Shinto, Nature and Ideology in Contemporary Japan is the first systematic study of Shinto's environmental turn. The book traces the development in recent decades of the idea of Shinto as an 'ancient nature religion,' and a resource for overcoming environmental problems. The volume shows how these ideas gradually achieved popularity among scientists, priests, Shinto-related new religious movements and, eventually, the conservative shrine establishment.
Aike P. Rots argues that central to this development is the notion of chinju no mori: the sacred groves surrounding many Shinto shrines. Although initially used to refer to remaining areas of primary or secondary forest, today the term has come to be extended to any sort of shrine land, signifying not only historical and ecological continuity but also abstract values such as community spirit, patriotism and traditional culture.
The book shows how Shinto's environmental turn has also provided legitimacy internationally: influenced by the global discourse on religion and ecology, in recent years the Shinto establishment has actively engaged with international organizations devoted to the conservation of sacred sites. Shinto sacred forests thus carry significance locally as well as nationally and internationally, and figure prominently in attempts to reposition Shinto in the centre of public space.
- 273 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
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Information
Introduction
23
on
different
levels:
locally,
it
serves
to
mobilize
community
members
around
the
shared
ecological
and
cultural
capital
of
a
particular
shrine
forest;
nationally,
it
is
employed
to
substantiate
claims
concerning
Shinto’s
public
character;
and
internationally,
it
provides
Shinto
with
new
legitimacy,
is
used
to
dissociate
it
from
its
imperial
past
and
even
draws
new
worshippers.
Indeed,
as
this
chapter
shows,
the
environmental
turn
has
contributed
to
the
popularization
of
Shinto
internationally:
for
instance,
Jinja
Honchō
has
donated
a
mikoshi
(portable
shrine)
to
the
Brooklyn
Botanic
Garden
in
New
York
and
supported
the
construction
of
a
shrine
in
San
Marino.
Other
Shinto
shrines
have
been
established
in
the
Netherlands
and
the
United
States,
and
there
are
also
online
communities
of
non-Japanese
Shinto
practitioners,
who
embrace
the
notion
of
Shinto
as
nature
spirituality.
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- List of Figures
- Preface
- Note on Style
- Japanese Historical Periods
- Chapter 1 Introduction
- Chapter 2 Defining Shinto
- Chapter 3 Love of Nature
- Chapter 4 The Shinto Environmentalist Paradigm
- Chapter 5 Chinju no mori
- Chapter 6 Landscapes of the Past
- Chapter 7 Forests for the Future
- Chapter 8 Acorns for Tohoku
- Chapter 9 Going Green, Going Global
- Conclusion
- Notes
- References
- Index
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Yes, you can access Shinto, Nature and Ideology in Contemporary Japan by Aike P. Rots in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Asian Religions. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.