Shinto: The Kami Way
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- Create Date：2021-05-20 11:56:18
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Sokyo Ono
- ISBN：0804835578
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Summary
"An excellently rounded introduction by an eminent Shinto scholar。"—Library Journal
Shinto， the indigenous faith of the Japanese people， continues to fascinate and mystify both the casual visitor to Japan and the long-time resident。 Relatively unknown among the religions of the world， Shinto: The Kami Way provides an enlightening window into this Japanese faith。
In its general aspects Shinto is more than a religious faith。 It is an amalgam of attitudes， ideas， and ways of doing things that through two millennia and more have become an integral part of the way of the Japanese people。 Shinto is both a personal faith in the kami—objects of worship in Shinto and an honorific for noble， sacred spirits—and a communal way of life according to the mind of the kami。 This introduction unveils Shinto's spiritual characteristics and discusses the architecture and function of Shinto shrines。 Further examination of Shinto's lively festivals， worship， music， and sacred regalia illustrates Shinto's influence on all levels of Japanese life。
Fifteen photographs， numerous drawings and Dr。 Ono's text introduce the reader to two millennia of indigenous Japanese belief in the kami and in communal life。
Chapters include:
The Kami Way
Shrines
Worship and Festivals
Political and Social Characteristics
Some Spiritual Characteristics
Shinto， the indigenous faith of the Japanese people， continues to fascinate and mystify both the casual visitor to Japan and the long-time resident。 Relatively unknown among the religions of the world， Shinto: The Kami Way provides an enlightening window into this Japanese faith。
In its general aspects Shinto is more than a religious faith。 It is an amalgam of attitudes， ideas， and ways of doing things that through two millennia and more have become an integral part of the way of the Japanese people。 Shinto is both a personal faith in the kami—objects of worship in Shinto and an honorific for noble， sacred spirits—and a communal way of life according to the mind of the kami。 This introduction unveils Shinto's spiritual characteristics and discusses the architecture and function of Shinto shrines。 Further examination of Shinto's lively festivals， worship， music， and sacred regalia illustrates Shinto's influence on all levels of Japanese life。
Fifteen photographs， numerous drawings and Dr。 Ono's text introduce the reader to two millennia of indigenous Japanese belief in the kami and in communal life。
Chapters include:
The Kami Way
Shrines
Worship and Festivals
Political and Social Characteristics
Some Spiritual Characteristics
Reviews
David
，
A fascinating introduction to something-that-is-not-a-religion。 It is a faith that connects the people of Japan to their lives， their ancestors， nature， the state and those historical figures who were its heroes。 It is both very local and entirely national， in that individual shrines have different objects of worship， but are a focus for the community， it’s history and ancestry and location。 It has no central theological doctrine; the nearest to a Holy Text is series of ancient and medieval hist A fascinating introduction to something-that-is-not-a-religion。 It is a faith that connects the people of Japan to their lives， their ancestors， nature， the state and those historical figures who were its heroes。 It is both very local and entirely national， in that individual shrines have different objects of worship， but are a focus for the community， it’s history and ancestry and location。 It has no central theological doctrine; the nearest to a Holy Text is series of ancient and medieval histories of its development。 Rituals are observed， and there are various universally-observed festival days， but each shrine’s expression of these rites and feast days may be very different。 There is no overarching deity as in many religions， though the Sun is specially revered as related to the first Emperor。 The objects of faith are those things and people that are important to each community。 It reverses the view of Christianity and other religions in that it believes humanity to be intrinsically good， and that， rather than being a gateway to glory and redemption， death is a ‘necessary evil’。 It does not preach and it does not seek to convert; it is content to remain a deep， almost instinctive expression of Japanese values， and the author goes as far as to say it is not easy for others outside Japan to feel it in the same way， though they may respect it。The book was written in 1961， and has much to say about the social and political history of Shinto - its establishment as the official government-sanctioned and -run faith （in the 1860s）， and its forcible disestablishment as ordered by the Occupation Government after 1945。 It tells of its complex and difficult relationship with Buddhism and Confucianism， both introduced from the Chinese mainland。。。 There’s a lot in this 112 pages， some of it interesting， some of it less so。 The architecture of the shrines themselves fell into the latter category for me， though some of the shrines pictured were beautiful。 Given that a further 60 years has now passed and the social， political， environmental and technological landscape have all changed， that nuclear reactors have malfunctioned since then， there have been tsunamis and earthquakes， might have wrought changes in this idiosyncratic faith as well。For me it lacked one thing: more details of some of the abiding tales that sought to explain Japan’s people and their origins。 There is no creation myth， unlike other religions， but there are tales relating to the Sun Goddess and her brother the moon。 There are examples of types of kami worshipped， but because everything is so fluid these spirits’/ghosts’/ancestors’ tales would only come to light in the rituals devised by individual Shinto priests， so while the book offers an illuminating snapshot of Japan’s ancient faith， to attempt to encompass it， create any kind of canon or holy writ would be as impossible as it would be pointless - this anti-religion is not about that， it’s a way for clans， communities， families and the nation to express their gratitude to those who have come before， their gratefulness for the islands that are their home， their hopes for the future and that these kami will support and guide them towards exactly that。 Can’t say fairer than that， I guess。。。 。。。more
