Product Description

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.

Product Description
For more than a thousand years, the religious Shinto rituals of Japan have celebrated Nature's spiritual power to heal, strengthen, and enlighten.In SHINTO MEDITATIONS, these ancient devotions to the Earth will inspire readers to cultivate a new spirit of reverence for the spirituality of the natural world that surrounds us.With each meditation--gazing up into the treetops, listening to thunder, feeling the rain fall on our skin--we awaken to the cosmic content within each of us.Readers will learn how to conduct misogi (the Shinto ritual waterfall purification) and find more information about Shinto practice in North America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Well done
This book was very well done, and I have found it quite useful.

Let us pray
This was not totally what I was expecting, but that is not a bad thing.I guess I was thinking more of a book of ponderables as opposed to a devotional.That being said, this is the first Shinto related book I have read.Maybe not the best to start with if you are just beginning your journey into Shintoism.Not to say it is a bad book; perhaps as I delve more into Shintoism, I will appreciate it better (I have two or three other books on Shinto to read).But it is a good way to see how a Shinto prayer service (for lack of better terminology) would go.

It does explain how one can do these devotionals alone and how the whole waterfall ceremony works, which was very interesting.I would have to say if you are familiar with Shinto, but unfamiliar with the devotional process, pick this up, it will help.If not, shelve this book until you get more familiar. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

A people, a land and a way...
Once upon a time, the Sun Goddess gave a man a string of jewels, a mirror and a sword and in this way, the first Japanese Emperor was commissioned.

This book, written over fifty years ago, tells the story of that commission and where Shinto, the Kami way, has taken the Japanese in the long years since.

For those looking for a thorough review of this religion, other sources may be preferable.But for the uninformed about Shinto (which is basically everyone in the United States) this book is highly recommended reading for learning more about this ancient faith.

As a student of religion, it's also interesting in the comparative.The Kami way, or life attitudes that Shinto teaches, seem very similar to the Buddhist eightfold way which probably isn't so unusual owing to the close connection that has developed between Shinto and Buddhism in the twenty odd centuries the two religions have been in close proximity.

It's also interesting to contemplate Shinto as a religion of a people, a land and way and think of the comparison that can be made between Shinto and that other people centered faith, Judaism.What historical circumstances have operated to move one in one direction and the other in another direction.Could it be true that mere historical circumstance has contributed to some of the differences that now exist between the two faiths?

However, even on its own merits, an examination of Shinto is fascinating and illuminating.Professor Ono was highly qualified to write this introduction and it's highly recommended.

a bare-bones introduction, but worth it
As someone who is interested in all things Japanese, I was really excited to read Dr. Sokyo Ono's Shinto: The Kami Way. This book is held as the standard introduction to Shinto for Western readers, and for the most part, I wasn't disappointed. The author, a recognized expert on the subject, presents Shinto to the reader in plain, simple language. The bare essentials of Shinto are explored, including the architecture and layout of Shinto shrines and the rituals and festivals that are celebrated within. Unfortunately, I was seeking a more philosophical discussion of Shinto, and the author really only includes a short chapter in the back of the book that delves into the actual beliefs of Shinto. Still, the influence of Shinto on the daily life of the Japanese is addressed throughout the book and gives Western readers a glimpse into the way the Japanese have evolved along with their indigenous beliefs. I would recommend this book to all readers interested in world religions and philosophies. This is definitely a must-read for anyone who hopes to understand the Japanese people even a little bit.

A good introduction to Shinto
If you are a beginner in the learning of Shinto, you have in this book a good introduction; SHINTO: THE KAMI WAY describes the basic fundaments, for example: introduction to Shinto, types of Shinto, Shrines, festivals, social and political characteristics, Shinto history.
Moreover the book has many illustrations, this way is more easy and interesting for learn and understand The Kami Way.

Interesting
This was a good introduction to Shintoism.It is pretty basic, but it gives you a good foundation of the system.This skims the surface and gives you enough to get a good idea of how things work. It also gives you the framework to delve deeper into Shintoism and actually understand what they are talking about.

Concise and informative for those want to know the basics and get a deeper understanding of Japanese culture
This brief volume covers the essentials of Shinto and is a great introduction to the subject for Western audiences who wish to have a deeper understanding of Japanese culture, history and especially religious context.

This is a delightful and engaging read by a respected author.Depending upon your purposes, it may be all you need.If you are a very serious student of Japanese culture or world religions, you may want to take it as a good starting point on this topic. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Unfortunate Typos....
I found the thesis of the book exciting, a perspective that has not been studied much: interpreting the imperial throne through legal documents.The book traces and illustrates well how one interpretation became dominant in broad academic discourse and people behind it.Such investigation responds, in one way, to a long-standing question of the role of intellectuals in 1930s and 40s Japan.While I agree with the previous reviewer in many respects, the book certainly brought about an overlooked insight about the wartime Japan and its intellectual history.

What ticked me off was rather petty---typos, yet became grave---throughout the book---to the extent that some of them certainly confuse readers.For example, Minoda Muneki is introduced as "Minoda Kyôki" then switched to "Muneki," and returned to "Kyôki."Similarly, on page 233, Tô Katsuaki is misspelled as "Fuji" Katsuaki, while Kajikawa Hikaru as "Kajiwara Hikaru.""Konuma Tadashi" on p. 236 is usually referred as Onuma Shô.Some names miss macrons while other names have extra macrons.Especially, the book does not contain "Kanji," such misspelling can be fatal.

