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©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 1
This Kid’s Life in Religion
Shinto
Yvonne Crawford
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 2
Table of Contents Introduction 4
What I Think Shinto is Like... 5
A Letter from Souta in Japan 6
Questions about Souta’s Letter 8
Shintoism in Pictures 9
Fun Facts About Shintoism 11
Shinto Symbols 12
Secret Code About Shintoism 13
Shinto Word Search 14
Make a Cherry Blossom Tree 15
Make a Daruma Doll 17
Shinto Prayers Writing Activity 19
Postcard from Japan 20
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 3
Questions about Shintoism 22
Shinto Sayings and Verses 23
Shintoism Crossword Puzzle 24
All About Shintoism 25
Similarities and Differences 27
Shinto Life 28
Shinto Coloring Page 30
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 4
This Kid’s Life is a series of booklets that focus on how
children live their daily lives in different religions all over the
world. This particular book explores the life of a boy named
Souta who lives in the country of Japan.
Before introducing this booklet to your class, you can
choose to give your students a pre-test to see what
understandings or misconceptions they have about Shintoism.
Next, you can read a two-page letter from Souta to help your
students learn about the daily life of Shinto children.
Afterward, your students can fill out a comprehension
printable to spark discussions about the information they have
learned.
Introduction
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 5
What I Think Shintoism is Like... What is the first thing you think of when you think of the Shinto Religion? Draw a picture of it.
Which of these symbols is the symbol of Shintoism?
In which countries do you think Shinto is the main religion?
Draw a picture of a child who practices Shintoism.
Do you think Halloween is a Shinto holiday?
Yes or No
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 6
Hello my name is Souta and I’m from Japan! Me and my family
practice the religion called Shinto. It is a religion that originated in the
villages of Japan and then spread across Japan. You might be
wondering who the founder of Shinto is, well actually there is not one
founder like other religions.
My father is a Shinto priest. It’s interesting I know because in
some religions like Catholicism, priest can’t be
married nor have children. In Shintoism priests
can be married, have children as well as women
can be priests. Shinto priests perform Shinto
rituals and often live in the grounds of a shrine.
We don’t live on the grounds of a shrine, but we
live very close to a popular shrine in Osaka,
Japan.
Did you know that 80% of the Japanese
population attend Shinto shrines and ceremonies
today. Some people in Japan don’t just practice
Shintoism, but they also are Buddhists. The religions
work harmoniously together.
As I mentioned we live near a Shinto shrine. A
shrine is a building of
worship. Shrines are
marked by large portals
sometimes painted red, called torii. These
structures are iconic in Japan.
Before people go to a shrine they must
wash their hands and mouths, so there is
always running waters by shrines.
A Letter from Souta in Japan
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 7
Louis
In Shintoism, worship consists of
hand-clapping, silent prayer and offer-
ings made at the shrine. People don’t
have to pray only at public shrines.
People can pray at home. Most Shinto
people have a tiny shrines in their
homes called a kami shelf where they
make offerings of flowers or food and say prayers. It is called a ka-
mi shelf because we call the spiritual powers and gods kami. The
kami bring us benefits like health, business success and even
good exam results like for my English test
last week.
Did you know there are over 100,000
registered shrines in Japan dedicated to
different kami. There are up to 80 million
different kami in Japan! These numbers
are quite impressive.
One day I’d like to visit Mt. Fuji near
Tokyo. Many
people make a
pilgrimage here
to this natural
place of wor-
ship.
I better go, my mother is calling me!
Talk to you soon.
Sincerely,
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 8
Questions About Souta’s Letter Where does Souta live?
What is a torii? Draw a picture of it.
What things do people pray for in the Shinto religion?
Write some facts about Shintoism.
What are Kami? Draw what you think they may look like.
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 9
Shinto in Pictures Here are some pictures of different things about the Shinto religion. What do you think about these different pictures?
Shinto or Shintoism is a religion mainly practiced in Japan.
Shintoism is a polytheistic culture. This means that they believe in more
than one god.
In Shintoism, nature and god are viewed as one.
In Shintoism, gods are close and familiar beings. They are the
guardians of the people.
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 10
Shintoism started off from folk belief and nature worship in small
villages. Because of this, there is not any clear holy text written down.
There is no clear founder of Shintoism.
In Shintoism, rituals called Saishi are a way to connect people and gods.
Saishi are performed at Shinto shrines. A Shinto shrine is called a
Jinja.
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 11
• What does your religion’s name mean?
• What is the opposite of a polytheist religion called?
• What religion are you?
• Who is the founder of your religion?
Fun Facts About Shintoism Shinto means “The path of Gods.”
Shinto is a polytheist religion. The number of gods is infinite
and they are called “kami.”
The kami live in the world unseen by humans.
A kami stops existing when no one believes in it anymore. It reappears
when a person starts believing again.
Many Japanese people switch between Shinto and Buddhism during
their life, sometimes believing in both religions.
The Shinto religion has no founder.
