The Essence of Shinto: Japan's Spiritual Heart Hardcover – Illustrated, September 7, 2012

A small book, but well written and insightful. Beautiful explanation of Shinto.

I was born in the US but my grandmother is for Okinawa. I wanted to learn about Shinto to better connect with her and the author’s authority/ history/ and knowledge about the practice of Shinto was delivered perfectly to someone like me, who did not grow up nor had any prior knowledge about Shinto.

I've always been drawn to and interested in Japanese culture. I love the organization, structure and sacred that seems to permeate their society. I believe now that all has its roots in their long history of Shinto being a core of their culture and mind set for many centuries.There are things that I have come to understand for myself and my own views that I see are also shared by Shinto. Like every thing has an energy and everything is connected in a great cycle that is far bigger than any of us. I have always found a large part of me more drawn to a polytheistic view of the world. Being from the "West" that was more of a traditional European belief set like Celtic or even Neolithic in my train of thought. Shinto has much in common with many of the "New Age" views or 19th century Spiritualism, but is very distinct in its own right. It's VERY structured and has a high degree of ritual involved.Much of this read I can agree with from my own experiences and feelings. There is a "clean and straight" mind that can have almost psychic like moments of clarity and there is the "dark and twisted" where reality can become confused and the negative things that come with that energy you create.

I chose this book as part of a research effort to understand how the Toyota Production System (TPS) was influenced by societal aspects found in Japan. One thing that is "uniquely Japanese" is Shintoism, and so a working hypothesis was that it provided unconscious bias ("intuition") in how this manufacturing system was created and refined. This book provides a wealth of tantalizing clues useful in my study, and hope that there is enough commentary here to be useful to others seeking to satisfy curiosity or other forms of knowledge/enlightenment.Pro:+ This book, to the novice that I am, appears complete enough to be called "The Essence of Shinto"+ Complete, yet relative short and to the point+ Corrects the view that Shinto is a religion, rather it is better described as a value system that reveres "the Great Nature"+ Well written and easy to understand... with a better translation into English than other Japanese texts I have read+ Contains some interesting statements that might explain motivations behind "taking a long view" in cellular manufacturing: cell shape, 5s systems, kaizen, hansei, and "Ohno Circle" as well as why despite strong beliefs in standardization why separate factories often do not share these standards+ Also helped me explain why additional TPS-like systems are not emerging from Japan... one important element, Shintoism, is in rapid decline, making the philosopher approach less and less likely as time moves forward+ Makes some links to Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism which help one understand what Shintoism is, and how it is changingCon:- There is a lot of unique Japanese jargon which make it harder to follow at times, which may be unavoidable in this subject matter- The author is somewhat enamored with the subject matter, making him perhaps less objective, especially when making comparisons to Western religionsNeutral:> Although perhaps out of scope, some additional detail on Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism influences on shintoism would have been warmly welcomedBottom line: I would recommend this to any novice that wants to explore Shinto and for any others seeking deeper understanding of TPS.

This is wonderful short book on Shinto, which well represents the very cultural soul of Japan, even in these horrid "modern" times in which we live, and which must be understood so as to enable one to grasp some notion, even if a limited one, of the same.Written by the 75th successor of family lineage within Shinto and providing a personal expression of that one's understanding and thoughts, for which this one is greatful and feels honored to have been allowed to hear/read the same, the perspective is as if one is receiveing guidance from one's beloved uncle or grandfather.This book is Shinto.This book does not teach one the ritual practices of Shinto, which must be lived to be so learned, however, this one speaks to the spirit and impotance of Shinto.namaste

A great well written book on "accurate" descriptions and information about Shinto. There is a LOT of misinformation out there and this is source that is trustworthy. It has become a recommended source for all my students wanting to learn more about the Shinto Roots to Reiki

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This book is very appropriately titled. I have recently embarked upon a little personal journey to become at least passably literate in the basics of as many of the world religions as I can, and therefore have sought out several books that describe the foundational principles of each. In my quest to understand Shintoism I chose this book first, and then read several others. I found this to be the clearest and most easily understandable to the Western reader. I trust the credentials of the author as giving him the tools with which to write such a work for an international audience as well. I found several very valuable insights from the belief system itself as well. Highly recommend.