Way of the Gods: Shinto in Modern Japan

Shinto or the “Way of the Gods” has long been viewed as the “archaic indigenous religion” of Japan. This course explores how, in fact, Shinto is an invented religion that changed radically throughout modern Japanese history as it evolved from local cults worshipping kami to state Shinto and new religious movements in the pre-war period to its modern guise today as religious organizations independent of state control. Topics include: Shinto mythology, religious ultra-nationalism, emperor worship and the imperial system (also called State Shinto), the Yasukuni shrine war memorial issue, Shinto in popular culture, and the role of contemporary shrines and festivals, and kami worship and ecology. Offered every other year. Also offered in Asian Studies.