Creation & Destruction Myth

This myth states the coming of the Japanese islands. Both gods and goddesses took part in this myth; this aspect is thought to be a Chinese influence. The gods and goddesses are believed to be human in appearance, thought, speech and deed. The female had a very subservient role, and the males are usually the ones to speak first. When the goddesses spoke first, it was considered rude and unethical. However, one of the main Japanese deities is actually a woman.

Afterlife

Shintoism believes that some sort of link is broken a few decades after a person’s death. The link might be the souls attachment to the world, as the soul finally leaves this earth, or that it loses its individuality and becomes part of the guardian spirit. Shinto lore suggests that the sul has multiple sections that can act and move around individually, so that different parts of the soul have different afterlives, such as one part being reincarnated, etc.