ABSTRACT
The general tendency of the Shinto religion at the dawn of the historical period was towards the domination of the Sun-goddess over the numerous local deities and miscellaneous spirits. This was made possible by the growing power of the ruling family, the several subjugated clans bringing their respective clan cults under the hegemony of the Sun-goddess. The Shinto religion was deeply rooted in the soil of the national spirit, patriotism in the narrower but original sense. Just as men lived in communion with the gods and they together made up the communal life, so nature and the physical surroundings played a no less important part in moulding religious sentiment. Scrupulous fidelity to tradition is everywhere a characteristic of tribal religion. Belief in spirits was the basis of the ancient Shinto religion; but in spite of this, the conception of the human soul and its future conditions was very vague.
