Zoroastrianism and Shinto Religion

Zoroastrianism, the original religion of Iran, has been practiced since almost the beginning of the first millennium BCE; on the other hand, Shinto has been the original religion of the Japanese people, dating from the 7th century BCE. Thus, any attempt to find any similarity between these two religions, which belong to different epochs and regions, may seem rather futile. However, the present paper is concerned with an attempt to consider the similarities between researches on such issues as: the resemblance between Ahura Mazda and Amaterasu Omikami, the Sun-Goddess in Shinto; fire worship in their early stages of development; duality; the emphasis upon the purity of man's heart and not his outward conduct; the belief in righteousness, truthfulness,sincerity, and uprightness; and finally the pragmatic nature of both religions. It should also be pointed out that since the present paper is the transcript of a lecture delivered by Mr. Genchi Kato, it lacks the in-text citations; yet, it can provide the field of comparative studies with worthwhile clues.