Statement of Purpose

No one can claim to be acquainted with Japan without understanding Shinto, Japan's indigenous religion. The two ideograms which characterize Shinto are 'shin' or 'kami' divinity and 'to' (way), the path to divinity. The Shinto faith appeared at the dawn of Japanese history emanating from the mythical Sun goddess Amaterasu Ohkami. Shinto embarked as a faith of the Japanese imperial religious system but subsequently interacted with other religions, Buddhism and Confucianism, brought to Japan from neighboring Asian countries.

As the Kodansha Encyclopedia describes it: Shinto can be regarded as a two-sided phenomenon. On the one hand it is a loosely structured set of practices, creeds and attitudes rooted in local communities, and on the other it is a strictly defined and organized religion at the level of the imperial line and the state. These two basic aspects, which are not entirely separate, reflect fundamental natures of the Japanese national character as it is expressed in sociological structures and psychological attitudes.

Nearly 100 million Japanese identify with Shinto and its philosophy and culture have an immense influence on the nation's eonomic and sociological behavior. Yet, because Japan is weak at disseminating her culture overseas, little is known about Shinto outside Japan's borders, creating much misunderstanding about the country and its people.

To cite just one example - at Harvard's World Religious Center nearly every major religion is studied, except Shinto.A principal reason is the lack of appropriate literature and documents available in English.

Scholars therefore erroneously believe that Shinto, Japan's prewar state religion, was the factor that drove country into World War II. Such a conclusion is based on a lack of serious effort to explain the true background of Shinto.

The International Shinto Foundation is being established to dispel such misunderstandings about Shinto and introduce its qualities as one of the most liberal and broad-minded religions on the planet. Shinto is among the few sects in the world which does not oppose any other religion's philosophy. Beyond that a major aim of the foundation is to disseminate Japanese culture to provide a clearer understanding of all aspects of Japan.

The International Shinto Foundation aims to organize symposiums on Shinto in Japan and overseas; promote the establishment of Shinto chairs at overseas universities and religious institutions; invite overseas scholars to research Shinto in Japan; establish an international Shinto library; to promote the publication of books on Shinto and produce a comprehensive Shinto dictionary in English; offer venues for the discussion of Shinto research; encourage Shinto studies and research at all levels, and produce literature and organize events which will enhance better understanding of Shinto around the world.

A fund for this program has been generously provided by several donors while further donations are sought from individuals and organizations.