The Ise shrine complex is among Japan's most enduring national symbols, and A Social History of the Ise Shrines: Divine Capital is the first book to trace the history of the shrines from their beginnings in the seventh century until the present day. Ise enshrines the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, the imperial ancestress and the most prominent among kami deities, and has played a vital role in Japan's social, political and religious history. The most popular pilgrims' attraction in the land from the sixteenth century onwards, in 2013 the Ise complex once again captured the nation's...

Shinto, Nature and Ideology in Contemporary Japan is the first systematic study of Shinto's 'environmental turn.' The book traces the development in recent decades of the traditional idea of Shinto as an 'ancient nature religion, ' and a resource for overcoming environmental problems. The volume shows how these ideas gradually achieved popularity among scientists, priests, Shinto-related new religious movements and, eventually, the conservative shrine establishment.

Aike P. Rots argues that central to this development is the notion of chinju no mori the 'sacred groves'...