Shinto, Nature and Ideology in Contemporary Japan is the first systematic study of Shinto's environmental turn. The book traces the development in recent decades of the idea of Shinto as an 'ancient nature religion,' and a resource for overcoming environmental problems. The volume shows how these ideas gradually achieved popularity among scientists, priests, Shinto-related new religious movements and, eventually, the conservative shrine establishment. Aike P. Rots argues that central to this development is the notion of chinju no mori: the sacred groves surrounding many Shinto shrines. Although initially used to refer to remaining areas of primary or secondary forest, today the term has come to be extended to any sort of shrine land, signifying not only historical and ecological continuity but also abstract values such as community spirit, patriotism and traditional culture. The book shows how Shinto's environmental turn has also provided legitimacy internationally: influenced by the global discourse on religion and ecology, in recent years the Shinto establishment has actively engaged with international organizations devoted to the conservation of sacred sites. Shinto sacred forests thus carry significance locally as well as nationally and internationally, and figure prominently in attempts to reposition Shinto in the centre of public space.

Through most of its long history, Japan had no concept of what we call "religion." There was no corresponding Japanese word, nor anything close to its meaning. But when American warships appeared off the coast of Japan in 1853 and forced the Japanese government to sign treaties demanding, among other things, freedom of religion, the country has to contend with this Western idea. In this book, Jason Ananda Josephson reveals how Japanese officials invented religion in Japan and traces the sweeping intellectual, legal, and cultural changes that followed. More than a tale of oppression or hegemony, Josephson's account demonstrates that the process of articulating religion offered the Japanese state a valuable opportunity. In addition to carving out space for belief in Christianity and certain forms of Buddhism, Japanese officials excluded Shinto from the category. Instead, they enshrined it as a national ideology while relegating the popular practices of indigenous shamans and female mediums to the category of "superstitions" - and thus beyond the sphere of tolerance. Josephson argues that the invention of religion in Japan was a politically charged, boundary-drawing exercise that not only extensively reclassified the inherited materials of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shinto to lasting effect, but also reshaped, in subtle but significant ways, our own formulation of the concept of religion today. This ambitious and wide-ranging book contributes an important perspective to broader debates on the nature of religion, the secular, science, and superstition.

The Ise shrine complex is among Japan's most enduring national symbols, and A Social History of the Ise Shrines: Divine Capital is the first book to trace the history of the shrines from their beginnings in the seventh century until the present day. Ise enshrines the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, the imperial ancestress and the most prominent among kami deities, and has played a vital role in Japan's social, political and religious history. The most popular pilgrims' attraction in the land from the sixteenth century onwards, in 2013 the Ise complex once again captured the nation's attention as it underwent its periodic rebuilding, performed once every twenty years. Mark Teeuwen and John Breen demonstrate that the Ise Shrines underwent drastic re-inventions as a result of on-going contestation between different groups of people in different historical periods. They focus on the agents responsible for these re-inventions, the nature of the economic, political and ideological measures they took, and the specific techniques they deployed to ensure that Ise survived one crisis after another in the course of its long history. This book questions major assumptions about Ise, notably the idea that Ise has always been defined by its imperial connections, and that it has always been a site of Shinto. Written by leading authorities in the field of Shinto studies, this is the essential history of Japan's most significant sacred site.

En ninguna obra de esta clase encontrar los eventos trascendentales de la historia de las Antiguas Escrituras narrados con tanta exactitud en el tiempo y con tanta evidencia b blica y fehaciente, fruto del estudio concienzudo y la investigaci n meticulosa de la palabra de Dios, realizados por el autor. La misma Biblia marca el tiempo de los acontecimientos. Nuestra tarea en esta obra fue buscar con la mayor exactitud posible las fechas en que ocurrieron hechos tan trascendentales como: La creaci n de Ad n, el diluvio, la genealog a de los patriarcas, el llamado de Abraham, el xodo de Israel de Egipto, la proclamaci n de los Diez Mandamientos, la inauguraci n del tabern culo en el desierto, la conquista de Cana n, el surgimiento del reino de Israel, la construcci n del Templo de Salom n, la divisi n del reino de Israel, el cautiverio asirio, la destrucci n de Jerusal n y su templo, el cautiverio babil nico, la reedificaci n del templo y de la ciudad, las profec as de tiempo del profeta Daniel, la 1ra venida de Jes s a la tierra, su bautismo, muerte y resurrecci n, su ascensi n al cielo; la destrucci n de Jerusal n y su templo por los romanos, la intercesi n sacerdotal de Cristo y much simas otras fechas m s. Esta obra corrige, con fundamento b blico, fechas establecidas por historiadores que no armonizan con la palabra de Dios.

