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PKM and its connections to Japans shinto religion

For most Japanese players, raised with a knowledge of Shinto — the country's oldest and largest faith — the Pokémon universe is more than a cartoon fantasy.

What is Shinto?​

  • An animistic, folkloric belief system, native to Japan
  • It coexists with other religions — many Japanese are Shinto and Buddhist
  • The word is a translation of the Chinese phrase "shen dao", meaning "the way of the gods"
  • Like Hindusim and Greek mythology, Shinto has a pantheon of gods
According to Mio Bryce, head of Japanese studies at Macquarie University, the world of pocket monsters is full of Shinto elements.

"The original Pokémon setting has that connection with land — the physical environment — and quite supernatural beings," she says.

This melding between the natural and the supernatural is inherent in Shinto beliefs.

The religion is animistic and pantheistic, Dr Bryce explains, meaning that spirits or gods — known as kami — can be found in natural phenomena, like waterfalls, along with animals, trees, everyday objects, and sometimes even humans.

"Unlike many other religions, which have clear doctrines, such as Christianity and Buddhism, it's much more ambiguous," she says.

"The kami sphere is like an upper layer, or heavenly land, above the human sphere, but the border is a bit unclear. Kami can come down and live amongst the humans."

Spirit monsters from sly to stupid​

But not all kami are respected, says Dr Bryce. Some might be "stupid and mischievous", others can be hostile.

Carole Cusack, a professor of religious studies at the University of Sydney and co-author of the book Anime, Religion and Spirituality, explains the more antagonistic spirits are usually referred to as "yōkai".

"Yōkai are ghosts, goblins, phantoms, and sometimes monsters or demons," she says.

"[But] they're not all fearsome or hated. There's a sort of situation in Japanese mythology and folklore where there's a capacity for these creatures to be both dangerous and attractive."

#DrampaSquad
 
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