Shintoism Books

Book SynopsisDescribes the ritual cycle at Suwa Shrine, Nagasaki's major Shinto shrineTable of ContentsA Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine Acknowledgments Conventions 1. Frames and Focuses 2. Historical Momentums 3. The Kami 4. Ritual and Ceremony: An Overview 5. Finding the Measure 6. Head Priest Uesugi Spring 7. Beans versus Demons 8. On Becoming a Priest: Matsumoto-san's Version 9. Backstage at the Doll's Day Festival 10. Judgement by Scalding Water 11. Festival for Fecundity Summer 12. Being Dirty, Getting Clean, and the Ritual of Great Purification 13. "I Shouldn't Be Telling You This, But…" 14. A Woman's Place Is the Shrine Autumn 15. Okunchi: A City's Heart and Soul 16. Children and Silk 17. Thanksgiving for New Rice Winter 18. On Spirit, Geomancy, and Sake 19. Sanctifying the Earth 20. Three Rites for Enduring and Beginning the Year 21. To Be an Adult Conclusion Appendix 1: The Rituals and Festivals of Suwa Shrine Appendix 2: Map and Guide to the Shrine Precincts Notes Glossary of Japanese Terms Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisMeanings of Antiquity is the first dedicated study of how the oldest Japanese myths, recorded in the eighth-century texts Kojiki and Nihon shoki, changed in meaning and significance between 800 and 1800 CE. Matthieu Felt identifies the geographical, cosmological, epistemological, and semiotic changes that led to new adaptations of Japanese myths.

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Book SynopsisShinto is the ancient religion of Japan. Indeed, it is one of the oldest religions in the world that is still followed. Over the centuries it has evolved out of the worship of kami, the divine within the world. Shinto has assumed many forms ranging from its origins as a folk religion to its gradual mixture with Buddhism over six centuries, and from its redefining after the Meiji Reformation in the interests of nationalism to the end of World War II, when it again became a more personal choice. As one of the few ancient religions that still thrives, it is of interest to greater circles than Japan specialists, although it remains difficult to understand and even harder to characterize in western terms. Fortunately however, understanding is greatly facilitated by The A to Z of Shinto, which traces its long historical evolution in the book''s chronology and carefully considers the religion from different angles in the introduction. The dictionary includes hundreds of cross-referenced entries on significant institutions, concepts, writings, thinkers, and most importantly, the kami. The bibliography provides an outlet for further study.Trade Review...valuable and recommended... * American Reference Books Annual, vol. 38 (2007) *This volume will make a useful addition to any reference collection….Useful to students and teachers unfamiliar with the history and the tradition. * Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses *Picken (emeritus, Nagoya U. of Commerce and Business Administration) offers a reference on the controversial Japanese religion that lacks a debatable rational core and agreed doctrines to deal with moral or social problems of life or attitudes toward the environment. His research has suggested that earlier prejudices against it are waning, and that interest in it is growing worldwide as more than an academic subject. * Reference and Research Book News *Table of ContentsPart 1 Preface Part 2 Reader's Notes Part 3 Map of Major Shinto Sites in Japan Part 4 Chronology Part 5 Introduction Part 6 THE DICTIONARY Part 7 Appendix Chapter 8 Major Shrines Listed in the Dictionary Chapter 9 General Shinto Web Sites Chapter 10 Shinto Information Sites Chapter 11 New Religions Chapter 12 Resource Organizations Part 13 Bibliography Part 14 About the Author

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Book SynopsisThis expanded second edition of Historical Dictionary of Shinto relates the history of Shinto through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, and over 800 cross-referenced dictionary entries on Shinto concepts, significant figures, places, activities, and periods.Trade ReviewGiven that so little in the way of reference literature exists in English, the publication of the second edition of Picken’s dictionary is an event that merits close attention. The dictionary begins with a chronology of important dates in and a lengthy introduction to this tradition. Of the entries that follow, those for Kami, the object of reverence in Shinto; Nature in Shinto; and Sacredness in Shinto are foundational. Broad in scope, coverage includes entries for historical figures and periods, specific shrines, festivals, rituals, sects, and new religious movements with roots in Shinto. The work concludes with a lengthy bibliography that includes Internet resources....Historical Dictionary of Shinto...is a welcome contribution to the reference literature and recommended for academic collections and large public libraries. * Booklist *Amid a recent explosion of texts on this ritual-dependent Japanese religion, this revised and updated historical dictionary edition seeks to define the major terms, symbols, devotional activities, figures, and places vital to Shinto practice, whose lack of doctrine and tendency toward religious blending has made consistent explanation difficult. Opening with a time line punctuated by ruling periods, Picken (philosophy, International Christian Univ., Tokyo) prefaces the lexicon with an absorbing chronological overview. Eight hundred newly expanded and alphabetized entries skillfully explain Shinto's complex aspects. An essential subject resource. * Library Journal *