Although most historical and contemporary religions are governed by men, there are, scattered throughout the world, a handful of well-documented religions led by women. Most of these are marginal, subordinate, or secondary religions in the societies in which they are located. The one known exception to this rule is the indigenous religion of Okinawa, where women lead the official mainstream religion of the society. This book is the first in-depth look at this unique religious tradition, exploring the intersection between religion and gender. Based on fieldwork in an Okinawan village, Susan Sered argues that the absence of male dominance in the religious sphere is part of a broader absence of hiearchical ideologies and cultural patterns. In addition to providing important information on this remarkable and little-studied group, this book helps to overturn our mostly unexamined assumptions that male dominance of the religious sphere is universal, axiomatic, and necessary.

An exploration of the rich complexity of the worship of the deity Inari in contemporary Japan. The work covers institutional and popular power in religion, the personal meaningfulness of religious figures and the communicative styles that preserve homogeneity in the face of factionalism.

This study presents the force of Shinto and the human mood, feelings and value-nuances which perpetuate it. . . . The author describes a Shinto shrine: examines the basic myth of creation and the Shinto conception of deity which has grown out of it. Festivals and rites are detailed, as well as the ultimate merging of religion and politics during the Meiji period and the state of Shinto today.

This work offers an understanding of the nature and manifestations of Shinto through the many historic festivals (matsuri). It approaches the classification of matsuri through discussions on Shinto, Buddhism, the Shinto-Buddhist synthesis, shrines and temples, deities, Buddhas and Deity-Buddhas, with the intention of enhancing an understanding of the nature of Japanese religion, and therefore Western conceptual undestanding of Japanese society itself. Photographs provide a pictoral data base of both contemporary life and times past.

This book focuses on the long history of what is arguably the most prestigious and influential festival in Japan - Kyoto's Gion festival. It explores this history from the festival's origins in the late 10th century to its post-war revival, drawing on Japanese historical studies and archival materials as well as the author's participant observation fieldwork. Exploring the social and political networks that have kept this festival alive for over a millennium, this book reveals how it has endured multiple reinventions. In particular, it identifies how at each historical juncture, different groups have found new purposes for the festival and adapted this costly enterprise to suit their own ends. The history of this festival not only sheds light on the development of Japanese festival culture as a whole, but also offers a window on Kyoto's history and provides a testing ground for recent festival theory.

Yijiang Zhong analyses the formation of Shinto as a complex and diverse religious tradition in early modern and Meiji Japan, 1600-1868. Highlighting the role of the god Okuninushi and the mythology centered on the Izumo Shrine in western Japan as part of this process, he shows how and why this god came to be ignored in State Shinto in the modern period. In doing so, Zhong moves away from the traditional understanding of Shinto history as something completely internal to the nation of Japan, and instead situates the formation of Shinto within a larger geopolitical context involving intellectual and political developments in the East Asian region and the role of western colonial expansion. The Origin of Modern Shinto in Japan draws extensively on primary source materials in Japan, many of which were only made available to the public less than a decade ago and have not yet been studied. Source materials analysed include shrine records and object materials, contemporary written texts, official materials from the national and provincial levels, and a broad range of visual sources based on contemporary prints, drawings, photographs and material culture.