Despite an exciting thesis, I was very much distracted by typos.... which is very unfortunate.

A gag-inducing neoconservative screed with no basis in reality
I am mystified as to why this book was published by an academic press. The theory Skya provides is so patently ludicrous that any Japanologist would have dismissed it before he finished the introduction, and probably recommend that Skya get fired from whatever sad-sack institution he teaches at. Every page of this book has the words "radical Shinto ultranationalism" on it, in that order. Why he chose this phrase is never explained. Why are all these writers "radical"--were they not influential figures in contemporary Japanese society? What is the difference between friendly, familiar Western nationalism and Japanese "ultranationalism"? What makes it "ultra"? Does it provide twice the nationalism of an ordinary nationalist, like concentrated laundry detergent? And finally, most importantly, what the heck does he mean by "Shinto"? He seems to be relying on the theory of D.C. Holtom, a now discredited 1930s missionary who claimed that Japanese nationalism was religious in tone. But the Japanese government, importantly, considered its fascist techniques to be secular.

Skya is either unaware of State Shinto's claim to secularity or purposefully omits it. Instead, he parallels Japanese nationalism to Mark Juergensmeyer's "ethnic-religious nationalisms", in contrast to "Western-style secularized nationalisms". (3) Obviously, Skya is rooting for the allegedly nonsectarian and Western side of the clash of civilizations rather than the "religiously bound" rebels. He's a plain old neoconservative. But what makes Japanese values more religious than our own? This is not directly answered, but an answer is alluded to: their strangeness and foreignness. For Skya, kamikaze attacks in World War II were not just an example of a different set of wartime values, despite their historical precedent, but were rather a "fanatical" and possibly "mentally deranged" expression of "State Shinto ideology", as opposed to sane, sober, and secular Western tactics like remote-controlled missiles and atomic bombs. (7) Because he is so committed to searching for some hidden philosophical narrative being exploited by the state, he makes bizarre historical errors like attributing hakkou ichiu to ancient "Shinto doctrine" rather than recognizing it as an invention of late 1930s ideologues, (25) or claiming roughly everything Japanese ideologues wrote about the state to be a product of "Shinto", including an article on Amida Buddha. (201)

Use this book as toilet paper. ... Read more

Product Description
THIS BOOK WILL HELP YOU

• to appreciate the significance of Japan’s own religion in everyday life

• to recognize the key traditions and festivals (matsuri) of the Shinto year

• to understand what you will see at Shinto shrines and in Shinto rituals

• to gain insights into the controversies surrounding Shinto, politics and nationalism

ACCESS THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS

Simple Guides: Religion is a series of concise, accessible introductions to the world’s major religions. Written by experts in the field, they offer an engaging and sympathetic description of the key concepts, beliefs and practices of different faiths.

Ideal for spiritual seekers and travellers alike, Simple Guides aims to open the doors of perception. Together the books provide a reliable compass to the world’s great spiritual traditions, and a point of reference for further exploration and discovery. By offering essential insights into the core values, customs and beliefs of different
societies, they also enable visitors to be aware of the cultural sensibilities of their hosts, and to behave in a way that fosters mutual respect and understanding. ... Read more

Product Description
Did a Shinto Priest save the world? A few years before the Berlin Wall came down, a mysterious Shinto priest in Japan broke a holy sword into 108 pieces. The priest then called on his followers to place the pieces throughout the world so that the threat of thermonuclear destruction would be nullified.

Mikkel Aaland was one of the people drawn into the circle of those placing the gods. Readers get an insider's view of sacred Shinto ceremonies as the holy pieces are placed at key sites in order to form a complete magnetic web of goodwill and positive energy.

A few months after completing their task, the Soviet Empire crumbled. You too will become a believer after reading this powerful memoir of Aaland's journey toward personal and world peace. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

On Becoming
Having just finished 'Sword of Heaven' earlier today, i am left with what i'd imagine to be one of Mikkel Aaland's intentions in documenting such a monumental nearly two-decade long endeavour; i am left inspired and ever the more forward looking. What struck me most about his account of placing the broken shards of such an auspicious and revered piece of Shinto tools/iconography is how dilligent he is in keeping us intimately close to the stream of emotions and consciousness throughout; as if we were in his back pocket the whole time, learning his lessons, eaves-dropping on the conversations, and getting lost and confused and frustrated with him every step on the way to inner and outter peace. I am grateful for the photographs that inaugurate each chapter, it only furthers a sense of inextricable union with Mr. Aaland's journey and our outside-in perspective. Furthermore, those photos really drive home the fact that such an incredible "five continent odyssey to save the world" actually happened. Having my incredulity at such a feat (in the greatest sense of the word) continuously trumped by the constant reminder that the Shinto Peace Project actually took place on this plane, this corporeal reality, was a gift; it's a pleasure amongst pleasures to balance the cynicism that is induced via bombardment of media coverage ofwars/crime/murder/rape with the inspiration that is induced with a book that proves that happiness, though may be arduously hard-earned, is indeed possible for each of us as we define it and in our own terms.

With this book in my life, i feel as though the space occupied within the walls of my apartment and the space occupied within the cells of my body is perceptibly warmer as is evidenced by my increased attention to not so much 'being' anything per se, but on the process of 'becoming'.

