The Religious Traditions of Japan 500-1600

by Richard Bowring

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.

Genres: Religion, Japan, History, Buddhism

502 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2005

About the author

Richard John Bowring is an English academic and leading scholar in Japanese studies. He has served as Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Cambridge since 1985 and is an Honorary Fellow of Downing College. From 2000 to 2012, he was Master of Selwyn College, overseeing significant expansion, including the construction of Ann’s Court. Bowring studied Oriental Studies at Downing College, earning his BA in 1968 and completing his PhD in 1973. He has also held teaching positions at Princeton and Columbia. His publications span East Asian culture, politics, and history, with notable monographs and articles in major journals. In recognition of his contributions to Japanese studies and UK-Japan relations, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in 2013.

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really informative book that I've read many times over.

[Ebblibs Thekstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well paced and informative overview of the early and medieval periods in Japans religious development.

With the bibliography at the end and constant references to works of the era, both literary and religious ,I felt I could pick up a lot of excellent references to other works so this book has the double funtion of a sprigboard for further reading in first and second source areas.

Its a very readable book too and Richard Bowring should be praised for having achieved a warmth of tone to the writing which is a real plus in books of this subject matter. So often books of this nature dealing with a complex deep subject such as this can quickly get bogged down in obscurity or overkill with the detail and controversies. Bowring avoids that pitfall and the rrsult is a welcome addition to any bookshelf. Worth re-reading and for reference.

Its enough to whet the appetite for the beginner student of Eastern Religious thought and still decent enough of a recap summary of the period for the more advanced.