This inspiring collection of writing from Tennessee preacher and farmer Ben Robert Alford provides a summary of his life's work. Dr. Alford articulates his ideas of Christian philosophy and practice for both the believer and the non-believer, in ways professional and personal. Selected from thousands of pages of documents by his son, Dance Of The Holy Nobodies preserves the legacy - and continues the ministry -- of a dedicated and grateful servant of God. "This book is a treasure. It is not simply a collection of insightful and inspiring sermons, essays, articles and other theological musings. It is, more importantly, a window into the heart and soul of a very special person." "If you are looking for thoughtful and insightful theological reflections, you have come to the right place. If you are in search of penetrating and astute church commentary, you have come to the right place. If you need inspirational and encouraging spiritual meditations, you have come to the right place. Dance of the Holy Nobodies is one of the most engaging books you will find." - from the foreword by Ted Brown, President of Martin Methodist College"

One of Japan's major religions, Shinto has no doctrines and there are no sacred texts from which religious authority can be derived. It does not have an identifiable historical founder, and it has survived the vicissitudes of history through rituals and symbols rather than through continuity of doctrine. Shinto is primarily a religion of nature, centered on the cultivation of rice, the basis of a culture with which the western world is not familiar in terms of either its annual cycle or the kind of lifestyle it generates. The roots of the Shinto tradition probably precede this and reflect an awareness of the natural order. The oldest shrines came to be located in places that inspired awe and wonder in their observers, such as the great Fall of Nachi in Kumano, or in mountains that conveyed a sense of power. The expanded second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Shinto relates the history of Shinto through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, and over 800 cross-referenced dictionary entries on Shinto concepts, significant figures, places, activities, and periods. Scholars and students will find the overviews and sources for further research provided by this book to be enormously helpful.

In shops, shrines, homes and gardens throughout Japan, at noisy festivals and in the most serene teahouses, you are likely to encounter the plump, smiling image of Otafuku--a mythic figure from Japan's distant past. With her twinkling eyes and rosy lips, she appears in countless incarnations: on banners, cups and bowls, and in craft, furniture, painting and sculpture. Who is this warm, wonderful lady, whose gentle and calming presence is felt everywhere in Japan? In Otafuku, renowned author Amy Katoh explores in her own inimitable way the colorful world of Otafuku. Katoh traces Otafuku's roots and folk beginnings, showing her many delightful identities, and providing a magical glimpse into this charming and little-known corner of Japanese culture. With a mixture of poems, photographs, anecdotes and stories, she presents a veritable jewel box of surprises that is sure to enchant readers. Today Otafuku is Japan's most influential female icon and is attributed with having many bestowing powers including health, pleasure, success, and the granting of wishes.

In Mountain Mandalas Allan G. Grapard provides a thought-provoking history of one aspect of the Japanese Shugendo tradition in Kyushu, by focusing on three cultic systems: Mount Hiko, Usa-Hachiman, and the Kunisaki Peninsula. Grapard draws from a rich range of theorists from the disciplines of geography, history, anthropology, sociology, and humanistic geography and situates the historical terrain of his research within a much larger context. This book includes detailed analyses of the geography of sacred sites, translations from many original texts, and discussions on rituals and social practices. Grapard studies Mount Hiko and the Kunisaki Peninsula, which was very influential in Japanese cultural and religious history throughout the ages. We are introduced to important information on archaic social structures and their religious traditions; the development of the cult to the deity Hachiman; a history of the interactions between Buddhism and local cults in Japan; a history of the Shugendo tradition of mountain religious ascetics, and much more. Mountain Mandalas sheds light on important aspects of Japan's religion and culture, and will be of interest to all scholars of Shinto and Japanese religion. Extensive translations of source material can be found on the book's webpage.

First Published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This volume investigates and presents the salient features of Shinto through a long history of development from its remote past up to the present. It is a historical study of Shinto from a scientific point of view, illustrating the higher aspects of the religion, compiled on strict lines of religious comparison.

Shinto, the national indigenous religion of Japan has supplied Japan with the basic structure of its mentality and behaviour. Although its classical texts have been translated into English this volume was the first major study of this important religion. The book is a complete picture of Shinto, its history and internal organization, its gods and mythology, its temples and priests, its moral and worship. The volume also describes the metaphysics, mystic and spiritual disciplines and overall is one of the most authentic and authoritative surveys of Shinto of the twentieth century.

This volume investigates and present the salient features of Shinto through a long history of development from its remote past up to the present. It is a historical study of Shinto from a scientific point of view, illustrating the higher aspects of the religion, compile on strict lines of religious comparison.

Written by one of the leading scholars on Japanese culture, this collection of papers centres on Shinto rites and festivals and shrine buildings. Among the topics covered are the imperial family and Shinto, the three great emperors, Yatagarasu, Yasoshima-No-Matsuri and Kamo Gejo Ryosha.