Rubén Jerez Brenes
，
Una exposición muy clara y concisa del tema。 Diría que es un libro introductorio al tópico， pero se publica tan poco sobre el shinto que una obra enteramente dedicada a explicar sus varias dimensiones se siente muy completa。 El enfoque no es académico sino divulgativo。 Trata de explicar esta religión desde las costumbres y las tradiciones， como una sensibilidad más que como una ideología。 Las secciones sobre la arquitectura de los santuarios y sus componentes son especialmente informativas。
Graham Ohayon
，
Brilliant scholarshipA fantastic work， Dr。 Ono does a brilliant job explaining a topic that is anything but clear and concise， yet Dr。 Ono does a graceful and beautiful job。
Daniel
，
Muy buena introducción a los aspectos formales y estructurales del sintoísmo， bueno para entenderlo pero no para comprenderlo， profundiza muy muy poco en creencias， filosofía o convicciones y prefiere una línea explicativa sobre esta religión Recomendable si el interés es formalm
Laura BR
，
Muy buena aproximación a una creencia cuyos detalles son altamente desconocidos fuera de Japón。Claro y sencillo， muy instructivo。 Lleno de notas a tener en cuenta en mi siguiente viaje a Japón。
Jacob
，
A very concise and srtraight-forward explanation of what Shinto is。 It informs of the basics of Shinto well， if not anything else。
Alex Markham
，
Shinto- The Kami way is understandably hard to explain， this book does give a little insight into it。 Although it doesn’t go into great depths （as noticeably explained at the beginning， as more comprehensive work could not be published） it is a nice short read， which to some may raise more questions than answers！ For me， it was a nice taster into the way of the Kami。
Keiji Murakami
，
This book wasn't something I picked up out of curiosity but rather。。。nostalgia。 My dad， a shintoist himself， kept a copy of this book with scrawled annotations & notes that much resembled his personal journey with it。 So。。。faced with loosing him I picked up a used copy and set to reading and the book was very informative and well thought out。 The major points I enjoyed were:-How the author， Sokyo， worded it in a crisp and informative manner。-how the book was organized in an easy to navigate fash This book wasn't something I picked up out of curiosity but rather。。。nostalgia。 My dad， a shintoist himself， kept a copy of this book with scrawled annotations & notes that much resembled his personal journey with it。 So。。。faced with loosing him I picked up a used copy and set to reading and the book was very informative and well thought out。 The major points I enjoyed were:-How the author， Sokyo， worded it in a crisp and informative manner。-how the book was organized in an easy to navigate fashion（my father called it his quick ref）-And how the book made it clear how vast and various the practice actually is。 Overall this book is a good look into Shinto and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to learn about the intricacies of the Japanese culture。 。。。more
Nacho
，
Es muy muy conciso， pero es que en ese espacio es difícil hacer algo más。 Es de esos temas que， o bien te queda un libro gigante o uno muy pequeño。 Este es del segundo tipo。 Sin embargo， lo cierto es que se las arregla muy bien y en su reducido espacio Sokyo se las apaña para explicar de una forma rápida y sencilla los aspectos más relevantes del Shinto。 Es una lectura rápida y buena para establecer una línea base a partir de la cuál ahondar más en el tema。 Es una pena que esto último sea realme Es muy muy conciso， pero es que en ese espacio es difícil hacer algo más。 Es de esos temas que， o bien te queda un libro gigante o uno muy pequeño。 Este es del segundo tipo。 Sin embargo， lo cierto es que se las arregla muy bien y en su reducido espacio Sokyo se las apaña para explicar de una forma rápida y sencilla los aspectos más relevantes del Shinto。 Es una lectura rápida y buena para establecer una línea base a partir de la cuál ahondar más en el tema。 Es una pena que esto último sea realmente difícil para los que somos occidentales， pues las claves del sintoísmo no se encuentran en ningún texto sino en el espíritu y el propio pueblo japonés。 Es algo tan integrado que ni siquiera he conseguido extraer información buena de mis amigos japoneses。。。De todas formas， como mencioné antes， muy buena lectura rápida para hacerse un sencillo mapa mental del sintoísmo！ 。。。more
Luke
，
An interesting and brief overview of Shinto origins and practices。 Definitely leaves the reader with a desire to learn more。
Matthew Gurteen
，
