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Beginning in the clans and families of historic Japan,
seasonal agricultural rites were celebrated. Spirits or kami residing
in natural things provided a pervasive spiritual atmosphere. Shinto
moved through a time of state religion. Today the emphasis is on local,
nature based religious observance. Shrines host ritual observances,
rites of passage, and festivals. Every shrine has at least
one torii - a special gateway. It signifies the boundary between
the secular world and the sacred. Purification rituals grow out of a
concern over continuity, balance and purity in life.
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