Religion of the Forest
 Shinto,
the indigenous religion of Japan, can be characterized by the
fact that it has kept the religious vision of the ancient Japanese
until nowadays without changing it very much. The life of the
ancient Japanese was deeply rooted in the forest, and through
their everyday life, the religious concept was fostered and handed
down from generation to generation. In other words, Shinto is
similar to other ancient religions which have long ceased to exist
in the world of today. It is a religion of the forest, or a religion
of rituals which well suits the ancient lifestyle. This leaflet
will introduce Shinto by stressing its character as "a religion
of the forest".
 The Sacred Forest
C.W. Nicol, a writer born in Wales and now living in Japan, in
Kurohime Heights of Nagano, writes about his experience in Africa
in an article titled "The Sacred Forest" (An article
written for 'Jinja Shimpo' of July 22, 1991). One day, he was
guided to the holy place of Pygmies (Mubutians) who live in Ittouri,
the tropical rain forest of Zaire. He introdudes an episode as
follows:
There was a rock cave surrounded by tall trees, and we could
hear only birds, monkeys and the sound of a beautiful cascading
waterfall. It was a wonderful place. A short, brown skinned hunter
who guided us to that place was wearing only a piece if waistcloth,
holding a bow and poionous arrows. He plucked off a flower and
put it in his hair. Somebody asked, "How do you know that
God is here? Can you see the figure of God?" I thought it
was nonsense to raise such a question, but the hunter answered
with a smile. "I cannot see the fingure of God. But I know
God is here."
Deeply touched by the response of this hunter, Nicol writes: "I
am mature enough not to to doubt the existence of the invisible
when I am in a holy place or a sacred forest, whatever religion
they represent and in whatever country they belong." He concludes
his article saying: "If you are a Japanese, whatever the
faith you have, visit a Shinto shrine when you have a problem."
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