I'm a highly curious person. I love exploring and learning about new things. Lately I've taken a particular interest in Shinto. To say it simply, I know almost nothing about Shinto. Up until a few years ago when I started watching anime in which you can occasionally see vague mentions of it from time to time, I barely knew it existed. I always admired the style and aesthetic of Japanese shrines and temples, but had little interest at the time of what went on inside them. More recently, for the same reason I took an interest in Youkai, I've found myself wondering about Shinto. I recently just finished reading ZUN's manga 'Silent Sinner in Blue', which is packed full of heavy references to Shinto practices, spirits and deities. Every time a new deity was mentioned I found myself getting a little lost. I was very happy to see that the western translators had gone to the extra effort to include small bits of information and explanation behind each entity and their stories at the end of each chapter. As far as the tiny extracts went, they were generally quite interesting, and I'd like to learn more somehow.

I've been doing some casual research myself, but it's a little hard to know where to start. I was wondering if anyone might perhaps know any good websites or resources I could take a look at?

Well Wikipedia does have the infomation that contains on Shinto, also some insight on it, we sdo have a Shinto Shrine(the main Shrine in the United States is located not far where I live, and you may find this place a bit more helpful on terms of getting started,

http://www.tsubakishrine.org/

There are two websites that I find pretty helpful,

Encyclopedia of Shinto has some solid articles to read for personal interest http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/

GODS of Japan is a pretty good site too. It has more focus on Japanese Buddhism, but there is, for example, a Shinto Kami section under the Deity Guides heading. http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/buddhism.shtml

Shinto: The Kami Way by Sokyo Ono is a relatively old, but good book for an overview of Shinto (not the most exciting books to read though, but it's short).

The Essence of Shinto: Japan's Spiritual Heart by Motohisa Yamakage is, in my opinion, a really unique and interesting book on the English market about Shinto. It is written by the 79th Grand Master of Yamakage Shinto and is a translation of the book he wrote for the Japanese market called Shintou no Shinpi 神道の神秘 (lit. "The Mysteries of Shinto") and is an interesting look at the more spiritual and esoteric sides of looking at and experiencing Shinto from the perspective and interpretation of this particular man and his lineage. I have seen Yamakage Shinto referenced and written about in several other Japanese books, so it is not a really obscure lineage or anything. But Shinto can be very localized and interpretations and practices can differ widely, so this should not be taken as necessarily how typical Shinto practitioners think. In fact, what Yamakage believes and has to say is very different from how the average Japanese person thinks about and experiences Shinto. Yamakage also makes reference to other religions to compare it to Shinto in the text, and his views are a little skewed based on his orientation in the Japanese religious landscape. What he says about Buddhism, in particular, does not strike me as unusual for a Japanese, but is in fact particular to how Japanese Buddhism is carried out in practice rather than anything really doctrinal or reflective of Buddhism on a whole.

Japanese Religion: Unity and Diversity by H. Byron Earhart is a good book to learn about Japanese religion in general. It is better to study Japanese religion as a religious landscape rather than just try to focus on Shinto, Buddhism, local cults, Shugendo, or whatever. There is simply too much mutual influence and interactions between different traditions. The book is under 300 pages and is pricey since it is a religious studies textbook, but it would be worth checking out at a library at least (use interlibrary loan if need be).

^_^

Hey thanks a lot! I was a little worried that the vagueness of my request might be difficult, but that looks really helpful. Just from a quick glance so far, that Kami section in the second link seems perfect. If I can find those books I'll have some bus journey reading too.

Nice one.

heh, Shintoism is just the method of praying to Japanese Kami. Inari being one of the highest ranking Kami in Japan. There is a Shinto Notiri (spelling?) [Japanese prayers]. There is a shire to each and every form of Kami In japan. Most are the same Kami with a different name.

There is many books on Amazon you can buy if you want to learn more .

To the Japanese people, it's more than just praying. There's a nice quote that sums it up.

