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.

The diplomat and Japanese and Korean scholar William George Aston (1841-1911) wrote several highly regarded publications, particularly on the Japanese language. Condensed from his more comprehensive 1905 study of the subject, this 1907 work is a brief introduction to Shinto, the indigenous religion of Japan. Based on the worship of nature and ancestor spirits, Shinto has evolved throughout its history, particularly under Buddhist and Confucian influence. In the late nineteenth century it played a notable role in the revival of Japanese nationalism, and continued to be central to public life until 1945. This work focuses on describing Shinto's general character, and its myths and practices, drawing on early written sources based on the oral tradition. Aston's work has been criticised for its dependence on philological study of the early texts, but his expertise is undeniable. His groundbreaking History of Japanese Literature (1899) is also reissued in this series.

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"

The Armor of Amaterasu Ohkami is a collection of essays on the advanced practices of Shinto Magic, according to the Art of Ninzuwu Tradition. The reader should have a working knowledge of the Art of Ninzuwu and its philosophy. This text is not for the beginner. It can, however, be used as a reference for those interested in Esoteric Shinto.

This is a partial translation of one of the most important texts produced by Motoori Norinaga. It covers a wide range of Norinaga's thought and provides a lens onto his philological methodology, as well as how he viewed literature, poetry, history, linguistics, and Shinto.

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.

Starting with the explosion debris left behind after the supernova of a star this book gives a detailed account of the formation of the Earth and rest of the Solar System. With this foundational knowledge many biblical truths concerning our planet can be explained in scientific terms. These include the formation, only a few thousand years ago, of a raised dome of ice over one hemisphere (called the Firmament in the Bible), the sudden but cyclic changes in sea-levels exampled by Noah's Flood, the formation of the supercontinent Pangaea and its recent division into continents, the predicted horrific extra-terrestrial events of the Great Tribulation and the Great Fire which will all but destroy the Earth. This book is based on revelations given in the Bible as well as revelations made possible through the work of scientists over the last few centuries.

Every journey is an adventure, but when a major earthquake strikes Japan, triggering cataclysmic events, the author's travels are cut short. What starts out as a quest to discover the sacred meanings of the native Shinto religion, becomes something much more profound. When all of the fail-safe mechanisms at Fukushima Daiichi are overrun, and thirty million lives in the greater Tokyo region are in peril, everyone is forced to confront the reality that nuclear energy is not the "clean alternative" they were led to believe. Japan is the only country to have suffered the horror of atomic bombs, and the Japanese commitment to global nuclear disarmament is well known. But somehow, the resolve to see the dismantling of the world's nuclear arsenals didn't extend to the nuclear power industry. In the frightful days immediately after March 11th, 2011, the world awoke to the realization that nuclear power stations might be even more deadly than atomic bombs. The author chronicles the events as they occur, and reveals the uniquely Japanese way of remaining optimistic in the face of multiple catastrophes.

Every journey is an adventure, but when a major earthquake strikes Japan, triggering cataclysmic events, the author's travels are cut short. What starts out as a quest to discover the sacred meanings of the native Shinto religion, becomes something much more profound. When all of the fail-safe mechanisms at Fukushima Daiichi are overrun, and thirty million lives in the greater Tokyo region are in peril, everyone is forced to confront the reality that nuclear energy is not the "clean alternative" they were led to believe. Japan is the only country to have suffered the horror of atomic bombs, and the Japanese commitment to global nuclear disarmament is well known. But somehow, the resolve to see the dismantling of the world's nuclear arsenals didn't extend to the nuclear power industry. In the frightful days immediately after March 11th, 2011, the world awoke to the realization that nuclear power stations might be even more deadly than atomic bombs. The author chronicles the events as they occur, and reveals the uniquely Japanese way of remaining optimistic in the face of multiple catastrophes.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

1935. In 1912 Hepner was ordained and commissioned by the Board of Foreign Missions of The United Synod South as a Missionary to Japan. During his tenure there he acquired an unusual facility both in speaking and reading Japanese. Within a few years, he decided on Shinto as his special field of study and thus began the study that lead to this publication. This volume contains Hepner's dissertation on the Kurozumi Sect, which introduces academic circles of the Occident to the Culture Religion State of Shinto, and makes a valuable contribution in the field of Comparative Religion.

1935. In 1912 Hepner was ordained and commissioned by the Board of Foreign Missions of The United Synod South as a Missionary to Japan. During his tenure there he acquired an unusual facility both in speaking and reading Japanese. Within a few years, he decided on Shinto as his special field of study and thus began the study that lead to this publication. This volume contains Hepner's dissertation on the Kurozumi Sect, which introduces academic circles of the Occident to the Culture Religion State of Shinto, and makes a valuable contribution in the field of Comparative Religion.

1905. This work comprises an outline theory of the origin and earlier stages of the development of religion, prepared with special reference to the Shinto evidence. Contents: Materials for the Study of Shinto; General Features-Personification; General Features-Deification of Men; General Features-Functions of Gods, etc.; Myth; The Mythical Narrative; The Pantheon-Nature-Deities; The Pantheon-Man-Deities; The Priesthood; Worship; Morals, Law and Purity; Ceremonial; Magic, Divination, Inspiration; and Decay of Shinto. Modern Sects.

Richard Bowring describes in outline the development of Japanese religious thought and practice from the introduction of writing to the point at which medieval attitudes gave way to a distinctive pre-modern culture, a change that brought an end to the dominance of religious institutions. A wide range of approaches using the resources of art, history, social and intellectual history, as well as doctrine is brought to bear on the subject. The result is as full a picture as possible of the richness of the Japanese tradition as it succeeded in holding together on the one hand Buddhism, with its sophisticated intellectual structures, and on the other hand the disparate local cults that eventually achieved a kind of unity under the rubric of Shinto. An understanding of this process of constant and at times difficult interaction is essential to a deeper appreciation of Japan's history and its cultural achievements.