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Book SynopsisProviding an overview of current cutting-edge research in the field of Japanese religions, this Handbook is the most up-to-date guide to contemporary scholarship in the field. As well as charting innovative research taking place, this book also points to new directions for future research, covering both the modern and pre-modern periods. Edited by Erica Baffelli, Andrea Castiglioni, and Fabio Rambelli, The Bloomsbury Handbook of Japanese Religions includes essays by international scholars from the USA, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand. Topics and themes include gender, politics, the arts, economy, media, globalization, and colonialism.The Bloomsbury Handbook of Japanese Religions is an essential reference point for upper-level students and scholars of Japanese religions as well as Japanese Studies more broadly.Trade ReviewThe Bloomsbury Handbook of Japanese Religions is a comprehensive set of essays addressing all areas of current research in the study of Japanese religions. Reflecting both ongoing work on established topics as well as introductions to emerging research on new areas, this Handbook is sure to be highly appreciated across the discipline of Religious Studies. * Helen Hardacre, Professor of Japanese Religions and Society, Harvard University, USA *The broad range of the topics treated, the emphasis on methodology, and the use of case studies make this book a unique and indispensable tool for anyone interested in Japanese religion. * Bernard Faure, Professor of Japanese Religion, Columbia University, USA *This is another valuable tool for studying religion in Japan, which I would warmly recommend to students and more advanced researchers in the search for updates and new perspectives. * Religious Studies Review *Table of Contents1. Introduction, Erica Baffelli (University of Manchester, UK), Andrea Castiglioni (Nagoya City University, Japan) and Fabio Rambelli (University of California, Santa Barbara, US) 2. Chaplaincy in Japan, Kasai Kenta (Sophia University, Tokyo) 3. Cultural Heritage, Lindsey DeWitt (Ghent University, Belgium) 4. Disasters, Levi McLaughlin (North Carolina State University, USA) 5. Economy and Spirituality, Ioannis Gaitanidis (Chiba University, Japan) 6. Economy of Buddhism, Jørn Borup, (Aarhus University, Denmark) Case Study: Buddhist temples of the future: managing survival, Paulina Kolata (University of Chester, UK) 7. Empire and Colonialism, Emily Anderson (Independent Scholar, USA) Case Study: Aesthetics of Buddhist Modernism, Paride Stortini (University of Chicago, USA) 8. Environmentalism, Aike Rots (Oslo University, Norway) Case Study: Grassroots Environmental activities in Rissho Koseikai, Aura di Febo (University of Leeds, UK) 9. Food Offerings, Allan G. Grapard (Emeritus, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA) 10. Folk Performing arts, Suzuki Masataka (Emeritus, Keio University, Tokyo) 11. Gender, Kawahashi Noriko (Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan) 12. Globalization, Richard Payne (Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley, USA) Case study Diaspora Buddhism, Jørn Borup (Aarhus University, Denmark) 13. Islam, Komura Akiko (Keio University, Tokyo) 14. Law, Mark Mullins (University of Auckland, New Zealand) 15. Materiality, Halle O’Neal (University of Edinburgh, UK) 16. Media and Technology, Kaitlyn Ugoretz (University of California, Santa Barbara, USA) and Erica Baffelli (University of Manchester, UK) Case study World-Wide Shinto: The Globalization of ‘Japanese’ Religion Kaitlyn Ugoretz (University of California, Santa Barbara, USA) Case study Robots Kimura Takeshi (University of Tsukuba, Japan) 17. Medicine, Katja Triplett (Leipzig University, Germany) 18. Minorities, Takahashi Norihito (University of Toyo, Japan) Case Study Daijo Islam (Mahayana Islam) Komura Akiko (Rikkyo University, Japan) 19. “New Religions”, Kato Masato (Tenri Unversity, Japan) 20. Pilgrimages and “Sacred” Geography, Ian Reader (University of Manchester, UK) 21. Politics, Omi Toshihiro (Musashino University, Japan) Case study Religion, Socialism, and Secularization James Mark Shields (Bucknell University, USA) 22. Premodern traditions, Hayashi Makoto (Aichi Gakuin University, Japan) 23. Sexuality, Ori Porath (University of Chicago, USA) 24. Sound, Fumi Ouchi (Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University, Japan) Case study The Matsuri as Sonic Event, Andrea Giolai (Leiden University, Netherlands) 25. Space, Tatsuma Padoan (University College Cork, Ireland) 26. Spiritualism and Occultism, Yoshinaga Shin’ichi (Ryukoku University, Japan) 27. Spirituality, Horie Norichika (Tokyo University, Japan) 28. Tourism, Yamanaka Hiroshi (University of Tokyo, Japan) 29. Women, Emily Simpson (Dartmouth College, US) Case study Mountain Worship and Women, Kobayashi Naoko (Aichi Gakuin University, Japan) Index