There are over 100 million people who practice the Shinto religion,
mostly in Japan.
• Do you believe in anything that you can’t see?
• Have you heard of anything similar to a kami before?
• What religion is most practiced where you live?
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 12
Shinto Symbols The torii is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly
found at the entrance of or near a Shinto shrine. The torii is
the symbol that marks the transition from the mundane to the
sacred.
These are daruma dolls. They are
hollow and round dolls to look like
Bodhidharma, an Indian monk. It is a
traditional custom for the owner to
create a life goal and paint one eye.
When they complete the goal, they pain
the other eye.
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 13
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Secret Code About Indonesia Solve the puzzle to discover what is the name of the gods of the Shinto religion.
Secret code key:
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 14
Shinto Word Search
V H W A J D S T Z U
S M T A O L O S R S
Y H P A A S I I Q A
J A I U P V I E Y I
N A T N Q U B H I S
U I K I T N H T S H
R I M A K O J Y X I
G X Y Y Y Q J L Z D
J P D K T C E O D H
T E M P L E S P N A
Words to find:
Kami polytheist
Shinto Japan
path saishi
rituals temples
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 15
The cherry blossom tree is especially important in the
Shinto religion, where is symbolizes renewal and the
temporary nature of life.
Materials:
• tissue paper
• crayons/markers/colored pencils
• scissors
• glue or paste
· the cherry blossom tree printaable
Instructions:
Photocopy the following template. Your students should
color the tree and make a background for the tree. Stu-
dents should tear pieces of tissue paper, pink, rose or
white and paste them on the tree.
Create a Cherry Blossom Tree
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 16
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 17
These are daruma dolls. They are hollow and round
dolls to look like Bodhidharma, an Indian monk. It is a
traditional custom for the owner to create a life goal and
paint one eye. When they complete the goal, they pain
the other eye.
Materials:
• Daruma doll template
• crayons/markers/colored pencils
• scissors
• ribbon (optional)
Instructions:
Have your students make their own Daruma doll. Simply
have them color the paper, cut it out leaving the eyes
uncolored. Then, students can write a goal on the back
of the paper and color in one eye of the doll. When they
complete the goal, they can then color the last eye.
They can hang the Daruma Doll by a ribbon. Usually it is
on wood, but instead of wood, you could put the printa-
ble on thicker cardstock paper.
Make a Daruma Doll
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 18
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 19
People who practice the Shinto religion ask for support in all
aspects of their lives from the kami (gods). They pray at
home or at a shrine. List some things you might ask for help
in if you were Shinto.
Shinto Prayers
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 20
Pretend you are on a trip to Japan and want to mail a
postcard. Write a brief letter on the front side of the postcard and tell
a friend or family member about your trip. Use the information you
have learned during this lesson for the contents of your postcard. On
the back of the postcard, draw a picture of something that reminds
you of Japan and Shintoism. Finally, cut both out both sides and glue
them together, back to back, and deliver your postcard to your friend
or family member.
Front of Postcard
Postcard from Japan
Kon’nichiwa from Japan!
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 21
Postcard from Japan Make sure to sign your name at the end of your postcard. Then
draw your own stamp in the box in the top right corner of the postcard.
This will make your postcard look even more realistic.
Back of Postcard
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 22
The Shinto religion is a complicated religion like all religions.
What are some other things you would like to learn about
Shintoism? List the questions here.
Things I want to learn about Shintoism
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 23
Here are some Shinto sayings. Write what you think they mean.
Shinto Saying Meaning
Respect your ancestors
Do not be sluggish in your
work.
Even the wishes of an ant reach
to heaven.
Sincerity is a witness to truth.
Even in one single leaf on a tree, or
in one blade of grass the awesome
Deity presents itself.
Sincerity is the single virtue that
binds divinity and man in one.
Shinto lies at the root of the
whole Japanese culture.
Shinto Sayings
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 24
Answer the questions below and write the answers to the
questions where indicated by the numbers in the crossword
puzzle.
Shinto Crossword Puzzle
Across 1. Shinto means ‘The ____ of Gods’
3. A Shinto shine
4. Shintoism was born in Japanese ________
6. Shintoism is sometimes practiced along-
side with ___________
1. A religions with many gods
2. The name of the gods in Shintoism
3. The country where Shintoism is manly
practiced
4. Rituals in Shintoism are called this
Down
Across Down
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 25
The things I find most interesting about Shintoism are:
All About Shintoism
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 26
When did Shintoism start? What else would you like to learn
about Shintoism?
I learned these facts about Shintoism…
Where is Shintoism practiced?
Shintoism
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 27
Think about things you have in common with Christians, and
things you do that are different. Finally, pick three things you
would like to learn more about Christianity.
Three things we have in common Three things that are different
Three things I’d like to learn
Similarities and Differences
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 28
Write about the similarities and differences between your way of life and the
Shinto way of life. Use your graphic organizer to help you write your essay.
Shinto Life
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 29
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 30
Shintoism
©Yvonne and Brian Crawford, 2018 31
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