Pagan, Shinto & Spiritual Book Reviews May 2016

John K. Nelson, A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine

(University of Washington Press, 1995)

★★★ Read of the Month! ★★★

Ever wanted to know what goes on “behind the scenes” in a Japanese jinja (Shinto shrine)? Nelson’s 1995 book is an ethnography of Suwa Shrine in Nagasaki, one of the more important shrines in Japan, and the lives of the priests who work there.

This is a book that I really should have read a long time ago, not least because I lived in Nagasaki for two years and have direct experience of Suwa shrine and its related festivals. Not only that, but A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine frequently appears on “must-read” lists of books in English about Shinto. And now that I’ve finally read it, I understand why it does.

Firstly, A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine is highly informative. It’s much more than simply a description of what goes on at a Shinto shrine. It includes a good introduction to Shinto itself, the fascinating history of Suwa Shrine, and the socio-political context in which Shinto has developed. This makes it an excellent resource for those new to Shinto, but there is a wealth of new material for more veteran Shintoists and Shinto students as well. Beyond the basics, the book also examines many unique and little-known practises at Suwa Shrine, as well as the priests’ own thoughts and perspectives – some of which may come as a surprise even to Japanese readers.

Secondly, Nelson is a top-notch writer. Creating an academic piece that both stands up to researcher-level scrutiny and still appeals to the general audience is an extraordinarily difficult task, but Nelson has achieved it. There’s not a moment where the reader feels overwhelmed or intimidated by unfamiliar terminology or lengthy piece of methodology; everything is explained clear, simple and carefully crafted writing.

And finally, what makes A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine really stand out from usual reference books on Shinto is the level of emotion it manages to convey. Religion and spirituality, after all, are deeply rooted in emotion, and to analyse religion without consideration of emotion is arguably to omit a vital aspect of what it means to practise a religion. Through his vivid descriptions of Shinto rituals great and small, we not only gain an understanding of what happens, but actually feel what it must be like to experience these rituals for ourselves. We share in the tension of the priests and onlookers of the yutate-sai (a ritual in which the priest strikes his hands into scalding water), the nervousness of a junior priest taking a lead role in a ritual for the first time, and the frenzied, exhausting excitement of the massive Okunchi festival. This level of emotion adds a depth to the text that truly deepens the reader’s understanding of what Shinto means to its practitioners.

A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine is a treasure of a book. With its broad appeal, unique content, vivid description and excellent writing, it’s one of the best books on Shinto in English out there.