Shinto originated in Japan as a nature- and fertility-based religion in around 500 B.C. It was not given the name "Shinto", however, until the 8th century A.D. For more on the word "Shinto", click here.

At around the same time in Japanese history, the Yamato dynasty had established a solid rule over nearly all of Japan. The imperial family had recently been given divine status, and Buddhism, along with Shinto, was accepted as an official religion of Japan. In 794 A.D., the capital city of Japan was moved to what is now Kyoto.

Shinto has two major religious texts, the Nihongi and the Kojiki, which were first written in 700 A.D. "Nihongi" means "Chronicles of Japan"; "Kojiki" means "The records of ancient matters".

In the 18th century, Shinto was revived after years of relative dormancy. It quickly became an important national religion, due in large part to the contributions of a number of Shinto scholars such as Hirata Atsutane and Motoori Norinaga.

Until World War II, Shinto was divided into two primary sects: Sectarian Shinto and State Shinto. Sectarian Shinto was the more personal aspect of Shinto, emphasising the home and family. State Shinto was the official form of the religion, with special focus on the divinity of the Emperor. It was taught in schools as the official religion of Japan.

After the war, however, Japan's outlook on Shinto changed. State Shinto was abolished, and something akin to the separation of church and state occured. Shinto was no longer taught in schools, Shinto-related symbols were no longer employed for nationalistic purposes, and the Emperor signed a document renouncing Imperial divinity. Shinto had changed forever.

Despite the abolition of State Shinto, its Sectarian counterpart remained largely as before. During the mid-1990's, followers of Shinto numbered approximately 110 million in Japan alone. Interestingly enough, only 3.4 million of the citizens involved in the study listed Shinto as the only religion or path they followed.