Defining Shinto

<p>This book provides key official documents alongside political religious-philosophical and historical essays illustrating how the term Shinto has metamorphosed terminologically from Japan’s emergence as a modern nation state in the late 19th century to the postmodern Japan of today. </p><p>Shinto is one of the most contested categories in the field of Japanese religious studies. While the term Shinto has a long history in the pre-modern period this volume focuses on how the term has evolved in modern Japan. Divided into five parts the book covers:</p><ul> <p> </p> <li>Shinto and the modern Japanese nation state</li> <p> </p> <li>Pre-war Japanese intellectuals on Shinto</li> <p> </p> <li>Shinto and ultra-nationalism of the 1930s and 1940s</li> <p> </p> <li>Post-war reforms and reformulations</li> <p> </p> <li>Contemporary ways of defining Shinto</li> </ul><p>Presenting a wealth of documents most of which have been translated here for the first time the book is an invaluable resource for scholars and students of Japanese religion.</p>