The fate of the world is in YOUR hands!
One cannot read this exciting book without considering in a new light some old and fundamental questions: 'Does my life REALLY make a difference in the grand scheme?''Is it possible that what I do in each moment of eachday DIRECTLY DETERMINES whether or not human civilization advances orfails?'Mr. Aaland subtly raises these questions by sharing the remarkablestory of his life over the last two decades, and leaves one wondering: Didhe and his allies IN FACT bring down the Berlin Wall, end apartheid, andreverse the spiral of nuclear proliferation?These are all worthyquestions, and Mr. Aaland's way of framing them-the way of the exceptionalraconteur-is delightful.

From a Native American Partcipant
I was also involved in putting the Sword of Heaven. I am a Native American religious teacher. I placed the Kami at the Trinity site in New Mexico. The subtle beauty and integral integrity of this story is a great study forthose living in an increasingly mannerless and faith-less American Society.I strongly recomend this book to those whose hearts really believe inPeace..... Turtle Heart Ojibway Ahnishikad

This is the best book I have read in years!
The author shares his experiences in a way that is perfect.I am going to give it to several friends this holiday. Inspirational.A Must for anyone.

Celebration of an Opportunity.
Reading "The Sword Of Heaven" gave me an opportunity to celebrate with the author an event that comes to very few beings on the planet.He could have given up so many times and not resumed taking upwhat intuitively urged him to go on and perhaps helped all of us whosincerely wish we could participate in such anundertaking. Thank you forhaving the courage to respond to your inner longings and for writing thisbook which lets us know that there is daily uplifting of consciousness onthe planet happening on a global scale.We are deeply moved and gratefulthat you celebrated this opportunity. ... Read more

Product Description
Ritual is too often equated with unvarying and repetitive behavior. This impression is encouraged by the ethnographic tendency toward an overly narrow time frame, which highlights current relationships and conditions rather than long-term developments. THE ROUSING DRUM takes a different view.It adopts a historical perspective encompassing several hundred years in exploring the role of ritual as an effective medium for negotiating sociopolitical and economic change.

The setting is Furukawa, a town located in Japan's mountainous interior.Every spring the local Shinto shrine festival provides an opportunity for enacting social relationships and attitudes. By day, a portable shrine containing the spirit of the guardian deity is escorted through town in a stately procession. At night, however a different scenario unfolds.A barrel-shaped drum is borne through the streets on a massive grid-like platform. Prominent members of the community are obliged to ride upon the platform, while teams of young adults rush out and attack it as it passes through their respective neighborhoods. The action can become quite unruly, and random fights and injuries are accepted as inevitable correlates.

In analyzing the festival over time, Schnell reveals a dramatic transformation. The drum ritual, which originated as a minor preliminary to the other events, emerged during the late 1800s as an occasion for airing hostilities and settling scores. As Japan's modernization progressed, the ritual performance came to embody a symbolic challenge to institutionalized authority, and occasionally escalated into politically motivated violence. While the religious ceremonies observed during the day were appropriated by local power holders, the night-time drum ritual represented a folk response to the officially sanctioned liturgy. The festival as a whole thus represented the clash of competing ideologies within the context of a single public forum. Today's ritual, rather tame by comparison, is being transformed into a tourist attraction aligned with the town's economic development objectives.

Schnell's careful examination of the ethnohistorical data offers a valuable new perspective on Japanese festivals as well as the events and conditions that influence their development. His innovative look at ritual behavior over time persuades us that we can grasp the underlying significance of such activities only if we consider them within the context of larger historical patterns. ... Read more

Product Description

Towering over the Kanto Plain, the sacred mountain oyama (literally, “Big Mountain”) has loomed large over the religious landscape of early modern Japan.

By the Edo period (1600–1868), the revered peak had undergone a transformation from secluded spiritual retreat to popular pilgrimage destination. Its status as a regional landmark among its devotees was boosted by its proximity to the shogunal capital and the wide appeal of its amalgamation of Buddhism, Shinto, mountain asceticism, and folk beliefs. The influence of the oyama cult—the intersecting beliefs, practices, and infrastructure associated with the sacred site—was not lost on the ruling Tokugawa shogunate, which saw in the pilgrimage an opportunity to reinforce the communal ideals and social structures that the authorities espoused.

Barbara Ambros provides a detailed narrative history of the mountain and its place in contemporary society and popular religion by focusing on the development of the oyama cult and its religious, political, and socioeconomic contexts. Richly illustrated and carefully researched, this study emphasizes the importance of “site” or “region” in considering the multifaceted nature and complex history of religious practice in Tokugawa Japan.

Product Description
The Protocol of the Gods is a pioneering study of the history of relations between Japanese native institutions (Shinto shrines) and imported Buddhist institutions (Buddhist temples). Using the Kasuga Shinto shrine and the Kofukuji Buddhist temple, one of the oldest and largest of the shrine-temple complexes, Allan Grapard characterizes what he calls the combinatory character of pre-modern Japanese religiosity. He argues that Shintoism and Buddhism should not be studied in isolation, as hitherto supposed. Rather, a study of the individual and shared characteristics of their respective origins, evolutions, structures, and practices can serve as a model for understanding the pre-modern Japanese religious experience.Spanning the years from a period before historical records to the forcible separation of the Kasuga-Kofukuji complex by the Meiji government in 1868, Grapard presents a wealth of little-known material. He includes translations of rare texts and provides new, accessible translations of familiar documents. ... Read more

Product Description
Helen Hardacre, a leading scholar of religious life in modern Japan, examines the Japanese state's involvement in and manipulation of shinto from the Meiji Restoration to the present. Nowhere else in modern history do we find so pronounced an example of government sponsorship of a religion as in Japan's support of shinto. How did that sponsorship come about and how was it maintained? How was it dismantled after World War II? What attempts are being made today to reconstruct it? In answering these questions, Hardacre shows why State shinto symbols, such as the Yasukuni Shrine and its prefectural branches, are still the focus for bitter struggles over who will have the right to articulate their significance.

