Overseas Shinto Shrines - (Bloomsbury Shinto Studies) by Karli Shimizu

Book Synopsis

Through extensive use of primary resources and fieldwork, this detailed study examines overseas Shinto shrines and their complex role in the colonization and modernization of newly Japanese lands and subjects.

Shinto shrines became one of the most visible symbols of Japanese imperialism in the early 20th century. From 1868 to 1945, shrines were constructed by both the government and Japanese migrants across the Asia-Pacific region, from Sakhalin to Taiwan, and from China to the Americas. Drawing on theories about the constructed nature of the modern categories of 'religion' and the 'secular', this book argues that modern Shinto shrines were largely conceived and treated as secular sites within a newly invented Japanese secularism, and that they played an important role in communicating changed conceptions of space, time and ethics in imperial subjects.

Providing an example of the invention of a non-Western secularity, this book contributes to our understanding of the relationship between religion, secularism and the construction of the modern state.

Review Quotes

"Engaging with wider debates on the difficult divide between secular patriotic ritual and religious ritual, this monograph presents the first full-length study of Shinto shrines established in the ever-expanding Japanese sphere of influence between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries. Through her well-researched study, Shimizu discusses how Japan attempted to construct a multiethnic Shinto-based secularity and used the overseas Shinto shrines to instill new senses of time, space and morality in their newly acquired territories." --Ellen Van Goethem, Professor of Japanese History, Kyushu University, Japan

"Overseas Shinto Shrines presents a significant and much-needed contribution to not only Shinto studies but also Asian studies, religious studies, and modern history more broadly. The book is a great resource for courses on religion, law, and politics, as well as colonialism, migration, and globalization. ... The historical narratives are engaging, and the contents are clear, comprehensive, and accessible for students and non-specialists. I strongly recommend Overseas Shinto Shrines and hope that it inspires further interest in Shinto research abroad." --Japanese Religions

"Shimizu skilfully demonstrates how a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the developments during the imperial period and the role of Shinto in Japanese colonialism is conducive to gaining a more nuanced understanding surrounding the public role of Shinto in Japanese society today." --Reading Religion

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