Shinto is Japan’s indigenous spiritual tradition, but unlike most religions, it has no single founder, sacred text, or strict doctrines. Instead, it revolves around the veneration of Kami—divine ...

A trick called Under the Bridle in the Kakeuma Shinji A trick called Repelling Arrows in the Kakeuma Shinji They were regarded with awe, and rituals involving them date back to around a millennium.

Almost weekly Momo Nomura makes time to visit Shinto shrines. She performs the prescribed rituals — cleansing her hands, ringing a bell, bowing and clapping. But her main purpose is getting a ...

Several annual rituals performed at Shinto shrines involve bows and arrows that are believed to hold divine power and dispel evil. These weapons also hone the spirit through the practice of archery.