Where previous studies have emphasized the state bureaucracy responsible for the administration of shinto, Hardacre goes to the periphery of Japanese society. She demonstrates that leaders and adherents of popular religious movements, independent religious entrepreneurs, women seeking to raise the prestige of their households, and men with political ambitions all found an association with shinto useful for self-promotion; local-level civil administrations and parish organizations have consistently patronized shinto as a way to raise the prospects of provincial communities. A conduit for access to the prestige of the state, shinto has increased not only the power of the center of society over the periphery but also the power of the periphery over the center. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Why is this sold as religious studies??
I got a nit to pick with this book. The research itself was extremely well done, but the theory is moronic. Why is this part of a series called "Studies in Church and State", when the only institutional actor in this book is the State? You heard me right-- this is a book on "Studies in State and State". There is no conflict to be discussed. Come to think of it, why does such a series like this even exist, since a minimal amount of critical thinking will reveal that "The Church" is a Christian technical term (a holdover from the bad old days of established churches, actually) with no international parallel? Does anyone REALLY think this will help history students understand the differences between cultures?!

It's not like Helen Hardacre isn't aware of this foolishness. For example, she correctly states in the Introduction that "in pre-Meiji Japan there existed no concept of religion as a general phenomenon" (18) and that "there has been much discussion of whether it is appropriate to consider Shinto a religion" (10). But THEN, in the SAME short section, she claims that pre-Meiji visitors "could take in the secular delights of Ise ... not all [of the Jingu's attractions] were of a religious nature" (referring to brothels). (16) In doing so, she takes up two ideological positions. First, she makes an accusation about the nature of Ise's brothels, for there is of course no rule in sociology or anthropology that brothels cannot be religious. Moreover the Jingu's staff could not have defended themselves against such an accusation, for there was no concept of religion at the time. Secondly, she contradicts the supposed neutrality of even this short introduction, for now the Jingu is a primarily "religious" attraction--simply one that was in the past dirtied by Japan's barbaric mixture of the sacred and the profane.

We find this contradiction as well in more important statements about the invention of State Shinto. Again, "when ideas about religion originating in Europe and Asia came to Japan, they entered a society that had no equivalent concept or term, no idea of a distinct sphere of life that could be called religious ... the Japanese found it necessary to develop their own term for the various Western-language words for religion." (63) However, for some reason this functions the beginning rather than the end of Hardacre's concern with "religion" as a category, and the end rather than the beginning of her complaint with it. Just a few pages later she cleverly rewrites the Occupation assertion of State Shinto's religiousness into an apparent non-assertion, stating that "in the Meiji period, for the first time in Japanese religious history, shrine affiliations became ... defined as nonreligious in character." (83; emphasis added) According to what she stated herself before, Japan did not have a religious history, so why is it being brought up here? A parallel statement may put the ideological grounding of this sentence into perspective: "Following evangelical Christian objections, for the first time in the religious history of aikido, bowing to one's sensei became defined as nonreligious in character." Merely by referencing the category as if it was there all along--unnecessarily, in my opinion--the claim of Shinto's secular nature is negated.

Hardacre again masquerades assertions as statements while discussing the introduction of religious freedom: "The status of Shinto remained ambiguous, with a growing tendency to separate it from the sphere of religion and to align it instead with custom and patriotism." (120) First of all, has there ever been any doubt that visits to shrines are a Japanese custom? If not, then what is the meaning of the suggestion that it became "aligned with" custom, and why does it start its journey towards custom in the "sphere of religion"--a sphere that Hardacre has already twice acknowledged did not exist in Japan before Western involvement? What she may have meant here is that State Shinto was a patriotic, or national, custom, and similarly public customs in the West do not involve references to kami. But to rewrite the sentence in this way would actually change its meaning. State Shinto never left the sphere of kami, and it was always in the sphere of custom, so there is no ambiguity on this subject whatsoever except for its conflict with our own categories. The real ambiguity for most Japanese was that it was implemented as an invented custom, a bottom-up popular tradition that was reinvented by the state as patriotism and recommunicated from the top down.

Hardacre concludes this section with the statement that "we have seen ... that much of Japanese religiosity, especially shrine life, was in essence liturgical and communal in character." (121) It is hard to say what the word "religiosity" and its accompanying generalization adds to this discussion. It waters down her claim and unnecessarily injects an assertion about religiousness with no small ideological implications. If this sentence were written "we have seen that Japanese shrine life was communal in character", it would be both more specific and more accurate.

