Shinto, Nature and Ideology in Contemporary Japan: Making Sacred Forests

by Aike P. Rots

Shinto, Nature and Ideology in Contemporary Japan is the first systematic study of Shinto's environmental turn. The book traces the development in recent decades of the idea of Shinto as an 'ancient nature religion,' and a resource for overcoming environmental problems. The volume shows how these ideas gradually achieved popularity among scientists, priests, Shinto-related new religious movements and, eventually, the conservative shrine establishment.

Aike P. Rots argues that central to this development is the notion of chinju no mori : the sacred groves surrounding many Shinto shrines. Although initially used to refer to remaining areas of primary or secondary forest, today the term has come to be extended to any sort of shrine land, signifying not only historical and ecological continuity but also abstract values such as community spirit, patriotism and traditional culture.

The book shows how Shinto's environmental turn has also provided legitimacy influenced by the global discourse on religion and ecology, in recent years the Shinto establishment has actively engaged with international organizations devoted to the conservation of sacred sites. Shinto sacred forests thus carry significance locally as well as nationally and internationally, and figure prominently in attempts to reposition Shinto in the centre of public space.

Genres: Japan

274 pages, Paperback

Published March 21, 2019

Reviews

[Brecht Reintsema · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bit hard to review as it is a scholarly text I read for an essay I will write for a course on "Making Places" but I have opinions anyway so here is a brain dump.

The topic is super interesting, but I feel like this has left me with more questions than answers. Which doesn't have to be a problem, but I must say that the structure of the book didn't always make sense, which wasn't helpful. Additionally, there were a lot of names of people and places and organisations that my brain that is unfamiliar with Japanese language could not really keep apart all the time.

But my biggest issue is that the author is SO close to making such a good argument but never really finishes it, which I think is frustrating. I think it needed just a bit more background information on the (ancient) history of kami-related religious practise, because the author was sometimes a bit too easy in dismissing all claims on Shintoism actually relating to environmentalism. After all, the "original" practise is based on non-anthropomorphic deities relating to the natural world. As this is something I study in a Western, (pre-)Christian context, I think it is actually super relevant to look into this older practise, and then subsequently look into how much this has influenced human-landscape interactions over time.

His point of how Shintoism has historically played a major role in imperialism and is still mostly related to nationalist and conservative ideologies is very clear, as well as the idea of "environmentalist nostalgia": conservation not for the sake of ecology, but a certain longing for an idealized past, where "the Japanese still lived in balance with nature". But I never really got the message how this still results in mostly shitty environmental management in contemporary Japan. Something something on "cultivated" and "sacred" vs "uncultivated" and "profane" nature.

I think this was just not historical enough for me, which is fair, given that "contemporary" is literally in the title. Anyhow, I'll read more on the topic but I would still recommend this if you are interested in this specific aspect of Shintoism, but maybe not as a general introductory source

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a North American who grew up with little interaction with Shinto, and has now only interacted with Shinto in highly tourist-saturated areas, it’s remarkable to see how I’ve been spoon-fed a highly curated depiction of the religion. Rots does an excellent job at not dimming our rose-colored glasses, but wiping them clear: through a detailed account of the development of a local worship of the kami, to a state-organized faith, and now an international symbol of environmental activism, the author captures the fluidity of religious institutions— how prone they are to change in tandem with the world’s social climate. Furthermore, Rots packs a punch with his final, personal statement about the political, religious and ecological dissonance within Japan:

“Japan’s track record in environmental issues remains meager. While academics, religious leaders, forest-planters and journalists continue to spread the myth of Japan as a nation of “nature lovers” who can teach the rest of the world how to live in harmony with nature, Japanese state agencies and corporations continue to contribute to widespread construction, (toxic) waste production and large-scale deforestation abroad. Surely, there is work to do.” (204)

I’m writing a final essay about this, can you tell I’m excited?