Social History of the Ise Shrines

Mark Teeuwen is Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Oslo, Norway. He has published widely on the history of Japanese religions, with a special focus on Shinto. His books include Watarai Shinto: An Intellectual History of the Outer Shrine in Ise (1996) and A New History of Shinto (2010), co-authored by John Breen.John Breen is Professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Japan. He has published widely on the imperial institution and religion and state in modern Japan. His books include A New History of Shinto (2010), co-authored with Mark Teeuwen, Girei to kenryoku: Tenno no Meiji ishin (2011) and Shinto monogatari: Ise no kingendaishi (2015).

• List of Maps and IllustrationsPrologueNote to the ReaderIntroduction: Divine capital: Ise and its agentsChapter 1. Divine wrath and court politicsChapter 2. Classical Ise: Hosophobia codifiedChapter 3. Amaterasu’s escape from IseChapter 4. Ise in the Kamakura period: Lands and secretsChapter 5. Ise in the Muromachi period: War and pilgrimsChapter 6. Ise restored and ShintoisedChapter 7. Pilgrims’ pleasures: Ise and its patrons in the Edo periodChapter 8. Meiji Ise: The emperor’s mausoleum and the modern pilgrimChapter 9. Ise and nation in Taisho and early Showa Japan Chapter 10. Crisis and recovery: Ise’s postwar transformationsConclusion: Phases of redevelopmentNotesReferencesIndex

Teeuwen and Breen present the narrative strata that make up Ise’s historical identity and recount a dynamic history in which the Ise shrines have been transformed many times over the centuries. The result of their thorough research is a fascinating and eye-opening book, an excellent resource for both researchers and teachers in the field of Japanese religions.