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Book SynopsisThis accessible guide to the development of Japan's indigenous religion from ancient times to the present day offers an illuminating introduction to the myths, sites and rituals of kami worship, and their role in Shinto's enduring religious identity.Trade Review“It is a measure of the book’s achievement that it has managed to introduce such scholarly notions in a way that is at once accessible and instructive. Even those skeptical about its claims would have to admit the solidity of the research, and the book renders valuable service by opening up debate about Shinto’s origins to a general readership. Its influence is likely to be long lasting.” (Japan Review, 2012) "Breen and Teeuwen offer a postmodern, historical exposition of Shinto. In addition to independent research, they draw on a wide field of contemporary Japanese Shinto studies . . . The book is thus not only a result of solid academic work-it is also an ambitious political assessment." (Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 2010) "But for anyone interested in Shinto studies, religion and nationalism, and the contested and ever-changing nature of religious traditions, this is an essential read." (Religious Studies Review, 1 March 2011) "Written by two scholars at the forefront of the study of Japanese religions, this book offers much more than a ‘brief history’. It is in fact a very bold and lucid attempt to redraw the parameters that govern our understanding of that elusive body of thought and practice we call Shinto … This book will surprise and on occasion shock; it will surely be required reading for all those interested in Japan and the Japanese." --Richard Bowring, Professor of Japanese Studies, University of Cambridge Table of ContentsList of Illustrations vi Conventions and Abbreviations Used in the Text vii Prologue ix 1 An Alternative Approach to the History of Shinto 1 2 Kami Shrines, Myths, and Rituals in Premodern Times 24 3 The History of a Shrine: Hie 66 4 The History of a Myth: The Sun-Goddess and the Rock-Cave 129 5 The Daijo-sai: A "Shinto" Rite of Imperial Accession 168 6 Issues in Contemporary Shinto 199 Conclusion 221 Notes 229 References 242 Index 253

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Book SynopsisShinto permeates the religious landscape of Japan and is a major key to the understanding of Japanese culture and society. But what is it? If ideological shortcuts are avoided there is no simple answer. Yet this book will guide students and general readers through many aspects of Shinto both today and in its history. It contains much information about sacred Shinto shrines and the divinities (the kami) which are the focus of devotion there. These numerous divinities have been viewed in different ways in the course of time, and contributions by specialists shed much light on the role played by Buddhism in this regard. Moreover, several fascinating religious movements or “sects” which share in the wider pattern of Shinto are also introduced and discussed. Oversimplified views may be challenged here, but the result is a volume in which “Shinto” is explored in a wide and illuminating perspective by an international team of scholars. It provides a refreshing and much-needed resource for all who are interested in the subject.Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements Michael Pye 1 Concepts and Viewpoints 1. What is Shinto? Michael Pye 2. Essentialism in Early Shinto Studies Gaétan Rappo, Nagoya University 3. On Writing the History of “Shinto” Mark Teeuwen, University of Oslo 2 Exploring Borderlands of Shinto 4.Tendai Buddhist Views of Kami Yeonjoo Park, Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture 5. Conceptions of Kami in the Writings of the Tendai Monk Jien Vladlena Fedianina, Moscow City University 6. Buddhist-Shinto Syncretization at the Medieval Suwa Shrine Iwasawa Tomoko, Reitaku University 7. Underground Buddhism at the Ise Shrines Max D. Moerman, Columbia University 8. Shinto Spaces and Shinbutsu Interaction in the Noh Dunja Jelesijevic, Northern Arizona University 9. Buddhist-style Pilgrimage with “Shinto” Meanings Michael Pye 10. Why does Shin Buddhism Reject the Worship of the Kami? Robert Rhodes, Otani University 11. Multiple Divinities in Japanese Buddhist Temples Marcus Ruesch, Ryukoku University 12. Responsive Reflections on Buddhism and Shinto KatjaTriplett, University of Leipzig 3 The Puzzle and Fascination of Sect Shintō 13. Sect Shintō and the Case of Ooyashirokyō Michael Pye 14. Meiji Government Policy, Sect Shinto and Fusōkyō Shishino Fumio, Shinto Priest and current Kanchō of Fusōkyō 15. Introducing the Faith of Shinshūkyō Yoshimura Masanori, Chief priest of Sakura Shrine and Kyōshu of Shinshūkyō 16. Tenrikyō and Ōmoto in the Context of Kyōha Shintō Avery Morrow, Brown University A Postscript on Shinto Diversity Michael Pye

