Shinto is Yuzuriha's affiliated religion. It's the belief that there are many
gods not just one like in Christianity. I find it strange though that CLAMP would
use concepts from the Revelation for a plot when almost all the characters are
from another religion. Well Karen of the Christian faith, but she's an exception to them all.
Shinto means "The Way of the Gods" from the Chinese characters it derives from. It is an ancient Japanese religion stemming back to around 500 B.C. People who practice Shinto believe in many different Kami or gods/deities. Kami also literally means "god." They believe that all the islands of Japan, and the Kami protecting the clans there came from one divine couple. Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto were that couple. Amaterasu Omikami who was one of their daughters became the chief deity of worship since she is the "sun goddess." Her shrine is Ise which happens to be the place where Arashi is from.
In Shinto, it is also the belief that everyone comes from Kami. That's why humanity is called "Kami's child." Nature is also sacred and respected. In shrines (jinja), the object of worship is usually from nature like a tree or a rock. Followers also believe that animals are messengers from Kami. Many sacred places are from nature like mountains, for example.
*Interesting note - Origami or "Paper of the Spirits" is a Japanese folk art of folding paper into different and usually intricate shapes. They never cut the origami paper out of respect of the tree's spirit who gave it's life to make it. They're also seen in most Shinto shrines.
- research from religious-tolerance.ORG
° return?