A good， rounded introduction to Japan's indigenous faith of Shinto。 I originally picked up this book because I want to read more spiritual work over the coming year and the Kami play a role in one of my favourite films。 Although this book is not the most comprehensive account of the religion， it nevertheless serves its purpose as a short introduction to Shinto's history， influence， and worship。 Professor Sokyo Ono's passion for the subject clearly shines through despite the briefness of the chap A good， rounded introduction to Japan's indigenous faith of Shinto。 I originally picked up this book because I want to read more spiritual work over the coming year and the Kami play a role in one of my favourite films。 Although this book is not the most comprehensive account of the religion， it nevertheless serves its purpose as a short introduction to Shinto's history， influence， and worship。 Professor Sokyo Ono's passion for the subject clearly shines through despite the briefness of the chapters。 I would love to incorporate some elements of Shinto into my own practice。 The use of mirrors in worship was particularly interesting to me。 Instead of being symbols of vanity， mirrors are revered in Shinto culture because they do not lie。 It is also an optimistic faith， not believing that humans are naturally evil but instead one with nature。 There are not many set rules or guidelines， just a respect for the natural world and helping society。 I was also surprised at how old this book is。 Initially published in 1962， Shinto: The Kami Way still manages to be as informative more than fifty years later。 I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the faith。 。。。more
Emily Turpen
，
Good for college classes
Juli Anna
，
A decent introduction to Shinto for folks who didn't grow up in Japan。 There is a particular emphasis on shrine architecture， which will be of interest to certain readers。 A decent introduction to Shinto for folks who didn't grow up in Japan。 There is a particular emphasis on shrine architecture， which will be of interest to certain readers。 。。。more
Nicholas Vela
，
A wonderful， short book that details the Shinto Faith， from Temples to the Kami way。 A great， informative read。
Daichi
，
Me ha gustado bastante y se me ha hecho bastante corto， me gustaría poder encontrar algo que profundice aún más en este tema。 Se nota que la persona que lo escribió es un especialista debido a la calidad de la información。 ¡Recomendado！
Edriessen
，
An accessible introduction to ‘the way of the gods’ or ‘the kami way’。 It’s interesting to read the customs of this ‘faith’ that I knew hardly anything about。 Very interesting。
Joe Beeson
，
More on the rites and rituals of the Shinto， not as much on their beliefs as I expected。 First and last chapter provide most information on this
Caleb Stober
，
InsightfulI found this to be a handy little book which provided for me a good launch point into the practices and beliefs of Shinto。 It does not delve deeply into any particular topic but is rather a surface-level primer， and it does that well。 There are good sketch illustrations and photos throughout and I found it to read quickly and easily。 I would recommend this as an intro to Shinto。
The Final Song ❀
，
I am of course a massive weeabo， and that is more than clear to anyone that follows this account。But for some reason even with that I never tried to learn more about Shinto the native religion of Japan。Now this little book is a good introduction， very concise and useful （It helped a lot， because I have seen references to Shinto in japanese media I just had a vague idea of what was going on but now everything is more clear）
Maria Freeman
，
I was hoping to learn more about the actual kami and the natural forms they can represent
Kaye
，
This was a fascinating， short primer on Shinto written several decades ago （1962） by Sokyo Ono。 As such， some of the language is dated （e。g。， the word "man" for human and so on）; however， the information is still valuable for understanding Shinto practices a bit better。 I especially appreciated the detailed treatment of organizational and administrative logistics， as the model provides some food for thought about how to create successful semi-centralized ritual infrastructure。 The few pages at t This was a fascinating， short primer on Shinto written several decades ago （1962） by Sokyo Ono。 As such， some of the language is dated （e。g。， the word "man" for human and so on）; however， the information is still valuable for understanding Shinto practices a bit better。 I especially appreciated the detailed treatment of organizational and administrative logistics， as the model provides some food for thought about how to create successful semi-centralized ritual infrastructure。 The few pages at the end about worldview were very interesting and well in line with many of the ethical and theological considerations in traditions that I know more closely。 。。。more
Caomhghain
，
A lovely little book which steps lightly through every aspect of Shinto， showing how it can become such an important part of everyday life because in so many ways it is everyday。 It is mostly a description and the author gives very little historical or explanatory detail。 Nonetheless you come away with more than a glimmer of an important part of Japanese culture。
Kelly
，
A really informative book that I've wanted to read for years。 However， it is allot shorter than I'd like。 Its a primer of sorts I guess， but it gives you a good starting point for more research， and clears up some questions。 Definitely worth a read。 A really informative book that I've wanted to read for years。 However， it is allot shorter than I'd like。 Its a primer of sorts I guess， but it gives you a good starting point for more research， and clears up some questions。 Definitely worth a read。 。。。more
Dani
，
