Shintoism and Daoism in The Sound of Waves Carrie Liu 12th Grade

Shintoism is an ancient Japanese religion that initially focused on praying for good harvest with the start of Japan coinciding with the start of rice growing. Shinto followers believe in spirits that live in living things such as animals and plants, as well as natural places like mountains that follow the “way of the gods.” Because Japan’s early society was built on farming, Shintoism values an ordered and knowable patterns to produce great harvest, and it also reflects in Japanese family structure. Cleanliness is also an important value as it relates to helping things grow, so uncleanliness is associated with the lack of ability to thrive. Its values in nature, family, and purity have integrated into Japanese culture and is prevalent in Yukio Mishima’s novel The Sound of Waves.

Shinto followers believe in spirits, called kami, that exist in all aspects of nature. This emphasis on nature and is shown through the characters’ dependence on it throughout the novel. Shinji goes to the ocean to find peace in his daily toils. “The vast ocean stretched away from the prow [...] and gradually the sight of it filled his body with energy [...] and without realizing it he felt at peace again” (Mishima 13). The ocean symbolizes the ebb and...