Changes in
Shinto:
The History
and Structure of the Native Religion of Japan.
[Introduction] [Headings/Terms]
[Browsing Areas] [Encyclopedias]
[Dictionaries] [Religious Texts]
[Databases]
Shinto is the native religion of the country of Japan. It is an integral part of Japanese society, influencing the actions and thought process of the populace, even if they are not a follower of the religion. Buddhism, Christianity, and many other religions are currently practiced in Japan, and each of these has had at least an indirect impact on Shinto as well. Shinto is a naturalistic religion, which focuses on the environment and nature as divine. Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, as well as politics and industrialization have influenced it over the centuries. However, some of the most drastic changes in the Shinto happened in the past 200 years, with the foundation of State Shinto in the Meiji Restoration in 1868, and the abolishment of State Shinto in 1945 with the Shinto Directive, a product of Japan’s loss of World War II. After the Shinto Directive, Shinto was no longer considered the national religion of Japan, however, it is still has an ingrained effect on the populace and nation as a whole. Thus, if one is to try to understand the thought process and actions of the Japanese nation, at least a basic understanding of the principles and history of Shinto is necessary.
This pathfinder is intended to be a guide for college students and independent researchers who are interested in the history of Shinto and its impact on the Japanese national psyche, as well as those who would simply like to explore the religion out of curiosity. The literature covered herein provides a basic understanding of the beliefs, practices, and history of Shinto, with special emphasis on the impact of the Meiji Restoration and Shinto Directive upon the religion. All of the sources provided are secondary in nature, and can be found in the University of South Florida Library on the Tampa campus, or through the database system on the USF Library’s website.
Subject Headings and Search Terms
The subject headings and search terms listed here are beneficial to searching for this topic in the USF Tampa campus library, as well as during an online search.
Subject Headings-
Shinto – History
Shinto – History – Doctrines
Shinto – History – Philosophy, Japanese
Shinto – Nationalism
Shinto – Nationalism – Shinto and state
Shinto – Religious Aspects
Search Terms-
Shinto
Shinto Directive
State Shinto
Shrine Shinto
History of Shinto
Shinto and Meiji Restoration
Listed here are some of the main browsing areas for this topic in the Tampa campus USF library. Two of the sources are located on the first floor in the reference section. The rest are located on the third floor.
Reference- BL2220 .K38 2004
Reference- BL80.3 .R45 2002
Third floor- BL2202 .M6 through BL2224.2 .S28 2002
Third floor- DS851 .A2 .K643 1969 through DS855 .W48 1976
When researching a topic for the first time, encyclopedias are generally a good place to start, since they offer a brief overview of the topic, and often have references listed after the entries for further reading.
Melton, J. D., & Baumann, M.
(2002). Shinto. In Religions of the
world: A
comprehensive encyclopedia of beliefs and practices (Vol. 4, p. 1163-1168).
Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc.
Bocking, B. (2005). Shinto. In Encyclopedia of religion (Vol. 12, p. 8356-8371). Detroit:
MacMillan Reference. Retrieved from Gale Virtual Reference Library on April
13, 2009.
Hara, M. (2003). Shinto. In Encyclopedia of science and religion (Vol. 2, p. 803-805).
New York: MacMillan Reference. Retrieved from Gale Virtual Reference Library
on April 16, 2009.
Dictionaries are another good place to start research on topics that have many unfamiliar terms and phrases. These are just a few of the pertinent dictionaries on Shinto available in the USF library.
A Popular Dictionary of Shinto – BL2220 .K38 2004
Basic Terms of Shinto – BL2216.1 I5 1985
Historical Dictionary of Shinto – BL2216.1 P53 2002
Sometimes the easiest way to understand the beliefs of a religion is to read the texts upon which the religion is based. The USF Library has three books containing translations of Shinto texts.
The Sacred Scriptures of the Japanese – DS855 .W48 1976
Kojiki – DS851 .A2 .K643 1969
Nihongi – DS851 .A2 .N53 1956
These databases are available through the USF Library website, and offer articles and encyclopedia entries which may give further insight to the topic of Shinto.
Project Muse. (2009). Project muse. Retrieved on April 16, 2009 from University of
South Florida’s library website at http://www.lib.usf.edu/
Gale Virtual Reference Library. (2009). Gale virtual reference library. Retrieved on
April 16, 2009 from University of South Florida’s library website at
Wilson Web. (2009). Humanities full text. Retrieved on April 16, 2009 from University
of South Florida’s library website at http://www.lib.usf.edu/
Expanded Academic ASAP. (2009). Expanded academic ASAP. Retrieved on April 16,
2009 from University of South Florida’s library website at http://www.lib.usf.edu/
JSTOR. (2000-2009). JSTOR. Retrieved on April 16, 2009 from University of South
Florida’s library website at http://www.lib.usf.edu/
