{"product_id":"shinto-origins-rituals-festivals-spirits-sacred-places-9780195218862","title":"Shinto: Origins  Rituals  Festivals  Spirits  Sacred Places","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn Japan  two religions predominate--Buddhism and Shintoism--and the Japanese people see no contradiction in practicing both: worshipping Buddha even as they revere the kami  the divine beings that populate the country and define the indigenous faith of Shintoism. In Shintoism and the Religions of Japan  C. Scott Littleton illuminates this unusual spiritual pluralism and shows how it has fertilized a vast and varied religious landscape. Littleton describes the origins and development of Shinto (or Kami no Michi  \"Way of the Gods\")  the introduction of Buddhism a millennium and a half ago  the rise of various sects of Buddhism (some indigenous to Japan)  and the role of the imperial court and the shogunate in the nations religious life. Here too is a clear and succinct summary of Shintoisms teeming pantheon of spiritual figures  the holy writings of Shintoism  and the islands landscape of holy sanctuaries. Littleton explains how Buddhism has been reinterpreted in light of Japans indigenous traditions (some monumental statues of the Buddha are worshipped as manifestations of kami)  and describes the \"new religions\" that flourished during the Meiji period of the late nineteenth century  after Japan once again opened up to the outside world. Writing with grace and clarity  he captures the essential features of Japanese religious life  including the countless local festivals and rituals  the importance of harmony and enlightenment  and concepts of death and salvation. Lavishly illustrated with some thirty color photographs  sprinkled with boxed features that focus on fascinating issues  this volume offers a marvelous tour of Japans distinctive spiritual experience.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45280081281077,"sku":"ByrdShop_0195218868","price":54.27,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780195218862.jpg?v=1780619752","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/shinto-origins-rituals-festivals-spirits-sacred-places-9780195218862","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}