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Book SynopsisShinto permeates the religious landscape of Japan and is a major key to the understanding of Japanese culture and society. But what is it? If ideological shortcuts are avoided there is no simple answer. Yet this book will guide students and general readers through many aspects of Shinto both today and in its history. It contains much information about sacred Shinto shrines and the divinities (the kami) which are the focus of devotion there. These numerous divinities have been viewed in different ways in the course of time, and contributions by specialists shed much light on the role played by Buddhism in this regard. Moreover, several fascinating religious movements or “sects” which share in the wider pattern of Shinto are also introduced and discussed. Oversimplified views may be challenged here, but the result is a volume in which “Shinto” is explored in a wide and illuminating perspective by an international team of scholars. It provides a refreshing and much-needed resource for all who are interested in the subject.Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements Michael Pye 1 Concepts and Viewpoints 1. What is Shinto? Michael Pye 2. Essentialism in Early Shinto Studies Gaétan Rappo, Nagoya University 3. On Writing the History of “Shinto” Mark Teeuwen, University of Oslo 2 Exploring Borderlands of Shinto 4.Tendai Buddhist Views of Kami Yeonjoo Park, Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture 5. Conceptions of Kami in the Writings of the Tendai Monk Jien Vladlena Fedianina, Moscow City University 6. Buddhist-Shinto Syncretization at the Medieval Suwa Shrine Iwasawa Tomoko, Reitaku University 7. Underground Buddhism at the Ise Shrines Max D. Moerman, Columbia University 8. Shinto Spaces and Shinbutsu Interaction in the Noh Dunja Jelesijevic, Northern Arizona University 9. Buddhist-style Pilgrimage with “Shinto” Meanings Michael Pye 10. Why does Shin Buddhism Reject the Worship of the Kami? Robert Rhodes, Otani University 11. Multiple Divinities in Japanese Buddhist Temples Marcus Ruesch, Ryukoku University 12. Responsive Reflections on Buddhism and Shinto KatjaTriplett, University of Leipzig 3 The Puzzle and Fascination of Sect Shintō 13. Sect Shintō and the Case of Ooyashirokyō Michael Pye 14. Meiji Government Policy, Sect Shinto and Fusōkyō Shishino Fumio, Shinto Priest and current Kanchō of Fusōkyō 15. Introducing the Faith of Shinshūkyō Yoshimura Masanori, Chief priest of Sakura Shrine and Kyōshu of Shinshūkyō 16. Tenrikyō and Ōmoto in the Context of Kyōha Shintō Avery Morrow, Brown University A Postscript on Shinto Diversity Michael Pye