I asked for this book for Christmas to help with my research for two different YA Japanese Fantasy novels I am working on。 I felt that this gave some good insight of what it is like at Shinto shrines and how Shintoism is engrained in a lot of daily life actions in modern Japan。 I found it to be quite fascinating， as we don't learn much about this religion in schools or while looking at cultures in general。 A lot is said about Buddism， but not much is said about Shintoism， and this book goes over I asked for this book for Christmas to help with my research for two different YA Japanese Fantasy novels I am working on。 I felt that this gave some good insight of what it is like at Shinto shrines and how Shintoism is engrained in a lot of daily life actions in modern Japan。 I found it to be quite fascinating， as we don't learn much about this religion in schools or while looking at cultures in general。 A lot is said about Buddism， but not much is said about Shintoism， and this book goes over a bit of why that is。 I wished it went a little more on the changes throughout history and what actions changed or didn't with a timeline， as my novel takes place in different periods through Japan。 I highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about this religion， whether it be because they are interested in Japanese culture， research for something they are writing， or if they want to visit shrines in Japan and understand what is respectful and what is not。 I can't wait to visit Japan and pay my respects to the kami at various shrines。 。。。more
Annie
，
This is not really what I would call a book。 It's more like an itroductory textbook into the history of Shinto， its philosphy and practices。 It is written in a strongly informative style and presents us with facts more than anything else。 The author focuses on documented events and developments related to the Japanese spirit and the entwined Shinto life。 The images are great， but the lack of dates on them really annoyed me （that's a personal thing， especially since everything else in the book is This is not really what I would call a book。 It's more like an itroductory textbook into the history of Shinto， its philosphy and practices。 It is written in a strongly informative style and presents us with facts more than anything else。 The author focuses on documented events and developments related to the Japanese spirit and the entwined Shinto life。 The images are great， but the lack of dates on them really annoyed me （that's a personal thing， especially since everything else in the book is highly focused on periods）。 。。。more
Kathryn
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I recently traveled to Japan for the first time and was particularly intrigued by Shinto， which I had not previously known much about。 I had taken some college courses related to Buddhism and religions of Asia， but Shinto was not covered in depth。As a result of my curiosity I have been seeking out some more detailed readings on Shinto。 I have several books， but decided to start with this simple edition。 It is very straightforward and provides a passing overview of a variety of aspects of the rel I recently traveled to Japan for the first time and was particularly intrigued by Shinto， which I had not previously known much about。 I had taken some college courses related to Buddhism and religions of Asia， but Shinto was not covered in depth。As a result of my curiosity I have been seeking out some more detailed readings on Shinto。 I have several books， but decided to start with this simple edition。 It is very straightforward and provides a passing overview of a variety of aspects of the religion， without going in depth in any one area。 It's a bit dated （from the late 1950's， early 1960's） and so some of the information shows its age。 That said， it provided a nice foundation upon which I intend to build。 My next book on the topic is going to be A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine， to get a more personal， narrow perspective。 After that， I intend to tackle the large volume Shinto， by Helen Hardacre。Overall， I recommend this if you want a light overview， or you are trying to make some first steps to understanding Shinto。 It is a very quick read - I completed it in two days and could have read it in one sitting。 。。。more
Gabriele Siino
，
Very interesting introduction to what is Shinto and how it looked like in 1960 when the book was first published within the Bulletin of the International Institute for the Study of Religions in Tokyo。 Difficult to tell if it’s still actual in modern Japanese society， but the presentation of the historical aspects is very nice。
H
，
A very basic， introductory text that is probably outdated by now （it was published sixty years ago so I don't know how many of the author's observations of "modern" society attitudes hold up） and targeted at a Western audience。 It gives perfunctory information on various aspects of Shinto， which makes it feel like the skeleton of a much more interesting book。 A very basic， introductory text that is probably outdated by now （it was published sixty years ago so I don't know how many of the author's observations of "modern" society attitudes hold up） and targeted at a Western audience。 It gives perfunctory information on various aspects of Shinto， which makes it feel like the skeleton of a much more interesting book。 。。。more
Pim Beckers
，
Brief informative introduction into the Shinto religion。 Lacks a certain attractiveness and in-depth storytelling。
Darío
，
Una breve introducción al sintoísmo recomendable para quien tenga curiosidad por la cultura japonesa。 Le doy solo tres estrellas porque esperaba más profundidad ya que la mayoría de las cosas ya las sabía。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Shinto: The Kami Way
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Shinto: The Kami Way&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Shinto: The Kami Way&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0