Shinto, Japanese Folk Lore, and Youkai

[Sentient Light]

This is something I am currently researching..
I have seen entities that I later discover look EXACTLY like youkai..
When I watch anime, play games, read manga about Shinto, I feel it is full of accurate information about the way spirits really are..
Why is it so hard to find more on Shintoists, though?

I have encountered an inugami, and possibly a nekomata.. o.O <3333  

[Obscurus]

It might be because Shinto can be rather diverse. There's also the language barrier to contend with.

Something to consider though: Maybe you're viewing things through a "Shinto filter" and that's why Shinto seems to describe spirits that you encounter so well? By that I mean, if you were viewing them through a "Christianity filter" maybe they would appear as classical angels or demons.

Just something to think about.  

[Sentient Light]

Obscurus

It might be because Shinto can be rather diverse. There's also the language barrier to contend with.

Something to consider though: Maybe you're viewing things through a "Shinto filter" and that's why Shinto seems to describe spirits that you encounter so well? By that I mean, if you were viewing them through a "Christianity filter" maybe they would appear as classical angels or demons.

Just something to think about.

I'm not sure, but I have thought about something similar to your filter idea before.. Basically that focusing on youkai, or showing them attention may have called them into my life.. Is that possible? I mean srsly, if it is, I'll need to be much more careful.. xD

I want to learn about all of the different entities that exist, so if I am calling them into my life by wanting to learn about them, I might find myself being attacked again.. sad  

[Obscurus]

Sentient Light

Obscurus

It might be because Shinto can be rather diverse. There's also the language barrier to contend with.

Something to consider though: Maybe you're viewing things through a "Shinto filter" and that's why Shinto seems to describe spirits that you encounter so well? By that I mean, if you were viewing them through a "Christianity filter" maybe they would appear as classical angels or demons.

Just something to think about.

I'm not sure, but I have thought about something similar to your filter idea before.. Basically that focusing on youkai, or showing them attention may have called them into my life.. Is that possible? I mean srsly, if it is, I'll need to be much more careful.. xD

I want to learn about all of the different entities that exist, so if I am calling them into my life by wanting to learn about them, I might find myself being attacked again.. sad

I've seen it said that thinking about something a lot can draw it toward you; the Law of Attraction and all of that. Sometimes I see people saying that if you think about demons a lot then it makes it easier for them to find and mess with you. I think there's something to the Law of Attraction or "like attracts like," but I'm hesitant to state an opinion on the demon thing.  

[Sentient Light]

Obscurus

I've seen it said that thinking about something a lot can draw it toward you; the Law of Attraction and all of that. Sometimes I see people saying that if you think about demons a lot then it makes it easier for them to find and mess with you. I think there's something to the Law of Attraction or "like attracts like," but I'm hesitant to state an opinion on the demon thing.

Yeah.. I am not sure what I think about demons yet.. entities in general.. but the way I see it, I am either creating constructs at random, or these things are real, so I'm trying to figure out what I think, how they tick.. if possible. xD  

[Hiro Korigashine]

In my experience as a Paranormal "Hunter" and researcher I have come across all forms of spirits sometimes many from different cultures at a time. They all exist in my theory and what drove me to beilive in a more omnipotent religeon where all the different gods exist under a sort of "Tree" of life and what you beilive in is what you will see and understand.  

[Hazelwish]

Along the lines of what Obscurus was saying, your own personal archetypes can affect the way you perceive different types of energy, including spirits. If you watch a lot of anime that involves traditional shinto mythology (in the sense that your brain "adopts" that particular archetype), then you are more likely to perceive a spirit as being in that pantheon. That's my theory, at least.  

[Shadow Queen79]

I agree with the above two post.

I have only ever come across one Shinto priest and he was a friend of my karate instructor years ago. Maybe it's all about where you look?  

[Tiger Lily Riverheart]

While its certainly true that our personal archetypes and perspectives shape the way we experience the universe, it is also certainly true that our personal archetypes and perspectives are not the only factors in the universe. Sometimes another person's personal archetype or perspective, or a culture's archetype or perspective, or even a universal truth shines through or penetrates through our own personal archetype or perspective. The reason for this happening could be a number of things. Sometimes this process is invasive and imposing, sometimes its more like osmosis, sometimes we allow this process to happen, and there are also times when its simply fate.

When it comes to spirits one has to keep in mind as well that they are not necessarily bound by the laws of time and space as we are unless otherwise specified. Certainly with the right knowledge and ability one can bind a spirit to an object or in an object, and certainly there are spirits who are bound to objects for any number of reasons, but generally speaking spirits are not inherently bound by time and space in the same way humans are. Furthermore they certainly are not bound by socially constructed boundaries, which require humans to carry passports from one nation to another. Certainly one can say that spirits have preferences but preferences are not deterministic or fatalistic boundaries.

This means that generally speaking spirits can manifest in multiple places at once and can travel great distances in a blink of an eye.

The reason you tend to see Shinto spirits could be any number of things. Perhaps in a past life you lived in Japan and were Shinto. Perhaps you are meant to learn from Shinto in this life. The truth is, only you can find that out for yourself.

Also you should note this. When dealing with Japanese spirits there are two cultural filters (archetypes and perspectives) working simultaneously. In Japan, Buddhism and Shintoism coexist and people in Japan are commonly both Buddhist and Shinto, unless of course they are specifically a spiritual practitioner of either Buddhism or Shintoism. This means then that the perception of all spirits in Japan are shaped by both Buddhist and Shinto beliefs.  

[Just Tsuki]

Just out of interest - where can you find good information about Shintoism etc?? Thanks smile  

[Lilithiann]

Omg, I love this kind of juice.

And when it comes to the youkai and entities of that nature. Some of them are seen in other cultures, especially with the spirits, you can find those in the Native American cultures and not just Japanese. So, to my belief, these entities are everywhere but given different names. For example, a kitsune. Stories of these spirit foxes can be found in Chinese, Korean, and Indian folklore.

In Japan, there's a spider youkai called the Jorōgumo. There's similar spider entities found in African folklore, and other cultures. However, those beings were often associated with Gods.

I know my words, might seem a little jibberish, but I hope you understand my point.  

[neko-mata-01]

i love this topic biggrin
(notice my name razz )
so you encountered a inugami and possibly a nekomata?
hm well an inugami would most likely be ghost like as for the nekomata im not sure, but they are formed apparently when a cat (specifically a japanese bobtail) grows a long tail that then forks, if it reaches a certain weight, or if it lives to certain age (Although without the forked tail its a bakeneko). i've researched this topic quite a bit. mangas seem to have somewhat accurate information but some of the original ideas form legends may be changed. its true, various cultures have similar spirits/monsters. some aspects however are quite different. ghosts (or at least one type) for example in Japanese myth/folklore are yurei, they have long black hair, pale skin, and wear funeral garments (think the grudge or something xD) which also corresponds to white being the color representing death in japan.