Shinto: The Way Home

Dimensions of Asian Spirituality

By: Thomas P. Kasulis

Narrated by: Dean Sluyter

Nine out of ten Japanese claim some affiliation with Shinto, but in the West the religion remains the least studied of the major Asian spiritual traditions. It is so interlaced with Japanese cultural values and practices that scholarly studies usually focus on only one of its dimensions: Shinto as a "nature religion", an "imperial state religion", a "primal religion", or a "folk amalgam of practices and beliefs". Thomas Kasulis' fresh approach to Shinto explains with clarity and economy how these different aspects interrelate.

As a philosopher of religion, he first analyzes the experiential aspect of Shinto spirituality underlying its various ideas and practices. Second, as a historian of Japanese thought, he sketches several major developments in Shinto doctrines and institutions from prehistory to the present, showing how its interactions with Buddhism, Confucianism, and nationalism influenced its expression in different times and contexts.

In Shinto's idiosyncratic history, Kasulis finds the explicit interplay between two forms of spirituality: the "existential" and the "essentialist". Although the dynamic between the two is particularly striking and accessible in the study of Shinto, he concludes that a similar dynamic may be found in the history of other religions as well.

Two decades ago, Kasulis' Zen Action/Zen Person brought an innovative understanding to the ideas and practices of Zen Buddhism, an understanding influential in the ensuing decade of philosophical Zen studies. Shinto: The Way Home promises to do the same for future Shinto studies.

©2004 University of Hawaii Press (P)2012 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"An outstanding introduction to the basics of the Shinto tradition and its many practices." ( Philosophy East and West)

"Kasulis takes a comparative, philosophical approach, identifying both Japanese and universal characteristics of ‘Shinto spirituality'.... The book has a clear thematic structure, reads well, and will certainly provoke lively classroom discussion." ( Journal of Asian Studies)

"Through illustration and example, Kasulis explains Shinto as have few previous scholars. As in his earlier Zen Action/Zen Person, the author demonstrates without recourse to jargon and agreed-upon models. His concern is not that you be impressed but that you understand, and the result is one of the finest books on Shinto now available." ( Japan Times)

A bit of a yawner.

I was looking for a book on Shinto because I wanted to learn more about it after a trip to Japan. I did learn some interesting things in the first 2 chapters, but the rest of the book was not very interesting.

A perfect blend of academic and actual experience

An excellent incite on Shintoism. Rife with historical and experiential commentary. The author did well to cover a wide variety of opinions on the topic and deliver a personal account that was relatable and relevant. This book is certainly a reliable text on the experience, history, and existence of the religion of Shinto. It isn't a guide to start performing shinto rituals, or delving into yokai lore, but it's an excellent basis to understanding the real meaning behind Shinto in the pre-modern and modern traditions.

The Best Starting Point Shinto Studies

Overall, the performance of the narrator was consistent and enjoyable throughout the work. "Shinto: The Way Home" is not a look at what practices are Shinto and how they are done. Instead, it is looking at the philosophical development of Shinto and why it is what it is. of course, ove the course of the book you may learn various practices, but they are not the main concern. After listening, you'll have a better understanding of the feeling of Shinto, spirituality, and how people think about relgions today.

Words one must hear

Ever feel like somebody said something to you that made miss a beat, and had to ponder their words?
Fantastic presentation of Shinto in its whole; from the ancient, to its medieval Buddhist synchronization, and its eventual rise as an ideological basis for the Imperial Japanese. Many questions were raised, and given the appropriate space to be argued in, my opinion, a fair way. This analysis was essentially what I needed to hear for my own spirituality; simply observe, and enjoy.

Suitable for Audio?

This may be one of the very few books I have run into out of the 400 that I have listen to from Audible, that I might say is not as suitable for audio. It really needs to be read very slowly and studied. It’s one of those books I would read the paragraph, do some underlining, make notes in the margin and so on. It’s excellent but I found myself rewinding sections or even chapters a couple times. I was not familiar with Shinto before.

Great content, poor narration. Overall positive.

Fascinating, disappointingly poor narration. Mispronounced common words, alternated pronunciation of Amaterasu sentence to sentence. Excellent content though, commentary largely reserved for the end.

A Great Way To Understand Shinto

This is the best book I've read on Shinto and the Japanese way. It makes so much sense as to how Japanese people have a good sense of balance and appreciation for nature. Having a long history with Japan, and filtering through the eyes of foreign missionaries, I now understand why it's so difficult for Christians to totally convert people that are already grounded in a set of beliefs that are more visible and don't rely on fantastic promises.
Read it to understand and be entertained. Now I have to buy the print copy for a solid reference book!

Informative and well read

The start of the book is a bit bland amd takes some effort to get though but most of the book is well written and informative. There are times, however, that the author tries to use a $2 word rather than a 2 cent one but then follows up with a description. I think this is an annoying habit. Either use the word and expect that your audiences are at the level of understanding or just switch to using the normal phrasing.

Quiet and intriguing

The narrators voice is sometimes too quiet, but the overall concept and "story" is very fascinating. The terms and ideas are rather complex, but it was a good refresher for me (a theology major in college). If you have no previous theological/philosophical background you might find this challenging.

More a scholarly analysis than Shinto primer

My interest in Shinto has always been there, but the degree to which I explore it has waxed and waned as I have moved through spaces related to other paths such as Buddhism, Wicca, and Druidry. As someone who has never quite resonated with the idea of deities as often presented in Western cultures, be they Christian or European Pagan, I decided to revisit Shinto and its concepts of the kami. I bought Shinto: The Way Home thinking it might be a good primer on Shinto ideas and practice. While there are some good insights in the book and it did expand my understanding of the kami in ways that I find appealing, the majority of the book is a historical and sociological analysis of Shinto, covering how both Shinto informed the evolution of Japanese culture and, in turn, events in Japanese history influenced the evolution of Shinto to what we see of it today.

While the book itself is interesting, it is not a really a primer on the basics of Shinto concepts and practice that those who are seeking to explore it as a spiritual path - either primary or complimentary - in their life journey. There are little morsels of information here and there that help form an idea of Shinto outlook and philosophy and how it compares and contrasts to Western ideas of spirit and deity, but the majority of it is history and academic analysis. As such, it is a bit dry and doesn't really go into the ideas as the reader might apply to their spiritual practice and life.

A worthy read later down the line, perhaps. But probably not the best for a spiritual seeker. It's better suited to the academically and philosophically curious.