Shinto the Kami Way Paperback – April 15, 2004

I've studied Japanese religion for a while, and this book is probably the most informative I have read on Shinto so far. It leans directly into historical sources and explains traditions well while admitting which areas have some uncertainty to them. Perfect to read, especially after visiting so many shrines and participating in New Year's traditions.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn about Shinto, whether that be the faith in the Kami or the way of living that is still seen in Japan to this day. It gives lots of good, basic information on anything you might want to know. It is laid out all together in very plain and simple terms, one’s that are easy to understand. This is definitely a good book for beginners. It also gives you titles for other texts that are important to Shinto if you are interested in expanding your knowledge more.

Good introduction to the concepts, or rather the seeming unclarity (?"ambiguity") that surrounds the concepts of Shinto (practitioners would dispute this interpretation of unclarity....such is the nature of 'faith') I came away thinking Kami means many different things to many different Japanese, and at multiple levels of of private and public life. Apparently there isn't a monolithic interpretation, or even notional/national orthodoxy that can apply to all. My initial and misconstrued past conception was that it was animism, but the system is unique to Japanese thinking.Apparently, there is no ancient codex (bible) to base on, its evolutionary past is complicated, But through reading this , I think I discern at play are the the underlying universal human motivations and needs.....that of community (of belief), native tribal identity, belief in a transcendent other world and need to subordinate oneself/appease/respect/worship/acknowledge dependence on ..... something/someone more spiritual in nature. In that sense it is no different to other religions. The manifestations as enunciated in the book, however, make an interesting read.

I admit that i thought this was going to talk more about the kami themselves. But i still love the information they give of the temples as well

Dr. Sokyo Ono's "Shinto: The Kami Way" is the best overview of Shinto I have ever read, and I've read a LOT of books on the religions of Japan over the past thirty years! William Woodard's translation is very readable. Perhaps most helpful is Ono Sensei's comparison-contrast between Japanese understanding of seven-fold nature of Kami and Western understandings of God. I also found especially interesting the focus on purification. I have recommended and given copies of this book to many people through the years. The Kindle version I recently purchased is helpful because it won't disappear from my office library!

Sokyo Ono's The Kami Way provides a decent introduction to Shinto for Westerners. At 128 pages, the book is extremely concise, and it feels even shorter than that in the reading. It is meant only as introductory text, so naturally, criticism of its brevity or incompleteness is not really fair; but while those already familiar with Shinto may learn a new thing or two, they will not likely find themselves with a deeper or enriched understanding of the kami no michi.A weakness of the book is its age, which is definitely starting to show. Fifty years ago, with the Second World War a very recent memory, it's understandable that a Japanese scholar would want to tailor this book to Western audiences by emphasizing the peaceful and humanistic aspects of Shinto; there is, consequently, and tendency to gloss over its role in Japanese fascism, which receives only brief mention. Some readers may also find the brief description of the miko rather patronizing, as it does not indicate the full historical significance of this women's office, which descends from early female shamanism; some mention of the greater historical importance of this office, compared with its increasing marginalization under the Tokugawa and Meiji periods, would help balance the picture Ono provides of the quaint priest's daughter who performs the sacred dances and engages in other unspecified "minor duties."One other note: The Kindle edition could have used some proofreading. Typos, headings in the wrong place, and missing formatting occur frequently.

When this book arrived, it was in good condition but I was not happy with the cover. I sent an email to the seller to let them know, and within minutes, I had a response! Not long after that, the sellers - belltowerbooks - had a refund of 10% all set up for me with Amazon. I am definitely going to use this seller again and again and again .... that is great customer service. And the book, despite its cover, is a great book and one that I needed for studying. In the end, I am quite happy with this entire transaction!

I like it