Subject Guides Portal: Religion & Philosophy

-- by the National Learning Institute for the Dissemination of Research on Shinto and Japanese Culture

Entirely in English, the site organizes Shinto concepts into hierarchical categories, as well as being searchable. Very user friendly. Accessible even to scholars new to Shinto.

--English language

-- by Bryan Lowe
-- by Chris Mayo

The Shōsōin is a storehouse on the grounds of Tōdai-ji. It's 10,000 documents from the Nara Period. They reveal much about the religion and economy of the time, and are one of the few sources of information on the lives of commoners. This guide introduces the Shōsōin corpus, its history, and the challenges researchers will face when using it. Included are many helpful reference works.

-- by Kristina Troost

Several pages of essential resources. Detailed annotations help to determine the most appropriate information source. Unique are the Specialized Dictionaries and Compilations sections.

-- Primary resources

-- by Federico Marcon

The introductory essay is excellent, explaining what "philosophy" means in terms of Japanese Studies. After covering major concepts there is a list of (older) print resources recommended for research.

-- by Heather Blair
-- revisions and updates by Henry Smith

More than a selection of resources on Japanese religion, this guide identifies the kinds of questions you need to ask before researching a topic. Identifies typical challenges to researching religion and what books can answer those questions.

-- Unique

-- by Toshie Marra & Joseph Yue

Offers the most potential information sources for studying religion. Covers core academic in Journals (in English and Japanese), bibliographies, dictionaries. Includes significant sections on Shintō and especially Buddhism.

-- Religion, academic journals

-- by Kuniko Yamada McVey

Includes all major religions in Japan. The categories are short but diverse in format. Includes web materials and some of Harvard's unique collections.

-- Christianity in Japan

-- by Ayako Yoshimura

A comprehensive guide on superstition across a variety of resources. From books & academic articles to websites & cinema. Especially helpful for researchers and students new to the topic. Books are divided into primary and secondary resources, with a separate Japanese only section.

-- English language
-- Primary resources
-- Supernatural