ShintoResources

This page is a detailed summary of all Shinto-related major historical events until 1945. This does not cover events in the Kojiki/Nihon Shoki.

5000 BC - Early Jomon Period

While Jomon adjacent cultures existed prior, the Jomon traditions are the earliest substrata of Shinto's makeup. By the same token used in the West for religions like Judaism, Vedic/Sanatana Dharma, and Jains, this could be an argument for Shinto having similar "oldest still-practiced" claims, erspecially since Judaism and others have too significantly changed.

3000 BC - Magatama begin in the architectural records.

Magatama are curved, comma-shaped jewelry with a hole punched in one end. They still hold meaning in modern Shinto practices. Some contend (e.g. in "Nihon Daihyakka Zensho") that the dating is closer to 1000 BC but provide no further substantiation on this argument.

600-300 BC - Yayoi People arrive in the Nihonic Archipelago

The identity of the Yayoi aren't known, but theories of their origins includ Southern Korea, the modern day Jiangsu/Zhejiang provinces of China (but not a Han speaking culture), Baiyue people of modern Yunnan, and indigenous people from Vietnam or Hainan. Similarly, we know little in absolutes of their language, only that it influenced Old Japanese extensively. However, their greatest contributions to Shinto are in the gods they brought with them, which in time would become part of the modern family of kami. Notably, many Kojiki and Nihon Shoki kami are believed to be of Yayoi origin. The Yayoi also influeced modern Shinto iconography and architecture.

97 BC - First reliably dated Emperor, Sujin begins his reign.

Prior emperors are doubted for a variety of reasons, namely unreliable date ranges, lack of artifacts etc. Suijin has a tomb that's dedicated to him, and other bits lead most secular historians to agree he may have existed. Prior Emperors are regarded to be, much like Xia Dynasty of China a potential basis on legendary kings or local chieftains -- this is of course the secular view.

57AD - ~300AD - Early Chinese-Japanese contact records early Japanese and Shinto customs

Early Chinese contact occurred in the Late Han and Warring States periods, as Emperors of China sent tribute to Japan. 3rd century texts indicate that the clapping during prayers, eating off wood trays and eating raw fish, all recognizable aspects of traditional Japan in the modern age. Himiko is also mentioned during this era.

4BC - Ise Jingu Founded

The Ise Jingu claims its founding in 4BC -- there is some loss of precision due to a Gregorian calendar being in use however.

552AD - Buddhism arrives in the Asuka Period

The Buddhist invasion of Japan forever altered history. It is traditionally believed to have spread from the Nara Prefecture. One of the earliest clans who advocated Buddhism was the Soga clan, who came into conflict with the Mononobe clan.

587 AD - The Mononobe clan is defeated, allowing the spread of Buddhism

The Mononobe clan fought a 35 year war which ended at the Battle of Mount Shigi. The Mononobe clan name was rendered extinct, and Buddhism spread into Japan.

645 AD – Taika Reforms and the Centralization of Imperial Authority

Following the Isshi Incident, the Taika Reforms restructured Japan’s governance, moving toward a centralized, Chinese-style imperial state. Shinto shrines became tied more directly to the court’s ritual calendar, with kami veneration increasingly linked to imperial legitimacy.

701 AD – Taihō Code and State Regulation of Shrines

The Taihō Code (Taihō Ritsuryō) formalized a system for ranking and supporting shrines (*shakaku seido*). The state began appointing priests to certain shrines and using them for state rites. This is one of the earliest examples of the Japanese state administratively organizing Shinto for political purposes.

927 AD – Engishiki Codifies Rituals

The *Engishiki*, completed in the Heian period, provided a detailed list of 2,861 officially recognized shrines and prescribed the rituals and offerings for each. This document remains one of the most important early records of Shinto liturgy.

1603 AD – Tokugawa Shogunate and Shrine Oversight

Under the Tokugawa bakufu, Shinto remained intertwined with Buddhism (*shinbutsu shūgō*), but the state exercised greater oversight over religious institutions. Shrines often had Buddhist priests attached, and syncretic worship was the norm.

1868 AD – Meiji Restoration and the Separation of Kami and Buddhas (*Shinbutsu Bunri*)

The new Meiji government implemented policies forcibly separating Shinto from Buddhism. Buddhist imagery was removed from shrines, and the state elevated Shinto as a moral-ideological pillar for the new nation. This triggered the *haibutsu kishaku* (“abolish Buddhism, destroy Shākyamuni”) movement, leading to widespread destruction of Buddhist property.

1871 AD – Creation of the *Kanpei Taisha* System

The state ranked shrines into an imperial hierarchy (*Kanpei* for government-supported, *Kokuhei* for national importance, and other local ranks). High-ranking shrines performed state ceremonies reinforcing imperial authority.

1882 AD – Formal Division into State and Sect Shinto

The Meiji government created a distinction between: