1st Edition

Shinto At the Fountainhead of Japan

By Jean Herbert Copyright 1967

    Shinto, the national indigenous religion of Japan has supplied Japan with the basic structure of its mentality and behaviour. Although its classical texts have been translated into English this volume was the first major study of this important religion. The book is a complete picture of Shinto, its history and internal organization, its gods and mythology, its temples and priests, its moral and worship. The volume also describes the metaphysics, mystic and spiritual disciplines and overall is one of the most authentic and authoritative surveys of Shinto of the twentieth century.

    Part 1: Religion 1. Generalities  2. History and Main Subdivisions of Shintô 3. Metaphysics, Ethics, Spiritual Exercises and Aesthetics  4. Temples  5. Priests  6. Symbolism and Individual Worship  7. Collective Worship and Festivals  8. Collective Worship and Festivals (Continued)  Part 2: Mythology  9. An Introduction to the Mythology of Shintô  10. Genesis of the Universe – The Pre-Material Stages  11. The Birth of the Land  12. The Two Joint Rulers of the Universe  13. The Consolidating of the Land by the Earthly Kami  14. The Pacifying off the Land By the Heavenly Kami  15. The Descent of the Heavenly Grandson  16. Hiko-Ho-Ho-Demi and His Elder Brother  17. Emperors and Members of their Families  18. The Hachiman Cycle  19. Other Historical Kami  20.  Local and Family Kami and Guild Kami  21. Beauties and Powers of Nature  22. Kami of the Road, The House and the Field and Kami of Food  23. Ebisu, Daikoku and the Gods of Luck  24. Sectarian Shintô  Appendix.  List of Sources.  Map of Japan. Alphabetical Index and Glossary. 

    Biography

    Jean Herbert