As an indigenous religion in its ancient beginnings, Shinto had no known person or group as its founder, focused on living harmoniously with nature, and had unique creation stories and elements of shamanism. The heart of Shintoism is centered on the kami, who are the spirits that animate nature and govern its rhythms. They are associated with such features as trees, rivers and waterfalls, the ocean, and mountains. The kami also include gods and goddesses, animal spirits, and ancestors who have become kami. Because kami are everywhere and have power to influence human life, they must be treated with reverence. Homage is paid by visiting them at their shrines and by maintaining harmony with nature and its processes.

The moral philosophy of Shinto is twofold. First, one must behave respectfully toward spirits, human beings, and nature. Second, one must perform proper rituals of purification, cleanliness, and reverence. Shinto is silent on controversial ethical questions and lets the individual decide. Toward humans, one must honor obligations, be sincere, and not be egotistical. Mistakes can be corrected with apologies and repaid debts. Shinto regards human beings and the world as good. The focus is on blessings in this life, such as new life and fertility, health, and wealth.

Shinto was forced to define itself with the introduction of Buddhism from China in the sixth century. Over the years there was a blending and accommodation with Shinto and both Buddhism and Chinese Confucianism. Buddhism was valued for its philosophy, help with serious illness, funerals, and the afterlife, whereas Shinto was associated with agriculture, fertility, and birth. Shinto shrines adopted certain Buddhist practices and Chinese architectural details. Buddhist temples often included Shinto shrines. Confucianism was more easily incorporated with its veneration of ancestors and emphasis on family and clan loyalties. Shinto came to reinforce Confucian values of respect for the emperor, care for juniors, self-discipline, and love of learning.

Shinto has provided a sense of national identity for the Japanese through its ancient practices and close ties to the land. Also attractive are mythological stories about the divine origin of the islands and of a people loyal to an emperor who was descended from the sun goddess. There is a felt sense of family with all members of the nation. When Shinto was nearly assimilated by Buddhism, priests demanded an independent Shinto. The movement eventually led to the Meiji Restoration in the nineteenth century. Thereafter Shinto served a growing spirit of nationalism and militaristic expansionism that culminated in World War II.

Shinto practices include shrine visits; blessings done by priests at the shrines and in the community; participating in festivals and seasonal holidays, especially New Years; water purifications; and making offerings and prayer at home shrines. Perhaps because of a lack of organizational structure, Shinto has generated an amazing variety of sects that often borrow from Confucianism, Buddhism, and even Christianity. Offshoots that consider themselves separate religions are called the "New Religions." Shinto's esteem for nature, its silence on most moral and doctrinal questions, its aesthetically pleasing rituals, and its eclecticism may have modern significance well beyond the shores of Japan.