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Book SynopsisPractical Learning, Catholicism and classical Confucianism form the origin of Tasan Chŏng’s philosophy in a uniform interrelation. The first part of this study discusses the development of Neo-Confucianism, its criticism, the development of the Practical Learning, the introduction of European sciences, the influence of Catholicism on the traditional Confucian society and its theoretical dispute. The second part deals with the Catholic influence on Tasan, the criticism of the Neo-Confucian metaphysics and his theories about the human nature and about the Confucian humanity as main subjects of ethics, as well as the incompatibility between Catholicism and Confucian ethics for Tasan. In the third part, Tasan’s theory of the ideal state is investigated, namely his theories on politics, society, economy and law.Table of ContentsContents: Classical Confucianism – Neo-Confucianism – Practical Learning – Tasan’s Philosophy and Catholicism – View of God – Criticism of Neo-Confucian Metaphysics – Theory of the Nature of the Human Being – Theory of Ethics – Theory of the Ideal State.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Trade Review'...a thorough, wide-ranging study of the indigenous religion of Japan...most helpful and interesting for those concerned with understanding the earliest religion of Japan.' Theodore M. Ludwig, Journal of Japanese Studies, 1991.

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Book SynopsisBringing together the innovative work of scholars from a variety of disciplines, Matsuri and Religion explores festivals in Japan through their interconnectedness to religious life in both urban and rural communities. Each chapter, informed by extensive ethnographic engagement, focuses on a specific festival to unpack the role of religion in collective ritualized activities. With attention to contemporary performance and historical transformation, the study sheds light on understandings of change, identity and community, as well as questions regarding intangible cultural heritage, tourism, and the intersection of religion with politics. Read as a whole, the volume provides a uniquely multi-sited ethnographic, historical, and theoretical study, contributing to discourses on religion and festival/ritual/performance in Japan and elsewhere around the globe.Table of ContentsPreface Notes on Contributors List of Figures 1 Introduction Matsuri and Religion in Japan  Michael Dylan Foster (, , ) and Elisabetta Porcu (, , ) 2 Displaying Mythological Characters Changes in the Meanings of Decorations in the Sawara Grand Festival in Chiba, Japan  Tsukahara Shinji 塚原伸治 (, , )Jude Pultz 3 Gion Matsuri in Kyoto A Multilayered Religious Phenomenon  Elisabetta Porcu (, , ) 4 Sannō Matsuri Fabricating Festivals in Modern Japan  John Breen (, , ) 5 Eloquent Plasticity Vernacular Religion, Change, and Namahage  Michael Dylan Foster (, , ) 6 Kuma Matsuri Bear Hunters as Intermediaries between Humans and Nature  Scott Schnell (, , ) 7 Fire, Prayer, and Purification Early Winter Events and Folk Beliefs in Kyoto  Yagi Tōru 八木透 (, , ) 8 Encounters with the Past Fractals and Atmospheres at Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri  Andrea Giolai (, , ) 9 Demographic Change in Contemporary Rural Japan and Its Impact on Ritual Practices  Susanne Klien (, , ) 10 Photographic Essay: Secret Eroticism and Lived Religion The Art of Matsuri Photography  Michael Dylan Foster (, , ) and Ogano Minoru 小賀野実 (Photographer, Saitama City, Japan) Index

