Shinto Prayer for Peace

Shintoism is an ancient Japanese religion that is still practiced in modern Japan. Followers of Shintoism believe that spirits reside in everything in the natural world, including rivers, rocks, animals and the deceased. The rituals followed in the 20 steps that cover the preparation of the body through the placement of the ashes or burial of the body all focus on purification. The spirit of the deceased must be purified to join the spirit world, and the mourners and home of the deceased must be purified to remove the contamination of death

History

In Shintoism, death is impure and conflicting with the purity of their memorials, which is why cemeteries are not built near Shinto shrines. Because of the previous statement, most Japanese people have their Shinto funerals or Sosai from Buddhist funeral rites. The funerals are usually conducted by lay people and not priests because the contact with death would be too polluting for them.

The Prayer