History of Japanese Religion

Masaharu Anesaki was the leading Japanese writer on Japanese religion, and this long out-of-print account of the intricacies of religious belief in Japan has never been bettered. The great achievement of this work is to show how Shinto, Buddhism and Confucianism were moulded and combined by the circumstances of the times and the people into a composite whole, so that the Japanese of today are, consciously or unconsciously, followers of these various teachings at the same time. A true religious history, it sets religious belief in the context of social and political realities. This is essential reading for all who seek to understand the unique religious beliefs of Japan.