Essentials of Shinto: An Analytical Guide to Principal Teachings (Resources in Asian Philosophy and Religion)

436 Pages·1994·21 MB·English

by  Stuart Picken

ESSENTIALS
OF
SHINTO
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ESSENTIALS
OF
SHINTO
AN ANALYTICAL GUIDE TO
PRINCIPAL TEACHINGS
Stuart D.B. Picken
Resources in Asian Philosophy
and Religion
Charles Wei-hsun Fu,
Series Editor
GREENWOOD PRESS
WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT • LONDON
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Picken, Stuart D.B.
Essentials of Shinto : an analytical guide to principal teachings
/ Stuart D.B. Picken.
p. cm.—(Resources in Asian philosophy and religion, ISSN
1073-1156)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-313-26431-7 (alk. paper)
1. Shinto. I. Title. II. Series.
BL2220.P47 1994
299'.5612—dc20 93-40619
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 1994 by Stuart D.B. Picken
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 93-40619
ISBN: 0-313-26431-7
ISSN: 1073-1156
First published in 1994
Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984).
10 987654321
Copyright Acknowledgments
The author and publisher gratefully acknowledge permission for use of the
following material:
The Death Poems of Nogi Maresuke, quoted in Six Lives Six Deaths, ed. Robert
J. Lifton. Yale University Press, 1979. Copyright © Yale University Press. Used
by permission.
Text and diagrams from Yamamoto Yukitaka, Kami no Michi. Tsubaki Grand
Shrine, 1985. Reprinted by permission of Tsubaki Grand Shrine.
Maps from Nagai Shinichi, Gods of Kumano. Kodansha International, 1968.
Reprinted by permission of Kodansha International.
Every reasonable effort has been made to trace the owners of copyright materials
in this book, but in some instances this has proven impossible. The author and
publisher will be glad to receive information leading to more complete
acknowledgments in subsequent printings of the book and in the meantime
extend their apologies for any omissions.
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To the 96th High Priest of the Tsubaki Grand Shrine,
THE REVEREND DOCTOR YUKITAKA YAMAMOTO,
the first Shinto Priest to receive an honorary doctorate in theology from
an American university in acknowledgment of his efforts to build
bridges of spiritual and cultural understanding across the Pacific Ocean,
this work is dedicated as my personal offering of
respect for his international achievements
and in appreciation of
the inspiring spiritual comradeship it has been my privilege to share.
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Contents
Guide to the Romanization of Japanese Words, Expressions,
rorms, and styles XV
Preface xvii
Introduction xxi
Misunderstandings about Shinto xxi
The Name "Shinto" xxi
The Term "Jinja" xxiii
The Concept of Kannagara xxiii
Attempted Definitions of Shinto xxiii
Is Shinto a Religion or Not? xxiv
Obstacles to Grasping the Essentials of Shinto XXV
Shinto in Contemporary Japan xxxi
Notes xxxii
Part I: History and Mythology
Chapter 1: Historical Aspects of the Development of Shinto 3
Historiography, Japanese History, and Shinto 3
Pre- and Proto-Historic Roots (B.C. 7000-552 C.E.) 6
Controversy over the Origins of Shinto 10