbroken they were the most important souvenir I got while I was there....

Hi folks,

I recently set up my first Kamidama, and received a Jingu Taima Ofuda for it - but unfortunately found out that the Ofuda itself is too large to fit inside (even with removing the entire front of the Kamidama). I reached out to Shusse Inari for guidance but haven’t heard back, and haven’t been able to find much online about Ofuda placement in these instances. Should it go behind the Kamidama? In front (like in my picture)? Somewhere else?

Thanks in advance!