"Wherever the energy of the universe attains a particular intensity, revealing itself as beauty, power, and wonder, there, the ultimate becomes apparent: there is 'kami'." - Fosco Mariani (Japan: Patterns of Continuity)

Norito are the prayers, if that was the word you were looking for, Hakuzo.
As for the set up of the shrines, I can help with that. The main shrine is normally the local kami of that area, and it also houses perhaps one or two others (the most common being of course Amaterasu). Within the shrines themselves are smaller shrines to other gods (though the smaller ones don't always). Inari shrines can be the main shrine (and normally have other smaller Inari shrines, and dragon shrines seem to be popular too), or a smaller shrine within another kami's shrine (which is common).
Personally, I don't think people can understand Shinto unless they experience it for themselves, but Zhenwu always provides good information - so I have to agree that those are good places to start. I'd add Koizumi's "Kamigami no Kuni no Shuto", but I don't think there's an English translation.
If I can find the report that our local priest had written, I'll translate it (though I'd think that'll be anytime soon ^^; )

I have a few photos of shrines, if anyone would like to see them.

hmm, For Kitsune Archives, I kind of need a clear picture of the "Wish-Fulfilling jewel" Not many people know what this looks like. They are commonly found at Inari shrines, and generally the fox statues have them.

I've just now been getting into a bit of minor research into Shintoism. Though I do follow Inari I still hold the tendencies of my past of not really connecting all the way to one Religion.

Most Inari shrines are almost always with their doors closed, and normally in a chest inside the shrine itself, not visable like the offerings and drum, etc.. Unfortunately, my photo of the main Yahata Jinja's shrine isn't very clear (it was raining, and I wanted to take the pictures more for memorial purposes), but I found this one.

(from: http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/dekunobou36/41945970.html - called "Yahata" not "Hachiman" Jinja, which is what the priest told me the name was)

As you can see, there's an inside chamber, which is only opened by the priests (if at all). Normally, the outside doors of the Inari shrines are also closed.

& (Kuzunoha Inari Jinja, Izumi, Osaka)

The smaller shrines are always closed for the same reason - the inside of these are the same as what is inside those inner chambers of the main shrines.

] (small Inari shrine at Yahata Jinja, Kita-Naruo, Nishinomiya)


Although I was good friends with the family at Yahata Jinja, I didn't feel comfortable asking them to merely "allow" me to see the most sacred place of the shrine. Plus, I only had the chance to go home to Izumi once, and no one was there at the time. As for the ball, it would be hard to get a fox to show it to anyone (fox or not) outside of their family, let allow permit a priest to leave it open on display - so I didn't expect to see anyone's there.

btw, the very first link seems to be 'blocked' for some reason.

Speaking of the 'White Kitsune Ball', I've only ever heard it mentioned once, and it was during a human that was possessed by a Kitsune. Where as, it is not to be confused with a "wish Fulfilling jewel" An odd shaped gem that is found among most Inari shrines.

I've don't know if the Kitsune ball has been confused sometimes as the Jewel, but it is odd. The book "The Fox and The Jewel: Shared and Private worship of Inari" (the subtitle of the book is a bit off as I don't have the exact book with me.) Explained a bit at length about Inari shrines and the symbols of the Fox related to Inari.

I love how the Shinto priests refuse at length that Inari is not to be considered a Fox at all. She can shape-shift to be anything and can appear as what ever she wants to anyone she chooses. I also find if funny that the Buddhists priests also believe in Inari too.

That link wants to pop-up, at least for me - so if you have a blocker, it may not show. Just copy and paste (or look at the link from the original site - there's no reason why it shouldn't work). You can find the same picture in the link next to it - it's just the picture of inside the main shrine.

As for that book, I'll need to read it myself, and preferably the original texts where this information came from. The only time I've heard heard of a wishfulfilment, is only at certain shrines (two that I know of for sure), and they aren't jewels, but stones. The fox's soul dwells in them, and you touch it with both hands and make your wish - at least, that's the case for one shrine (Kuzunoha Inari Jinja). The other is at Fushimi Inari Jinja, but not so much wishfulfilment. There's a stone that its weight seems differ depending on the person and what they wish for - how strongly you really need/want what you're wishing for, in comparison to something less important. I can't remember if it's heavier or lighter with which type of wish, but I'm sure I can find out.
It's only if a Tenko dwells there that one of these stones exists. And these are the only two examples I've seen. Normally, Inari Shrines are just that - shrines to Inari. It's not overly common for an Inari Shrine to be dedicated particularly to a fox.

- Kuzu no ha's soul is said to reside in this stone.