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Book SynopsisThe first book that deals with the territorial cults of early Japan by focusing on how such cults were founded in ownerless regions. Numerous ancient Japanese myths and legends are discussed to show that the typical founding ritual was a two-phase ritual that turned the territory into a horizontal microcosm, complete with its own ‘terrestrial heaven’ inhabited by local deities. Reversing Mircea Eliade’s popular thesis, the author concludes that the concept of the human-made horizontal microcosm is not a reflection but the source of the religious concept of the macrocosm with gods dwelling high up in the sky. The open access publication of this book has been published with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation.Table of ContentsContents Preface List of Figures Introduction  The Problem of the Pre-Shinto Cults  Territorial Cults  The Focus on Early Japan  Japan’s Protohistory  Innovations Introduced by the Taika Reform  Different Versions of the Same Story in Nihon Shoki  The God Age Mythology  The Fudoki Mythology  The Method of Interpretation  The Theoretical Model  The Structure of the Book  Various Notes 1 Divination  Divining with Things Thrown and Falling Down  Divining the Place for Founding a Shrine  Absurd Uses of the Falling Motif  Realistic Methods Exaggerated  Land Divination Typically Performed in Front  Divining with Things Cast Overboard  Floating a Wisteria Twig to Find the Right Place  Letting a Cooking Set Float to Enemy Land  Susanoo and the Floating Chopsticks  Kisakahime and the Lost Bow and Arrow  Articles to Play on the Sea  Floats Used for Divining  Divining in Boats  Later Survivals: The Religious Use of Wood Drifted Ashore  Conclusion 2 The Story of Yato no Kami  The Topography  The Mountain Entrance  The Lacking First Part of the Story  The Yashiro at the Upper Boundary  Matachi’s Ritual Procedure Reconstructed  Mibu no Muraji Maro and the Divine Snakes  Moving a Shrine to Another Site  The Location of the Ancient Pond  The New Conditions in the Ritsuryō State  Conclusions 3 Making a Large Territory in Harima  Ame no Hiboko and Iwa no Ōkami  Ame no Hiboko’s Arrival  The Claiming Ceremony on Iibo Hill  Other Claiming Stories  The Iibo Hill and Its Special Relation to the Iwa Jinja  Hardening the Land  A Model of the Grand-Scale Land-Making Myth?  The Two Foundations of the Iwa Shrine  Conclusions 4 Making and Ceding the Land in the God Age  The God Age Mythology: An Overview according to Kojiki  The Land-Making Myth  Sukunabikona  Ōnamuchi as a Beginner in Land-Making  The Land-Ceding Myth according to Kojiki  The Land-Ceding Myth according to Nihon Shoki  Kojiki and Nihon Shoki: Two Different Doctrines  Consequences of the Land-Ceding Myth  Conclusion 5 Ninigi’s Descent and His Territory in Kyushu  The Title Sentence Pattern  The Two Main Versions of the Myth  Cape Kasasa as a Place on the Way to Takachiho  Ninigi’s Arrival at the Coast  Ninigi Questions the Master of the Land at Cape Kasasa  Ninigi at Cape Kasasa  Takama no Hara as a Horizontally Distant Heaven  Ninigi’s Descendants Living in Kyushu  The Conquest of Yamato  Conclusion 6 The Foundation of the Izumo Shrine  Ōkuninushi’s Place of Hiding and Waiting  Prince Homuchiwake Worships the Great God of Izumo  Ashihara no Shikoo and the Worship at Iwakuma  Mt. Kannabi and the Sokinoya Shrine  A Suitable Site at the Foot of Mt. Kannabi  The Political Aspect  The Foundation of the Shrine at Kizuki  The Land-Pulling Myth and the Four Kannabi of Izumo  Summing Up 7 The Foundation of the Ise Shrine  The Later Version of the Foundation Story  Name-Asking as a Form of Claiming  Pillow Words Alluding to Land-Making Myths  The Topography of the Isuzu Valley  Sarutahiko and a Heaven in the Mountains  The Precinct of the Inner Shrine (Naikū)  From Simple to Complex Cult Systems  Sarutahiko’s Destiny  Summing Up 8 Characteristics of Territorial Cults  Divination as the Primary Rite  Variants of the Cult Contract  The Cult Contract and the State Ritual after the Taika Reform  Founder Worship  Shrine and Tomb  The Guardian Deity Is Excluded from the Land Opened Up  Nature Spirits Can Become Manifest in Wild Animals  The Guardian Deity Is Believed to Control the Local Weather  Calamities Blamed on Some Mistake in the Ritual  Cult Places Could Be Moved to Enlarge the Agricultural Land  The Mountain God as a Multifunctional Deity  The Mountain Entrance and the Torii  Boundary Marks  Tabooed Mountain Areas  The Bipolar Structure of Territories  The Chigi Cross as a Symbol  The Name of the Kami Land  The Age of the Yorishiro Concept  The Land-Making Motif in Creation Myths  Conclusion 9 Sacred Groves and Cult Marks  Yashikigami Worship  A Sacred Grove on Hirado Island  The Garō Yama of Tanegashima  The Sacred Forest of the Ōmiwa Shrine  The Matsushita Shrine and the Somin Sanctuary  Cult Marks Replaced by Shrine Buildings  Yorishiro and Ogishiro  The Shimenawa and the Straw Snake  Claiming Signs Made by Binding or Knotting Growing Plants  Pacifying the Site  Ancient Land-Claiming and the Rural Gathering Economy  Sign-Making Dealt with in Ethnographic Studies 10 Comparative Notes  The Settlement of Iceland  Founding Sacred Groves and Colonies in Ancient Greece  The Vedic Tradition  Opening Up Land in Shifting Cultivation  From Terrestrial Heavens to the Heaven in the Sky Bibliography Index

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