Shimbutsudo
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| An icon based on the Araragi Temple pagoda, commonly associated with Shimbutsudo. | |
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| Classification | Syncretic between indigenous Tenzanese pantheon and Mahagaurava |
| Scripture | Kyūsaisho and Uzansho, White Flower Sutra |
| Theology | Partially Mahagaurava theology |
| Region | Tenzan |
| Primary religious body | Office of Temples and Shrines |
| Headquarters | Araragi Temple, Araragidono Ward, Keiyū; Amaba Shrine, Kamigata |
| Head of faith | Emperor Kongen (symbolic only) |
Shimbutsudo (Tenzanese: 神佛道 Shinbutsudō, lit. “Way of Gods and Prajnas”) is the Tenzanese ethnoreligion, built on a systematic syncretism between regional philosophy and worship of an indigenous pantheon, with Mahagaurava Nirvanist doctrines. In Shimbutsudo, both kami (神 kami, shin, “Gods”) and hotoke (佛 hotoke, butsu, “Prajnas,” also 般若 hannya, the default word for prajnas like in Nirvanism) are revered within a single integrated cosmology. Rather than seeing the kami as merely local and overshadowed by realization of transcendence, Shimbutsudo asserts that divinity and enlightenment interact: the kami embody the raw, built-in forces of nature, lineage, and place, while prajnas and jnasattvas represent the perfected, transcendent states of awakening.
Kami of Shimbutsudo
Central to Shimbutsudo is the layered link between kami and prajnas or jnasattvas, especially through frameworks around manifestation, with the two groups understood to have specific overlaps between each other. Whether godhood or enlightenment takes precedence is implicit, with kami related to the imperial household often having their godly nature emphasized, and the most common names of a kami coming with honorifics based on their most important characteristics, according to worshipers. The most notable of kami in Shimbutsudo are:
- Murasakinomiya no Kami (群咲󠄁之御屋神) - First of the gods of creation, god-jnasattva of the heavens, the North Star and all natural phenomena
- Ōsarafuruki no Sakarani (大皿古不離) - God-prajna of the universe, the land and medicine (see also Ikazuchiyake no Amagimi)
- Fushiki no Mikoto (不死氣命) - Brother-husband of Menari no Mikoto, god-prajna of creation, life, writing, hunting, fishing, medicine, knowledge and inner peace
- ↳ Kandatsukuri no Mikoto (神田造尊󠄂) - An aspect of Fushiki no Mikoto, as grandson of his own daughter Ikinagu; god-prajna of governance
- Menari no Mikoto (女成命) - Sister-wife of Fushiki no Mikoto, goddess-jnasattva of creation, life, the underworld and all-beneficence
- ↳ Ihōtoki no Sakashikami (伊法時賢神) - An aspect of Menari no Mikoto, as her own son whose birth was the cause of her mortal burning; god-jnasattva of fire
- Ikinagu no Ōkami (息和大神) - One of the spawns of Fushiki no Mikoto alone; manifestation of Fushiki no Mikoto's wisdom AND Menari no Mikoto; goddess-jnasattva of the sun, truth, compassion, phenomena and soul-guidance
- ↳ Komikado no Kami (黃御門神) - Descendant and son-in-law of Ikazuchiyake no Amagimi, manifestation of Ikinagu no Ōkami (thus Fushiki no Mikoto and Menari no Mikoto); god of nation-building, agriculture, writing, medicine, time, magic, wealth, luck, fertility and sexuality
- Yotsuki no Sakarani (良月不離) - One of the spawns of Fushiki no Mikoto alone; androgynous god-prajna of the moon and longevity (see also Emperor Shōmu)
- Ikazuchiyake no Amagimi (雷宅天君) - One of the spawns of Fushiki no Mikoto alone; manifestation of Ōsarafuruki no Sakarani; god-prajna of the sea, storms, fields, pestilence, health and medicine
- Mitakasa-hime no Mikoto (御高朝󠄁姬命) - First cousin once removed (aunt)-wife of Kandatsukuri no Mikoto, goddess of Mount Mitakasa, blossoms and life
- Oyahaha-hime no Amabito (親母姬天人) - Daughter of Ikazuchiyake no Amagimi, by ritual on his talisman through Ikinagu no Ōkami; goddess of water, the arts, learning, healing, love, luck and wealth
- Kisakitsuchi no Sakashikami (妃土賢神) - Manifestation of Ikinagu no Ōkami (thus Fushiki no Mikoto and Menari no Mikoto) and Oyahaha-hime no Amabito; goddess-jnasattva of crops, soil, the land, agriculture, industry, trade, foxes, fertility and success
- Emperor Soryū (祖龍皇帝󠄁 Soryū Kōtei) - Also Kamuyama Kotohokibiko no Mikoto (神山言祝彥尊󠄂); descendant of Ikinagu no Ōkami, first emperor of Tenzan by traditional order; considered founder of Tenzan
- Emperor Shōmu (正武皇帝󠄁 Shōmu Kōtei) - Also Shōmu Kenjin (正武賢人) or Masatake no Mikoto (正武尊󠄂); an aspect of Yotsuki no Sakarani; god-prajna of archery, warriors, fishermen and farmers; guardian of Tenzan
- Kūman Bukun Daitennin (空滿舞君大天人) - Personal name Hoshikawa no Fumizane (星川史實), combined manifestation of the gods; god-jnasattva of knowledge, learning, luck and immortality
Worshipers navigate between karmic currents, relationships with the divine, harmonious coexistence with the universe, and the search for liberation from suffering. Even with the imperial highlights, the religion remains largely pluralistic and regional, within a landscape where folklore and philosophy coexist to honor both primordial divinity and compassionate wisdom.
The Kyūsaisho and Uzansho (the two oldest Tenzanese books) hold a privileged role in Shimbutsudo as foundational mytho-historical texts, providing the genealogies and narratives that anchor the divine status of the imperial line and key kami within the national story. Alongside these, core Nirvanist scriptures such as the White Flower Sutra inform the religion's salvation and philosophy dimensions, shaping its understanding of enlightenment, karmic causality, and cosmic interdependence. Together, they form a dual canon, blending mythic legitimacy with spiritual universality.
Since its legal codification, despite no enforced absorption of Nirvanist temples in Tenzan, implicit institutional favoritism for shrines and temples declaring formally for Shimbutsudo instead of Nirvanism has eaten away at more purist Nirvanist practice, and reinforced the ethnoreligion's strength and place in the life of ethnic Uyama people, even in the years of the Rational Calendar. Nevertheless, Nirvanism continues to exist as a separate recognized religion in Tenzan.