For anyone looking for an exhaustive reading list, let me refer them to this link here, where there are five huge long lists of books relevant to Shinto. It’s quite formidable!
There’s also a very full bibliography of books in English by John Breen and Mark Teeuwen, running to three and a half pages. Click here to see it.
For those looking for something a little shorter, there’s a selected list below. For reviews of the books and many others, please see Book Reviews in the Categories section of this blog.
************************************************************************************
Cali, Joseph and John Dougill Shinto Shrines (Uni. of Hawaii Press, 2012) – A detailed guide to 59 shrines together with a comprehensive Introduction explaining Shinto terms and development.
Ono, Sokyo, Shinto the Kami Way (Tuttle, 1962) – For many years the sole book on Shinto, written by a teacher at Kokugakuin University. It presents the traditional, conservative view of the country’s ‘indigenous religion’.
Hartz, Paula R. Shinto (Facts on Files: 1997) – Simple introduction to the basics of Shinto
Reader, Ian, Simple Guide to Shinto (Global Books, 1998) – Does what it claims in its title. A lecturer in
religion, Reader sees Shinto as essentially Japanese and not universal.
ed. Wm Theodore de Bary et al, Sources of Japanese Tradition Vol. 1 ((Columbia Uni. Press, 1958; rev. 2002) – An anthology of early texts, including those on the formation of Shinto, together with an authoritative commentary.
Blacker, Carmen, The Catalpa Bow (Allen and Unwin, 1975/ RoutledgeCurzon, 2004) – A study of shamanistic practice in Japan
Inoue Nobutaka et al, Shinto: A Short History (Routledge Curzon, 2003) – A collection of academic articles which show Shinto as an East Asian religion, rather than unique to Japan.
Thomas P. Kasulis Shinto: The Way Home (Uni. of Hawaii Press, 2004) – Written by a philosopher, this presents a sympathetic and thought-provoking account of the religion for those who want a more general read.
Breen, John, and Mark Teeuwen, A New History of Shinto (2010) – A stimulating read by leading experts in the field, who present Shinto as a construction with medieval origins which never existed as such in ancient times.
Nelson, John A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine (Uni. of Washington, 1996) – A study of Suwa Shrine in Nagasaki by an anthropologist.
Hardacre, Helen, Shinto and the State, 1868-1988 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989) – An authoritative overview of post-Meiji developments that led to the formation of State Shinto. It shows too how the Meiji arrangements remain in place in the postwar period.
Smyers, Karen The Fox and the Jewel (Uni. of Hawaii, 1999) – A stimulating read about the Inari cult.
Pingback: The Beginners Book « Shintoism: the path way of the gods.