Helen Hardacre is Reischauer Institute Professor of Japanese Religions and Society at Harvard University. Concentrating on Japanese religious history of the modern period, she has done an extended field study of contemporary Shinto and Buddhist religious organizations. She has also written extensively on State Shinto.

This is a magisterial study of the history of Shinto, the indigenous tradition of Japan, from ancient to modern times. She covers its reverence for the natural world, rituals, offerings, shrines, and respect for a divinely descended emperor.

The word Shinto refers to the way of the Divine. There is no founder, no holy book, doctrines or institutional authority. Instead devotees of this way worship Kami which are "the spirits of a particular place or natural forces like wind, rivers, and mountains."

Hardacre begins her scholarly overview of the history of Shinto with a account of ancient times when Kami rituals were integrated into law code. A branch of government called "Ministries of Divinities" was set up to coordinate Kami activities at court and at provincial shrines.

In the eighth century, Shinto compilations of myth and history were released, and during the medieval period the esotericization of Shinto took place under the auspices of Buddhism. During the seventeenth century, Confucianism underwent a revival and influenced Shinto practices.

Hardacre looks at the variety of Shinto art, literature, dance, drama and architecture as expressions of devotional life. Another aspect of this tradition is fidelity to the deities of nature through the proliferation of shrines.

Five chapters are given to historical developments that influenced the practice of Shinto. Hardacre covers the Japanese government's efforts to unite the populous behind a state-authored creed, the Allied Occupation of Japan which ended government administration of shrines and had them classified as religious corporations, and the survival of this versatile religion after the triple disaster of March11, 2011, when Japan was devastated by an earthquake, tidal wave, and nuclear meltdown.

We were impressed with Hardacre's assessment of Shinto in contemporary religious culture, changing belief in the Kami and Buddhas, Japanese religiosity in international perspective, Shinto observations and attitudes, issues and new initiatives by the priesthood, Shinto's contributions to the public good, and Shinto in popular culture.

With a positive perspective, Hardacre concludes: "Contemporary Shinto is both contracting and expanding, but with substantial social support, much evidence of vigorous labor to preserve the tradition, and determined expressions of hope."