Shintō History According to archaeological studies, the first records beginning in about 2000 bc were from the Jomon Period in Japan Jomon peoples used natural housing, predated rice farming, and frequently were hunter-gatherers, the physical evidence for ritual practices are difficult to document There are many locations of stone ritual structures and refined burial practices…that lend to the continuity of primal Û The Jomon had a clan-based tribal system developed similar to much of the world’s indigenous people In the context of this clan based system, local beliefs developed naturally and when assimilation between clans occurred, they also took on some beliefs of the neighboring tribes At some point there was a recognition that the ancestors created the current generations and the reverence of ancestors took shape There was some trade amongst the indigenous peoples within Japanese islands and the mainland, as well as some varying migrations The trade and interchange of people helped the growth and complexity of the people’s spirituality1 by exposure to new beliefs The natural spirituality of the people appeared to be based on the worship of nature’s forces, and the natural elements to which they all depended, which is similar to most ancient civilizations we have studied in these texts (Though not often referred to today, the Japanese calendar year starts from 660 bc, the year of Amaterasu’s (the sun goddess) accession All the reigning emperors since then are considered to be the direct descendants of the sun goddess and are revered as living gods.) Shintō has no founder or founding date When the Japanese people and Japanese culture became aware of themselves… Shintō was already part of the culture Among the primary Yayoi religious phenomena were agricultural rites and Shamanism Early Shamans performed the ceremonies; eventually those of the Yamato tribe performed on behalf of the other tribes, and their chieftain assumed duties that led to headship of the Shintō state.2 ~ 283 ~