Background

About two weeks ago, I was visiting a webpage called "Sailor Moon for Dummies" and while I was there, I checked out the information that the author was putting forward about the Sailors. I found that barely any of the "information" was either wrong or stolen from other pages. Also included and mixed into this particular area of the page was a healthy dose of the author's own opinions.

One such opinion got my attention quickly. It was a simple one-line remark which painted one of the Sailors in a sinister light. The comment was simple:

I objected to this statement, saying that other fans would "lynch" the author, and I was not far from wrong. In one of the guestbook entries on this webpage, a lady identified herself as a member of the Shinto religion and strenuously objected to Rei being called satanic.

Seeing this person's entry, I started asking questions, and I was led to several web sites on Shinto. The result is what you are reading here. My hope is that once you reach the end of this page, you will know a bit more about Raye and the religion she practices.

Shinto is a complex religion, and this page is by no means a complete guide to all things Shinto. Rather, I will focus on Rei, her role in Shinto, and the shrine that she and her grandfather runs.

Shinto is the oldest of the three major religions in Japan. (The other two are Buddhism and Christianity, in that order) The word Shinto is derived from the Chinese words Shin ("divinity"), and Tao ("path"), so the literal meaning of the word is the divine path or the divine way.

The practice of Shinto is not very organized. The religion is as much a cultural tradition as it is a religion, and at various times in history, Shinto has had representation within the government of Japan. Followers of Shinto don't worship a single god, they don't have a single "holy book", they don't have a specific founder, such as Jesus is to Christianity, or Muhammad is to Islam.

Rather, Shinto is centered around the worship of kami, which are spirits which live in every part of nature, heaven, earth, mountains, rivers, and other natural phenomena. They are sacred spirits which are worshipped because of their "honor and dignity."

According to Lisa Maeda's "The Shinto Religion", one of the ancient Shinto myths, "the kami, or gods, such as the Sun Goddess, her brother who was in charge of the earth, and the Moon Goddess created the Japanese islands and the first emperor who was a descendent of the kami."

Perhaps the most familiar thing about Shinto is the characteristic gateway which stands at the entrance of Shinto shrines.

These structures, called Torii Gates fulfill a couple of functions. The Torii Gate seperates the spiritual world from the secular world, they clense the entrants of evil, and they ward off evil spirits. On the path from the Torii Gate to the interior of the shrine, you will often see people using either side of the path, but not the center...this is because they wish to stay out of the way of any gods who might also be on the path.

The "Basic Terms of Shinto" describes what Shinto shrines (or jinja) should consist of...

• Honden - the main shrine, where the spirit of the deity is enshrined.
  
• Haiden - worship area where visitors worship or pray.
  
• Norito-den - area where religious ceremonies are performed.
  
• Kagura-den - stage where Shinto ceremonial dances are performed.
  
• Shamusho - the shrine offices and quarters for the priests.
  
• Torii - the Torii Gate.
  
• Temizuya - area where ablutions are performed.
  

One thing absent from a Shinto shrine is a graveyard. In Shinto, death is thought to be evil, therefore funerals are carried out by Buddhists.

Ok folks, here is a let-down... Rei is basically, an apprentice. The only term I have found that best describes her position at the shrine is "miko", which is defined in "Basic Terms of Shinto" as: "a priestess serving as an assistant at a shrine. Roles of the miko include performing in ceremonial dances, and assisting priests in wedding ceremonies.

Miko must be unmarried and are generally the preists' daughter. (Raye is an exception of course)

Grandpa Hino is probably a guji, although there is a system of ranks after the miko level which accounts for both the age and experience of the priest as well as whether he or she has attended a school designated by the Jinja Honcho or passed a qualifying exam. In short, Grandpa's actual title is *probably* guji, but I am not sure about this, and I will continue to research it.

I believe what led the author of "Sailor Moon for Dummies" to think that Rei is satanic is her frequent use of fire readings to get information on various things. In the Shinto religion, this is known as "bokusen" which entails using something with some attachment to the subject in order to determine the good or ill fortune of the thing or to determine the divine will. (This was seen in "Serena Times Two", when Rei used one of Chibusa's pictures in a fire reading.)

Rei also uses anti-evil sigils, or "ofuda" to do various things to evil monsters. Ofuda are defined by "Basic Terms of Shinto" as simply a tablet or amulet upon which is written the name of a deity. The text further specifies that ofuda can be made from paper and are often worshipped to obtain divine aid.

The white robes that Rei uses during fire readings and that both Grandpa and Chad wear are called "saifuku".

Shinto shrines are maintained by the priests and the miko. However, shrines often bring in money by selling talismans, amulets, charms, or post cards. People often seek support before big events at the shrine, and many annual festivals become active occasions at shrine.

When I first wrote this page, I used the words "shrine" and "temple" almost interchangeably. This was an error. During my research on the subject, I came across Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, but not Buddhist shrines or Shinto temples. I confirmed that there are no such things through a Japanese student at the college I am attending. I believe this falsehood happened for two reasons:

a): Shinto and Buddhism in Japan have grown quite close, and in some cases, have merged.

b): The translation of Sailor Moon into English may have rendered the Japanese name for shrine "jinja" as "temple", but that would be akin to saying that ALL churches are "cathedrals".

Rather than continue this particular falsehood, which would only serve to confuse people, I have corrected it, and offer the above explanation.