A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine - Softcover

Nelson, John K.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0295975008 ISBN 13: 9780295975009

Publisher: University of Washington Press, 1996

Synopsis

What we today call Shinto has been at the heart of Japanese culture for almost as long as there has been a political entity distinguishing itself as Japan. A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine describes the ritual cycle at Suwa Shrine, Nagasaki's major Shinto shrine. Conversations with priests, other shrine personnel, and people attending shrine functions supplement John K. Nelson's observations of over fifty shrine rituals and festivals. He elicits their views on the meaning and personal relevance of the religious events and the place of Shinto and Suwa Shrine in Japanese society, culture, and politics. Nelson focuses on the very human side of an ancient institution and provides a detailed look at beliefs and practices that, although grounded in natural cycles, are nonetheless meaningful in late-twentieth-century Japanese society.

Nelson explains the history of Suwa Shrine, basic Shinto concepts, and the Shinto worldview, including a discussion of the Kami, supernatural forces that pervade the universe. He explores the meaning of ritual in Japanese culture and society and examines the symbols, gestures, dances, and meanings of a typical shrine ceremony. He then describes the cycle of activities at the shrine during a calendar year: the seasonal rituals and festivals and the petitionary, propitiary, and rite-of-passage ceremonies performed for individuals and specific groups. Among them are the Dolls' Day festival, in which young women participate in a procession and worship service wearing Heian period costumes; the autumn Okunchi festival, which attracts participants from all over Japan and even brings emigrants home for a visit; the ritual invoking the blessing of the Kami for young children; and the ritual sanctifying the earth before a building is constructed. The author also describes the many roles women play in Shinto and includes an interview with a female priest.

Shinto has always been attentive to the protection of communities from unpredictable human and divine forces and has imbued its ritual practices with techniques and strategies to aid human life. By observing the Nagasaki shrine's traditions and rituals, the people who make it work, and their interactions with the community at large, the author shows that cosmologies from the past are still very much a part of the cultural codes utilized by the nation and its people to meet the challenges of today.

About this title

About the Author

John K. Nelson is currently assistant professor of Asian studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

From the Back Cover

What we today call Shinto has been at the heart of Japanese culture for almost as long as there has been political entity distinguishing itself as Japan. A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine describes the ritual cycle at Suwa Shrine, Nagasaki's major Shinto shrine. Conversations with priests, other shrine personnel, and people attending shrine functions supplement John K. Nelson's observations of over fifty shrine rituals and festivals. He elicits their views on the meaning and personal relevance of the religious events and the place of Shinto and Suwa Shrine in Japanese society, culture, and politics. Nelson focuses on the very human side of an ancient institution and provides a detailed look at beliefs and practices that, although grounded in natural cycles, are nonetheless meaningful in late-twentieth-century Japanese society.

Reviews

Nelson (Asian studies, Univ. of Texas, Austin), who has lived and taught in Japan, shows great sensitivity to the difficulty Westerners have in approaching Shinto, sometimes called the most Japanese of religions. Following a basic introduction, he describes in fairly simple terms the details of significant rituals and festivals that take place at Suwa shrine in Nagasaki. His book goes a long way toward shedding light on the unique mythology and outlook on Shinto, at times drawing significant parallels with Native American concepts. Nelson explores the connections between Shinto and the somewhat fanatical ends to which it was put in service of the political agenda of World War II Japan; he also examines the implications of the presence of this particular shrine in the heart of one of the cities on which the bomb was dropped. In his introductory and concluding chapters, Nelson reflects on the resurgent nationalism to which Shinto might once again fall prey, and these chapters strike a different, somewhat editorializing tone. On the whole, however, the book is scholarly as well as readable. Recommended for Asian studies collections and other public and academic collections with an interest in the subject.?Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., N.Y.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0295975008
• ISBN 13: 9780295975009
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288