Within Shinto, moral understanding does not arise from a codified scripture or a fixed set of commandments, but from living in attunement with the kami, the community, and the natural world. Ethical life is framed less as obedience to universal rules and more as a continual effort to maintain harmony, or *wa*, in concrete situations. Myths, rituals, and local customs function as the primary guides, shaping a sensibility in which actions are evaluated by their impact on communal balance and spiritual clarity. In this way, morality is contextual and relational, grounded in the fabric of everyday life rather than in abstract doctrine.

A central axis of Shinto ethics is the distinction between purity and impurity. Rather than focusing on “sin” as moral guilt, Shinto speaks of *tsumi* or *kegare*, forms of pollution or disorder that arise from death, blood, disease, emotional disturbance, or harmful actions. Such states are understood as disruptions of the proper relationship between humans, nature, and the kami. The appropriate response is not primarily punishment, but *harai* or *harae*, acts of ritual purification that restore harmony and spiritual cleanliness. Moral failure, in this view, is less a permanent stain than a condition to be cleansed so that life can flow smoothly again.

Ethical conduct also expresses itself through certain cherished virtues and social responsibilities. Sincerity (*makoto*)—a pure, genuine heart—is regarded as more important than rigid rule-following, and gratitude (*kansha*) toward kami, ancestors, nature, and community is seen as a natural outgrowth of recognizing one’s dependence on a larger order. Modesty, self-restraint, and careful attention to relationships help prevent the disruptions that lead to impurity. Fulfilling one’s roles within family and society, respecting elders and ancestors, and giving precedence to collective well-being over individual desire all serve to uphold the delicate web of harmony that Shinto seeks to protect.

Finally, Shinto ethics are markedly this-worldly, oriented toward the flourishing of life here and now. Good actions are those that support health, fertility, prosperity, and the seasonal rhythms celebrated in festivals, thereby aligning human activity with the natural and spiritual environment. Living ethically thus means honoring the presence of kami in the landscape, in the community, and in ancestral lines, and responding with reverence, gratitude, and sincerity. Morality becomes a matter of maintaining right relationships—through proper conduct, ritual purification, and heartfelt intention—so that the world remains a place where humans and kami can coexist in mutual blessing.