All in all, the theory in this book serves to mystify and confuse the readers. I hope a better book will be written shortly to edify American academics about the invention of the Japanese state. ... Read more

Product Description
Honor: Samurai Philosophy of Life - The Essential Samurai Collection is comprised of three of the most influential books on the Samurai philosophy of honor and life.The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi is a text on kenjutsu and the martial arts in general, written by the samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi circa 1645. It is considered a classic treatise on military strategy, much like Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Chanakya's Arthashastra. There have been various translations made over the years, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than only that of martial artists: for instance, some business leaders find its discussion of conflict and taking the advantage to be relevant to their work. The modern-day Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū employs it as a manual of technique and philosophy.Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai is a practical and spiritual guide for a warrior, drawn from a collection of commentaries by the samurai Yamamoto Tsunetomo, former retainer to Nabeshima Mitsushige, the third ruler of what is now the Saga prefecture in Japan. Tsuramoto Tashiro compiled these commentaries from his conversations with Tsunetomo from 1709 to 1716; however, it was not published until many years after. Hagakure is also known as the The Book of the Samurai, Analects of Nabeshima or the Hagakure Analects.Bushido: The Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe is, along with the classic text Hagakure by Tsunetomo Yamamoto, a study of the way of the samurai. A best-seller in its day, it was read by many influential foreigners, among them President Theodore Roosevelt, President John F. Kennedy and Robert Baden-Powell. It may well have shaped Baden-Powell's ideas on the Boy Scout movement he founded. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

From experience, with passion
An only child is burdened with an unfair amount of attention and expectation, and so it is with Farhang Mehr's ZOROASTRIAN TRADITION which is the only introduction in print, in English, by a native Zoroastrian, to contemporary Zoroastrian belief.Even without alternative perspectives Prof. Mehr's book is outstanding.It takes a moderate positionbetween reactionary and revolutionary interpretations of Zoroastrianism at the same time as it presents its own vision of an ethical and mystical religion which is not only alive and well but growing in numbers and influence.

Dr. Ichaporia found Professor Mehr's English to be poor.I've read the book cover to cover three times and I found Mehr's command of English to be perfectly fine.Dr. Ichaporia also implies that Professor Mehr should stick to politics and leave religion to the scholars.All well and good except to date no scholar, Ichaporia included, has attempted a book of this scope, for the most part preferring to pick at each other's translations of Zarathustra's sacred songs (the Gathas) instead of sharing them with a general readership.

Prof. Mehr's life and career have been well-documented in TRIUMPH OVER DISCRIMINATION.His religion is hard-earned in the front lines and trenches of policy and diplomacy.I trust Mehr to know whence he speaks and I heartily recommend this book to those who wish to know what Zarathustra's vision looks like in real life rather than in academic monographs.

Very mediocre book
While selecting a Text Bookfor teaching the UndergraduateComparative Religion Class, I happened to read this book. I found it extreemely mediocre and unworthy as a text book. It is more like a preaching sermonand than a text book, being compounded by poor English as also leastscholarly. The author is the political figure in Pre-revolution Iran and anexpert in politics rather than in religion

Outstanding Modern Work on the Meaning of Zoroastrianism
Offering deep insights into the fundamental teachings of one of the most important persons in the history of humankind, this glowing book creatively transcends the usual audience to serve the greater interests of everyone onour planet.Moreover, aside from the ancient scriptures themselves,perhaps no other single work is as important as this one to today'sZoroastrians and Zoroastrian scholars.Quite unlike any other treatise onthe subject, Professor Mehr breathes life into the layers of wisdom broughtto us from a distant past, peeling away the mists until the reader seesthese revelations radiate with the brilliance that ultimately causedcivilization itself to burst forth from humankind.Anyone who has theslightest interest as to why we are here and what we are supposed to dowill want to read this fascinating and important work. ... Read more

Product Description
This biography of the founder of a Shinto denomination gives a close-up view of Japanese religion in action. The term "Shinto" acquires an entirely fresh meaning for many readers, showing from inside perspective how faith and aspiration guide people amid the conditions of ordinary life. The subject is the relation between the ordinary human and the transcendent power that animates the universe as that relation is understood in Shinto perspective. Main themes are the sense of mission that directs the faith of this Japanese religion, its understanding of wholeness and health, and its rich view of practical spirituality. Contents: List of Photos and Maps; Editor's Preface; Foreword, The Reverend Kurozumi Munetada; Introduction; Birth; Setting His Life's Goals; Direct Bestowal of Divine Mission; Proclaiming the Way; Aspirations and Humility: The Opening Way; Forming the Religious Organization; Stories of the Founder; Notes; Bibliography; Indices; About the Author. ... Read more

Product Description
From the 10th to the mid-17th century, religious organisations played an important part in the social, political and military life in Japan. Known as sohei ('monk warriors') or yamabushi ('mountain warriors'), the warrior monks were anything but peaceful and meditative, and were a formidable enemy, armed with their distinctive, long-bladed naginata. The fortified cathedrals of the Ikko-ikki rivalled Samurai castles, and withstood long sieges. This title follows the daily life, training, motivation and combat experiences of the warrior monks from their first mention in AD 949 through to their suppression by the Shogunate in the years following the Sengoku-jidai period. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

japanese warrior monks
good overview of the subject. goes well with other books in their series on Japan.

