> Shinto has been reduced to consist almost exclusively of ritual,
I really don't think this is true, or rather: it is a view shaped by biased expectations of how a "real" religion should look like, namely like the Abrahamic ones.
Shinto always was a religion of rituals that aim to gain some measure of control over a chaotic world.
>with little belief for gods,
That is definitely untrue - Shinto is all about gods. Just not omnipotent big-G Gods. Shinto Kami are approachable spirits of nature and places, who might grant you a boon if you do the right things and it is in their realm of responsibility.
>souls, or the afterlife.
Yes, Shinto does not have a concept of "soul" and doesn't concern itself much with an afterlife (that's why Japanese people get Buddhist funerals) - but why would it absolutely have to?
> religion of rituals that aim to gain some measure of control over a chaotic world
Yes, my experience is that most Japanese are into "actions/practice" more than philosophical "big ideas".
Ise Jingu is my favorite place anywhere; it is a place to stop thinking, become humble before nature and appreciate things as they are.
I think it's better classified as animism, though there is certainly some overlap.
But while Shinto priests' roles in the religion can be compared to that of shamans, Shinto doesn't actually place that much emphasis on them - individual and group practice also play a big role.
Interesting. It sounds like in shamanism the spirits are more "real". In Shinto it seems like a commonly agreed-upon belief that they exist. Shinto relishes the belief whereas Shamanism relishes the experience.
I really don't think this is true, or rather: it is a view shaped by biased expectations of how a "real" religion should look like, namely like the Abrahamic ones.
Shinto always was a religion of rituals that aim to gain some measure of control over a chaotic world.
>with little belief for gods,
That is definitely untrue - Shinto is all about gods. Just not omnipotent big-G Gods. Shinto Kami are approachable spirits of nature and places, who might grant you a boon if you do the right things and it is in their realm of responsibility.
>souls, or the afterlife.
Yes, Shinto does not have a concept of "soul" and doesn't concern itself much with an afterlife (that's why Japanese people get Buddhist funerals) - but why would it absolutely have to?