Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions

Abstract

In the past couple of decades, there has been a vast amount of new scholarship on topics related to religion in Japanese history. The Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions is an excellent reference work that ‘guides’ the readers through the entire field of Japanese religions, both thematically and chronologically. The volume is divided into five sections—Traditions, History, Themes, Research and Chronology—of which the first three constitute the basic framework of the book. The first section, ‘Traditions’, contains chapters on Japanese religions, Shinto, Buddhism, Folk Religion and Japanese Christianity. Each of the chapters in this section introduces the chronological development of each respective tradition, thematic and theoretical issues and new findings in the field. The second section, ‘History’, contains chapters that portray the chronological development of religion in Japanese history. The history is divided into six periods—ancient, classical age, medieval, early modern, modern and contemporary. Section three, ‘Themes’, represents some of the recent trends in the study of religions. Topics covered are as follows: ritual culture, literature and scripture, state and religion, geography, environment, pilgrimage, history of thought and gender issues. Though each chapter deserves a careful review, this essay will mainly focus on a few of the key issues brought forth by the volume.

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