Sohei
As the previous reviewer stated, this book is the only even remotely thorough treatment the sohei have recieved in English.Like most books by Stephen Turnbull, it is well-written and researched, but also tells a captivating and heroic story (read the stories of Gochin no Tajima and Tsutsui Jomyo Meishu on pages 52-53).

thin, one of two books in English
Well illustrated, overview, but "not much meat on the bones", I would only recommend you buy it since it is one of the only two books I know of in English on the topic.

If you wish a Very Scholarly treatment read "The Teeth and Claws of the Buddha: Monastic Warriors and Sohei in Japanese History" by Mikael S. Adolphson. Very dense, extensively footnoted. Apparently the very word 'sohei' wasn't coined until the 1600s, and most modern writing is based on that 17th & 18th century perspective (bias) rather than looking back carefully at the actual periods of greatest activity (AD ~900- ~1600).Adolphson talks extensively about the biases of these Japanese historians (and contemporary Japanese historians)

Even the priests of Japan were warriors
I had known, in a vague way, about the warrior-monks of Japan, but this is the first book I'd ever seen that concentrated on them.Had things gone just a little differently in a few battles, it could have been them, rather than the samurai, who effectively ruled Japan, with unknowable consequences.Many of these "monks" were as fierce, brave and stark warriors as any samurai; in fact, many samurai joined the warrior-monks' monasteries. ... Read more

Product Description

Naikan is a Japanese psychotherapeutic method which combines meditation-like body engagement with the recovery of memory and the reconstruction of one's autobiography in order to bring about healing and a changed notion of the self.

Customer Reviews (2)

'must have'
This book is a 'must have' for all social anthropologists. I found this book to be essential in my research re Japanese-American religious syncretism and associated social value practices.

An important contribution
The Japanese introspection practice of Naikan is a fascinating example of a meditation-like self-cultivation practice that lies on the border of psychotherapy and spirituality. Through it, individuals probe into their own past experiences and their relationships with other people in their life, asking "What did I receive from this person? What did I give back to this person? What trouble did I cause this person?" Through this simple method, over the period of a week, they come to recognize profound truths regarding the interdependence of their lives, and the infinite small kindnesses others have shown them over time. The ensuing feelings of gratitude free up psychological and even at times physical blockages to allow relief and transformation.

Written in a very clear style and easily accessible by both layperson and scholars, this book provides an excellent description and analysis of the practice of Naikan. One chapter is devoted to the narratives of Naikan clients themselves as they progress through their week of Naikan; this chapter is especially gripping, as the reader is able to journey along with the clients as they engage in the inner struggle that ensues when their preconceived negative perceptions and judgments of others are undermined by their own sustained reflection and remembering.

This book will be of value to general readers with an interest in meditation, introspection and psychotherapy. It is also an important contribution to the field of psychological and medical anthropology, as it provides an important analysis of a non-western psychotherapeutic method that works on the levels of both body and mind. It is also significant in that it relates Naikan back to the Buddhist psychological insights upon which the method was originally based, and which it still in many ways embodies.
... Read more

