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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Oriental religions > Shintoism
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A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine (Hardcover)
Loot Price: R3,117
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A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine (Hardcover)
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What we today call Shinto has been at the heart of Japanese culture
for almost as long as there has been a political entity
distinguishing itself as Japan. A Year in the Life of a Shinto
Shrine describes the ritual cycle at Suwa Shrine, Nagasaki's major
Shinto shrine. Conversations with priests, other shrine personnel,
and people attending shrine functions supplement John K. Nelson's
observations of over fifty shrine rituals and festivals. He elicits
their views on the meaning and personal relevance of the religious
events and the place of Shinto and Suwa Shrine in Japanese society,
culture, and politics. Nelson focuses on the very human side of an
ancient institution and provides a detailed look at beliefs and
practices that, although grounded in natural cycles, are
nonetheless meaningful in late-twentieth-century Japanese society.
Nelson explains the history of Suwa Shrine, basic Shinto concepts,
and the Shinto worldview, including a discussion of the Kami,
supernatural forces that pervade the universe. He explores the
meaning of ritual in Japanese culture and society and examines the
symbols, gestures, dances, and meanings of a typical shrine
ceremony. He then describes the cycle of activities at the shrine
during a calendar year: the seasonal rituals and festivals and the
petitionary, propitiary, and rite-of-passage ceremonies performed
for individuals and specific groups. Among them are the Dolls' Day
festival, in which young women participate in a procession and
worship service wearing Heian period costumes; the autumn Okunchi
festival, which attracts participants from all over Japan and even
brings emigrants home for a visit; the ritual invoking the blessing
of the Kami for young children; and the ritual sanctifying the
earth before a building is constructed. The author also describes
the many roles women play in Shinto and includes an interview with
a female priest. Shinto has always been attentive to the protection
of communities from unpredictable human and divine forces and has
imbued its ritual practices with techniques and strategies to aid
human life. By observing the Nagasaki shrine's traditions and
rituals, the people who make it work, and their interactions with
the community at large, the author shows that cosmologies from the
past are still very much a part of the cultural codes utilized by
the nation and its people to meet the challenges of today.
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