Deck 8: Shinto

Question 1

The archway at the entrance of a Shinto shrine is known as a

A) torii.
B) jinja.
C) skuha.
D) meiji.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The Kojiki, which contains the myths of ancient Japan, is also known as the

A) Bible.
B) Chronicles of Ancient Events.
C) Commandments.
D) Ways of Right Living.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

In Japanese mythology, who is the chief of the spirits?

A) Daimon
B) Amaterasu
C) Izanagi
D) Ryobu

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Prior to 1889, the Tokugawa regime allowed the practice of only two religions. One was Shinto; the other was a Japanese version of which of the following?

A) Islam
B) Confucianism
C) Jainism
D) Hinduism

Question 5

The samurai were expected to

A) collect the heads of peasants.
B) demonstrate self-discipline through fasting.
C) show courtesy and politeness to people in authority.
D) meditate and pray to the sun god Amaterasu.

Question 6

Which of the following is part of domestic Shinto practice?

A) keeping a household altar
B) performing a solemn seppuku ceremony
C) reading the Kojiki
D) praying at the family's sacred ossuary that contains the names of their ancestors

Question 7

In the Constitution of 1889, Japan decided

A) to outlaw all other religious practice besides Shinto.
B) to allow the practice of Buddhism in addition to Shinto.
C) that in addition to Shinto, other religions would be allowed to exist.
D) to ban all religious practice in the country.

Question 8

Representatives of this sect of Shinto embrace the notion of faith healing, shamanism, and divination.

A) Niiname-sai
B) Tenrikyo
C) Shogatsu
D) Ullambana

Question 9

By the end of the sixth century C.E., this religion had gained a firm foothold in Japan.

A) Hinduism
B) Theravada Buddhism
C) Mahayana Buddhism
D) Sikhism

Question 10

The religious side of Shinto was forced to identify separately from the nationalistic, militarized side of Shinto during which era?

A) the Seppuku
B) the Meiji
C) the Shen Dao
D) the Kami-no-michi

Question 11

Early in its history, Japan became an object of interest to Chinese and Korean merchants and

A) emperors.
B) missionaries.
C) invaders.
D) land-owners.

Question 12

The honorable suicide of a warrior who dies by slowly disemboweling himself is called

A) hari-kari.
B) kamikaze.
C) seppuku.
D) assisted suicide.

Question 13

The Japanese adapted forms of Buddhism and developed a meditative style known as

A) karma.
B) Zen.
C) Pure Land.
D) Nichiren.

Question 14

A warrior code that combines principles of Shinto and Confucianism is called

A) seppuku.
B) kojiki.
C) bushido.
D) samurai.

Question 15

Which of the following must be looked at to understand Japanese religion before the sixth century?

A) Japan's geography
B) Religious influences from outside Japan
C) Japan's philosophers and scholars
D) Japan's early history

Question 16

Which of the following figures in Japanese mythology is one of the two divine parents that gave birth to the other kami?

A) Motoori Norinaga
B) Amaterasu
C) Izanami
D) Buddha

Question 17

After the rise of the Tokugawa regime, what kind of leaders unified the Japanese and sought to isolate the nation from outside influences?

A) political
B) religious
C) Buddhist
D) military

Question 18

Central to domestic Shinto is the "god-shelf," or

A) kami-dana.
B) kojiki.
C) shogatsu.
D) ullambana.

Question 19

Which of the following is true of Japan?

A) It is among the youngest cultures of all Asian nations.
B) The actual recorded history of Japanese worship dates back to prehistoric times.
C) The Japanese became known to other nations around the first century C.E.
D) The Japanese began to keep historical records in the sixteenth century C.E.

Question 20

In the seventh and eighth centuries, the Japanese sought to define and celebrate their own culture and recorded this information in a book of ancient Japanese chronicles in a section called

A) "Susa-No-O."
B) "The Age of the Gods."
C) "New Earth."
D) "Teachings of Heavenly Reason."

Question 21

Most Japanese think of themselves as primarily

A) pacifist.
B) Buddhist.
C) Shinto.
D) agnostic.

Question 22

What are the three forms of Shinto and how are they similar? Different?

Question 23

Which of the following words best describes the future of Shinto after the defeat of Japan at the end of World War II?

A) strong
B) uncertain
C) positive
D) bright

Question 24

Discuss the 1889 Constitution and what changes it brought to Shinto as a religious practice.

Question 25

Discuss the Chinese influence on Shinto and what kind of effects Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism had on the development of Shinto.

Question 26

Which of the following was a threat to the future of Shinto after World War II?

A) stagnant industrialization.
B) a renewed interest in Buddhism by the Japanese.
C) a renewed interest in Islam by the Japanese.
D) rapid industrialization.

Question 27

Discuss the emergence of the samurai during the Tokugawa era as well as the warrior code of the Bushido. Summarize Bushido's categories for behavior.

Question 28

What are the challenges to the practice of domestic Shinto in contemporary Japan, and how is this religion surviving in response to those challenges?

Question 29

Shinto continues to exist today due to

A) private donations.
B) governmental support.
C) international support.
D) a renewed interest in faith healing.

Question 30

What is the most widely celebrated holiday in Japan?

A) Buddha's birthday
B) All Souls' Day
C) Autumn Festival
D) Japanese New Year