Product Description
Richard Bowring traces 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 in order to give as full a picture as possible of the richness of the Japanese tradition and an overview of how Buddhism and Shintõ interacted in Japanese culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good survey of Buddhism in japan
The Religious Traditions of Japan 500-1600 by Richard Bowring (Cambridge University Press) The first English-language overview of the interaction of Buddhism and Shintõ in Japanese culture.
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. It attempts to give 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.
Excerpt: This history begins with the arrival of Buddhism. The Buddha is first interpreted as a strong foreign deity, whose magical powers are well worth appropriating. His cult is therefore introduced top-down and kept firmly in the hands of the ruling clans. Initially there is a certain amount of tension between the proponents and opponents of the new arrival, but a modus vivendi is soon found, Buddhism being simply added to the number of cults whose main duty it was to protect the ruler and maintain the status quo. There are signs here of an incipient state religion. Moves are made to bureaucratize the localized, disparate cults that had existed before the arrival of Buddhism into a hierarchical system and from that point on they always remained indissolubly linked to questions of sovereignty. In sharp contrast to events in Britain at roughly the same time, the survival and indeed growth of local cults is helped by Buddhism's willingness to accommodate rather than confront.
It should be borne in mind that Buddhism arrived in Japan after a very long journey from north India, through Kashmir and Afghanistan, along the Silk Route north and south of the Taklamakan Desert, and then through the whole of China and Korea. It called itself the `Greater Vehicle' (Mahayana) and had developed doctrines and practices that were quite distinct from the southern Theravada tradition based on the Pali scriptures and found today in Sri Lanka. Buena and Thailand. The encounter with Chinese culture was decisive, and it is important to remember that to the Japanese the canonical language of Buddhism was classical Chinese, not Sanskrit or any of its many
varieties.
From the mid-sixth century to the tenth, new schools of Buddhist thought and practice were developing in China and as contact between Japan and China increased, these new traditions found a secure haven in Japan, far more secure, as things turned out, than in China itself, where Buddhism often had to light to hold its own. Each new tradition had its champions, who competed with each other for various forms of Japanese state support and patronage. There was no 'Buddhist Church' as such, merely a collection of traditions, each with its own political ambitions. Rivalry between institutions could be intense. Although it is often tempting to think of a Buddhist establishment as a simple power block, it was nothing of the sort. In fact, temples were more often than not the sowers of discord and they never managed to create a mechanism for mediating conflict. Buddhism remained in the hands of the elite until the twelfth century, and during that period it became more and more involved in the production of this-worldly benefits and protection via the manipulation of spells, magical images and gestures for which I have used the term `tantric'. It was, to all intents and purposes, the preserve of the aristocracy.
Things began to change around 1100. With the advent of men like Honen, the exclusive right of members of the sangha to salvation was challenged. The possibility that salvation might be made available to everyone, no matter what their status, was now made explicit. The sangha did not disappear, of course, but they no longer had a monopoly. Some remained within the traditional structures of power and continued their role as priests acting on behalf of those who ruled, but we begin to see the emergence of many who preferred a pastoral, ministering role. The practice of faith was made easier partly by narrowing the choice of devotional object to a single Buddha, usually, but by no means exclusively, Amitabha, and partly by the invention of simple formulae for expressing devotion. Sermonizing became common and Buddhist art expanded its reach into the didactic, into the production of illustrated scrolls for use by preachers. It should be stressed that these changes can be seen across the board, not only in the new non-monastic movements. Given that Buddhism had been introduced from the top, it is only to be expected that this kind of reformist movement would emerge; indeed it is slightly surprising that it did not take off earlier. There are obvious parallels here to the Reformation movement in Europe, with its questioning of the role of a clergy and its championing of the individual's right to have unmediated access to the deity, but the end result of such changes was to be quite different.
The `opening out' of Buddhism that we find from 1 100 manifested itself in a number of different ways. There was a growth in cults directed towards not just one Buddha but one specific image. Certain images in certain temples became the object of popular devotion, the Amitabha triad at Zenkdji, for example, and unofficial holy men became the self-appointed guardians of these cults. There was also, of course, an economic imperative behind such developments. There emerged mendicant orders, and three devotional sects, Jodoshu, Jodo Shinshu and Nichirenshu, each of which had a charismatic founder. What distinguishes these sects was their insistence that they and only they had the correct message, an intransigence that clashed with Buddhism's more usual elasticity. It is not surprising that they were subject to considerable persecution and oppression, and in fact only gained real influence in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, at which point they became a magnet for those who were interested in fomenting large-scale social unrest.
There is, however, a danger in concentrating too much on these sects; and to do so is to obscure the fact that the more established, official institutions continued to dominate. Reform movements, such as a drive to revive proper observance of the monastic precepts which had fallen into disuse, also emerged from within. They were joined in the thirteenth century by the Zen monasteries, which were the last significant religious import from China until the seventeenth century.
All these developments need to be considered in relation to local cults. The attempt to impose a system in the eighth century was not sustainable and fell apart, but the cults as discrete entities survived and prospered by coming to an accommodation with Buddhism, which easily explained them as manifestations of an underlying unity and which needed them to naturalize itself fully. Tantric Buddhism, in particular, became involved in the quasi-nationalist enterprise of proving that Japan, as the land of the gods, was not at the end of a long developmental line but was in fact the original home of the buddhas. From here it is not far to insisting on the primacy of native deities. It is in essence the history of a long slow Japanese battle for self-justification, legitimation and self-respect in the face of the frightening debt that they owed to Chinese culture and Buddhist thought.
... Read more

Product Description
In Japan, two religions predominate--Buddhism and Shintoism--and the Japanese people see no contradiction in practicing both: worshipping Buddha even as they revere the kami, the divine beings that populate the country and define the indigenous faith of Shintoism. In Shintoism and the Religions of Japan, C. Scott Littleton illuminates this unusual spiritual pluralism and shows how it has fertilized a vast and varied religious landscape. Littleton describes the origins and development of Shinto (or Kami no Michi, "Way of the Gods"), the introduction of Buddhism a millenium and a half ago, the rise of various sects of Buddhism (some indigenous to Japan), and the role of the imperial court and the shogunate in the nation's religious life. Here too is a clear and succinct summary of Shintoism's teeming pantheon of spiritual figures, the holy writings of Shintoism, and the islands' landscape of holy sanctuaries. Littleton explains how Buddhism has been reinterpreted in light of Japan's indigenous traditions (some monumental statues of the Buddha are worshipped as manifestations of kami), and describes the "new religions" that flourished during the Meiji period of the late nineteenth century, after Japan once again opened up to the outside world. Writing with grace and clarity, he captures the essential features of Japanese religious life, including the countless local festivals and rituals, the importance of harmony and enlightenment, and concepts of death and salvation.Lavishly illustrated with some thirty color photographs, sprinkled with boxed features that focus on fascinating issues, this volume offers a marvelous tour of Japan's distinctive spiritual experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Fanastic Soruce to use for Information
This book is a fanastic source to use for infomration about Japan Religion of Shinto. The book does a execllent job in explain origins, rituals, festivals, spirits, and sacred places that are related to number one religion of Japanese Cultures. If you are interested in japanese religions, japanese cultures, have school paper to write or a college research paper I would defentively recommend purchase this book. The company who I order my book from sent it in the condition as describe Used-Like New and it arrived early than they had said it would.

I'd pass on this one
If you're a western tourist, who's never read anything about Shinto, you might be able to get something out of this book. Anyone with a little knowledge of the spiritual practice should probably pass on this one. It's too condensed to really discuss the topic in anything more than a superficial way. It has some pretty pictures, but they do little to illustrate anything being discussed.

