[.ca] Japan an Attempt at Interpretation (ISBN 1419127292)

Somewhat Dated, But Still Interesting:
The author's premise is that "Japan can be understood only through study of her religious and social evolution." Toward that end, he gives a good and interesting account of the history and development of the Shinto faith. This book describes in detail not only Shinto's history, but also how the religion effected and influenced Japanese society and culture for well over 2000 years. There are chapters on Shinto's/Japan's response to the introduction of new religious ideas --- namely Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity --- and on its reaction to the rise of the shoguns, and to the sudden introduction of Western ways in the mid-nineteenth century. All-in-all, this is an informative, educational book. One word of caution is in order, however: Hearn wrote this book in 1904. It is therefore somewhat dated; and the author's flowery Victorian-era prose might put some readers off. Same can be said for his use of nineteenth century anthropological terms and references --- words such as "Aryan," for example. Still, if the reader can look past Hearn's personal prejudices, this book is a fine history of Shinto up until the year 1904. To complete a study of Shinto, of course, it would be necessary to learn of the religion's development through the Second World War and beyond. I am not aware of any book bringing the history of Shinto into the present, but perhaps they exist ... in English.

Great on many levels:
In a nutshell, he shows how ancient Japanese society grew out of a vast network of family cults based on ancestor worship. Each family had a duty to keep the dead ancestors satisfied (or at least not unhappy), and, for the most part, this meant keeping family behavior in line with custom. There was a very fine line between custom and morality, and the immoral individual was one who broke with custom. No individual was free to break custom because, in doing so, he endangered the prosperity of the family. Later incursions of Buddhism and Confucianism did little to alter the core family-cult structure underlying the society. In my opinion, it is still largely in tact today, though some would likely disagree.

An insightful history of Japanese religiosity, up Meiji era:
Lafcadio Hearn says that Japanese culture is like a Bonsai tree, meticulously sculpted and trimmed and controlled for thousands of years. Even during his time (1890-1904) the rules were changing and the gardner was putting away his shears, and chaos was beginning to reclaim the tree. However, to understand this strange plant, with the roots and bends and twists of Bonsai sculpting, one must look at its past, and the methods of shaping. From Hearn's point of view, this shaping is religion, specifically Ancestor worship and the "rule of the dead." Without insight into Japanese religious history and practices, Hearn says, you cannot understand Japan, its history or its people. "Japan: An attempt at interpretation" is incredibly insightful and thorough, offering a history of the various forms of Shinto, Buddhism, Confucianism and other folk-practices that shaped the national character. I am currently working on my MA in Japanese Religion, and I can verify that his research is correct, and his conclusions still hold. It is the longest of Hearn's books, and obviously a great deal of work went into it. All though time has passed him by, "Japan: An Attempt at Interpretation" is still a valid, interesting book, both well-written and accurate. It DOES help explain Japanese interactions and culture. Most interesting are his speculations of Japanese culture, and where it would go in his pre-WWII era. Unfortunately, some of his worst fears were realized.