A New History of Shinto
Blackwell Brief Histories of Religion
This accessible guide to the development of Japan's
indigenous religion from ancient times to the present day offers an
illuminating introduction to the myths, sites and rituals of kami
worship, and their role in Shinto's enduring religious
identity.
* Offers a unique new approach to Shinto history that combines
critical analysis with original research
* Examines key evolutionary moments in the long history of
Shinto, including the Meiji Revolution of 1868, and provides the
first critical history in English or Japanese of the Hie
shrine, one of the most important in all Japan
* Traces the development of various shrines, myths, and rituals
through history as uniquely diverse phenomena, exploring how and
when they merged into the modern notion of Shinto that exists in
Japan today
* Challenges the historic stereotype of Shinto as the unchanging,
all-defining core of Japanese culture
Conventions and Abbreviations Used in the Text.
Prologue.
1. An Alternative Approach to the History of Shinto.
2. Kami Shrines, Myths, and Rituals in Premodern Times.
3. The History of a Shrine: Hie.
4. The History of a Myth: The Sun-Goddess and the Rock-Cave.
5. The Daijosai: A 'Shinto' Rite of
Imperial Accession.
6. Issues in Contemporary Shinto.
Conclusion.
Notes.
References.
Index.
has managed to introduce such scholarly notions in a way that is at
once accessible and instructive. Even those skeptical about
its claims would have to admit the solidity of the research, and
the book renders valuable service by opening up debate about
Shinto's origins to a general readership. Its influence is
likely to be long lasting." (Japan Review,
2012)
"Breen and Teeuwen offer a postmodern, historical exposition of
Shinto. In addition to independent research, they draw on a wide
field of contemporary Japanese Shinto studies . . . The book is
thus not only a result of solid academic work-it is also an
ambitious political assessment." (Japanese Journal of Religious
Studies, 2010)
"But for anyone interested in Shinto studies, religion and
nationalism, and the contested and ever-changing nature of
religious traditions, this is an essential read." (Religious
Studies Review, 1 March 2011)
"Written by two scholars at the forefront of the study of
Japanese religions, this book offers much more than a 'brief
history'. It is in fact a very bold and lucid attempt to
redraw the parameters that govern our understanding of that elusive
body of thought and practice we call Shinto ... This book will
surprise and on occasion shock; it will surely be required reading
for all those interested in Japan and the Japanese."
--Richard Bowring, Professor of Japanese Studies, University of
Cambridge
"Fresh material presented in an entirely original format.Co-written by two of the world's leading academic authorities on Japanese religions, this book is a substantial and highly readable introduction to Shinto ... It sets a new standard for a concise introduction to Shinto [and] should be required reading for anyone interested in Japan and religion."-Brian Bocking, University College Cork
London) and Associate Professor at the International Research
Centre for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, where he edits the
journal Japan Review. His publications include Yasukuni,
the War Dead and the Struggle for Japan's Past (edited,
2008), Inoue Nobutaka, Shinto: A Short History
(translated and adapted with Mark Teeuwen, 2002), Shinto in
History: Ways of the Kami (edited with Mark Teeuwen, 2000), and
Japan and Christianity: Impacts and Responses, (edited with
Mark Williams, 1996).
Mark Teeuwen is Professor of Japanese Studies at the
University of Oslo. As well as the books authored and edited with
John Breen, he is co-editor of Buddhas and Kami in Japan: Honji
Suijaku as a Combinatory Paradigm (with Fabio Rambelli, 2003)
and The Culture of Secrecy in Japanese Religion (with
Bernhard Scheid, 2006).