Shinto: The Kami Spirit World of Japan

by Sokyo Ono, Héctor García (Foreword), William Woodard

Japanese Shinto is the simple belief that the divine dwells in all things around us!

The Japanese World of Kami Spirits is a concise guide to the fundamental elements of the Shinto religion--its rich mythology and symbols, intricate rituals, festivals, ancestral spirits, awe-inspiring architecture and a profound belief in the divine presence in the natural world around us.

Readers will discover here the pervasive influence of Shinto on all aspects of contemporary Japanese life and culture. From the hallowed shrines nestled in wooded landscapes to the vibrant tapestry of contemporary Japanese manga, films and video games featuring Kami spirits and characters--Shinto is ever-present.

This modernized classic, with new color and b&w images and a new foreword by bestselling author Hector Garcia, reminds us of the intrinsic connection between humanity and nature. Shinto's reverence for the divine in all aspects of nature can inspire and guide us to achieve a more harmonious and sustainable future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Japan, History, Religion

144 pages, Paperback

Published April 23, 2024

About the author

El Dr. Sokyo Ono fue catedrático de la Universidad Kokugakuin Daikaku, la universidad sintoísta de Tokio y conferenciante habitual de la Asociación Nacional de Santuarios Sintoístas. También ha ocupado el cargo de director ejecutivo del Instituto Internacional para el Estudio de las Religiones y el Consejo de Cooperación de las Religiones de Japón.

Reviews

[Marcus Andersson]

This is an alright introduction to Shinto, but it really shows its age. I would also say that the author glorifies Shinto practices and is biased in his writing. He glosses over sensitive subjects (like the relationship between Shinto and fascism) and tries to spin the religion into being “inherently good”; as if any religion truly can be just that.
If you decide to pick this book up you’d do well to remember that it was written in the 1960s and isn’t living up to today’s academic expectations.

[Daniel Morgan]

This book is . . . OK.

Pros:
* Simple structure that doesn't dwell too long on any one topic
* Explains all sorts of material culture and practices
* Explains some of the contemporary organization
* Images to show designs of different sacred motifs, architecture
* Some mythology

Cons
* Zero citations
* Glosses over the persecution of Christians, persecution of Buddhists, half-century of fascism episodes of Shinto history
* Glosses over the Meiji Restoration through WW2
* Presents a suspiciously rosy picture of premodern Japanese feudal clan society

[Josselin]

Good overview of Shinto as a religion and philosophy, with some historical context. I like that it's quite down to earth and to the point. Lots of interesting tidbits, especially valuable if you want to visit Japan and shrines in particular. My main minuses for the book are that it is from the 60s and very short. The 60s is a long time ago, I assume research on Shinto has evolved since then and I would have liked some updates maybe showing if our understanding of Shinto and how it is practiced has changed since then. A more detailed look into the history and impact on Japanese society throughout time or on Shinto mythology and stories would have also been appreciated. There are also quite a few typos left in the book.

[Carolyn D]

This book provides an overview of Shinto that is informative for an outsider/visitor to Japan.

[Karthik Govil]

Shinto: The Kami Spirit World of Japan is a nice collection of work of Japanese culture, going over the various aspects of Japanese life and Shinto spirits.

The book is an honest insight and from what I understand it is an older work with a foreword by Hector Garcia, who also extensively cited this book in his own work.

The book covers the rituals, beliefs, modes of worship, and many other aspects of Shinto in this book. Where there is no fixed mode of worship, this book draws some guiding lines.

I am once again amazed at how similar Shinto is to Sanatan Dharm (commonly known by foreigners as "Hinduism"). The constant pressure from colonizers and invading forces for the last 800 years has created the centralisation and homogenisation that militant Shintoists can only dream about.

However, there is a sense of purity to Shinto Dharma, and one can only imagine what Sanatan Dharm and Indian/South Asian society as a whole would have been like it the invasion and rule of Islam and Christianity never happened. Tough times created a tough religion; and the promulgation of the Vedas, the militant restrictions on cow meat, rigidification of castes, and the modern renaissance of Hindutva can all be traced back to the consistent colonial imposition that one finds missing in Japan.

In addition to the content of the book, I would love to read a sociological work on Japanese society too, going over the manifestation of various castes, intermarriage amongst them (the princess married a "commoner" is casteism from what I know - I could be wrong), and how these got reformed over time and how they continue to exist today.

The best example of this dichotomy to me seems to be how,. despite many similarities, there seem to be only three types of priestly castes in Japan, compared to the complex interwoven lineages of clans in Bharat (that is, India).

A must read for any fan of Japan.

8/10

For a more extensive review, check out my review on this book on Medium!

[Kārlis]

It's not at all what I expected it to be like. It's a kind of introduction of Shinto with very little explanation of the mythology and an interesting curation of topics relating to it. The pictures are nice, most of the topics covered are fascinating, but the style of writing is weird, with extreme amounts of repetition and editing mistakes everywhere. I definitely learnt a lot, which I guess is the main point.

[Robywan]

It provides some information on Shinto religion, architecture, rituals and other trivia, but never too much in-depth. The style of writing is quite dry.
What irks me the most about the publisher (having read a few of its books) is the abundance of spelling and punctuation mistakes, which makes me think little time is spent on revision if any. My hope is that the quality of the content is not tainted too

[James R.]

Listened to the audio version which was fantastic. I wish I had listened/read this before our trip to Japan. I plan to read the printed version once I get it back from loan to a friend who is traveling to Japan soon.

[Bert]

3.5 stars.

I was hoping for more theological discussion. This was more cultural and historical, which is fine but since the core text was written in the 1960's information about Japanese society cannot be taken as representative of the contemporary situation.

[Tifa]

Definitely seems very outdated. It had some good information sprinkled throughout but the book was written in the 60’s by someone who seems to have values more aligned with the state side of Shinto and he glossed right over the history of fascism. Needs a serious update IMO.

[Alex]

this was a great overview of shinto.
of course it - kind of by nature - glosses over many of the more problematic elements of the religion, but it still offers a really solid introduction to the main concepts, rites and shrines.

[Bianca Mogos]

3.5*

[Melinda]

Such an interesting insight into the world of Shintoism.

[Wendy]

Grateful for the introduction - it's brief and well organized, but definitely skirts uncomfortable topics. Not surprised to learn it was written in the 1960s; it shows its age.

[Denise]

3.5

[Joey Ryan]

Written in the 1960s this book takes a simple approach to the mysteries of kami-faith. It does show its age at times but is a useful baseline for study.

[Fran]

I have received a free ebook copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Shinto: The Kami Spirit World of Japan by Sokyo Ono does not try to impress you with complexity—it quietly opens that door in your mind where curiosity stirs and, before you realise it, you're thinking differently about the spiritual world behind everyday Japan.

*Visit https://www.lifeisaboxofmochi.com/202... to read the full review.