I also felt it suffered from being written by someone who was clearly from the West and seemed to be struggling to interpret it too much through the viewpoint of our own value systems and philosophy, rather than on it's own terms. If he'd used the terms "ambiguity tolerance" or "contradictory" as a shorthand way of describing Shinto one more time, I think I'd have chucked the book in the waste bin.

A Good Starting Place
This is a very good survey of Shintoism. If you know nothing about the religion, this book will walk you through the most basic information. The book is separated into different topics and enplanes it through the lens of Shintoism, like: sacred texts and the afterlife.

Even if you know a few things, this book is a good refresher. And you never know what basic detail you didn't know.

Shinto for the uninitiated only...
Those who have little to no background in Japanese religion, culture and history can gain a decent foundation with this short book. Others who have such background, even a cursory one, should look elsewhere for more detailed information. "Shinto: Origins, Rituals, Festivals, Spirits, Sacred Places" represents a good zero level launching pad for the study of Shinto. But it's a bad place to stop for those seeking deeper understanding.

The book, divided into 9 short chapters, tends to repeat itself throughout. This will either facilitate learning or increase monotony, depending on one's disposition. Nonetheless, the text reveals a high-level history of Shinto from prehistoric Jomon culture deity worship, the emergence of Shinto elements in Yayoi culture (300 BCE - 300 CE), Motoori Norinaga's 18th century scholarly revival, the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603 - 1867), the Meiji Restoration of 1868, to modern day Shinkyo Shukyo or "new religions." Shinto was and is a dynamic religion of multifarious forms. It even absorbed Buddhism's 538 CE arrival in Japan. So much so that some people think Japan is a Buddhist country (Ibaraki province does contain one of the largest statues of Buddha in the world). But the Buddhist pagodas and Shinto Torii gates peacefully co-exist. Some Buddhist deities even get worshiped along with Kami, or Shinto deities.

Chapter three gives brief summaries of two Shinto sacred texts, the "Kojiki" and the "Nihonshoki." These present the story of Japan's creation by Izanagi and Izanami (via spear dipping), the birth of Shinto's primary deity, Amaterasu (the Sun Goddess), which led to the birth of Japan's first emperor, Jimmu Tenno. The Meiji Restoration used these stories to establish "State Shinto" which lasted until the end of World War II (and some claim was used to justify Japanese superiority and imperialism).

The book also discusses Shinto ethics, many of which are reflected in everyday Japanese culture: the subordination of the individual to the good of the group, personal and ritual purity, reverence for nature, and regeneration. Shinto presents a more "this worldly" viewpoint than the Abrahamic religions. Thirty three years following death, individual souls ("tama") join a family's ancestral souls and become more of an abstract grouping. But these souls exist to assist the living more than to nurture an afterlife.

Other topics touched on include: Shinto's lack of a founder, Shinto's most sacred places (the shrines of Ise and Izumo), ghosts ("obake"), Shinto festivals ("matsuri"), the status of women in Shinto, the controversial Yasukuni shrine, why some Shinto shrines get torn down and rebuilt every twenty years, household shrines ("kamidana"), and Shinto temple rituals. Numerous photos provide appropriate eye candy along the way.

Any understanding of Japanese culture, no matter how basic, must include familiarity with Shinto. It pervades everything. Though this book only provides a limited (bordering on superficial) knowledge of Shinto, it at least presents a groundwork for further study. Look to thicker and more detailed books to fill in the nuances and gaps.

Not to Be Taken Too Literally
Shinto is a religion that is never the same way depending on who one asks.One could get thousands of responses, all different, from Shintoists all over.This book may seem like the foundation for Shinto, but Shinto is a religion that really was never founded in the first place, and it cannot be condenced into such a small book.To accurately put Shinto to words would take many volumes of literature. ... Read more

Product Description
With integrity of word and deed, Christians are to work for justice, confront scandalous acts of oppression, care for the needy and to be honest in prayer before God and with people. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent book
The Scandalous Message of James is a great commentary by a liberation biblical scholar in Costa Rica.It is very insightful and is aware of the prevailing scholarship. ... Read more

Product Description
Despite its relative simplicity, which is one of its virtues, Shinto is a sophisticated religion with many aspects that deserve study. The Dictionary entries not only identify the principal historical and mythological names that are central to the Shinto tradition but also demonstrate the relationship of Shinto to Japanese culture as a whole: the relationship of Shinto to Buddhism, Shinto and Sex , Shinto and Death, Ethics and Shinto, Noh drama and Shinto, Shinto and Folk Religion. Entries are included on New Religions that have a clear basis in Shinto culture and the new development of Shinto's growing internationalization. Leading figures are identified as well as some of the principal beliefs of these groups.The overall goal of this book is to provide a comprehensive but convenient guide to the key words and names of the Shinto tradition that would assist researchers, students and the general reader to gain deeper insight into its nature and workings. ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses the mythology of Japan, its origins in Shintoism and Buddhism, and the gods, spirits, men, and animals that appear in the many legends and stories. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Japanese Mythology and Archaeology
I am Japanese archaeologist living in London. I want to publish my book about relationship between Japanese mythology and archaeology. It means how to get a proof certain japanese mythology(mostly shinto related) through hard evidence of archaeological excavation in Japan. If someone help me in terms of publishing in US about this subject, for example I need a critics about my article and give me a guide line for publishing any form in US, please get in touch with me.My name is Kazuo and my e-mail is " SarEngland7@aol.com " ... Read more