Draws on archive of material, a first in English to take an in-depth look at Kyoto’s modern transformation – its reinvention after ‘collapse’ (Meiji Restoration) and relocation of the imperial court to Tokyo. Includes: introduction, chapters on notable historical elements that sustain Kyoto as a quintessentially modern ‘ancient capital’ today.

A raiding Norse pirate rapes a young girl in 9th century Connacht, Ireland, and leaves her for dead. Shamed by her pregnancy and wanting a life without the label of Norse for her child, Ceara makes her way south to Ceann Coradh. On her journey, she has a dream about Scathach, a mythical warrior woman. Ceara dies giving life to her son, Scolai, and the story of her dream will follow her son and his heirs for centuries to come.Scolai grows up to be a Dal gCais warrior in the service ...

It's the year 2245, and an alien civilization on the planet Dar'Wan is threatened with annihilation as their Dwarf galaxy, the Perdone, is on course to collide with an arm of the Milky Way in 500 years. Their prime target for the safe relocation of the Dar'Wannian population? Earth!The nations of Earth are offered a choice-relocate to a new planet or be driven off Earth by the Dar'Wannians. The war begins with Earth space stations being attacked and thousands of human pris...

Beyond Zen: D. T. Suzuki and the Modern Transformation of Buddhism is an accessible collection of multidisciplinary essays, which offer a genuinely new appraisal of the great Zen scholar-practitioner, D. T. Suzuki (1870–1966). Suzuki’s writings and lectures continue to exert a profound influence on how Zen, Buddhism more broadly, and indeed Japanese culture as a whole, are understood in the United States, Europe, and across the globe.With the publication of Beyond Zen,...

This accessible guide to the development of Japan’s indigenous religion from ancient times to the present day offers an illuminating introduction to the myths, sites and rituals of kami worship, and their role in Shinto’s enduring religious identity.Offers a unique new approach to Shinto history that combines critical analysis with original researchExamines key evolutionary moments in the long history of Shinto, including the Meiji Revolution of 1868, and provides t...

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 la...

This is the only book to date offering a critical overview of Shinto from early times to the modern era, and evaluating Shinto's place in Japanese religious culture. In recent years, a few books on medieval Shinto have appeared, but none has attempted to depict the broader picture, to examine critically Shinto's origins and its subsequent development through the medieval, pre-modern and modern periods. The essays in this book address such key topics as Shinto and Daoism in early Japan, Shi...

Epic adventures, survival and tragedy in New Zealand's own 'Wild West' frontier, the Waiatoto Valley. Deep into the heart of the Waiatoto Valley on the savage West Coast is New Zealand's own Wild West: a place which may never really be ‘won’. Its pioneers, musterers, hunters and pilots of South Westland’s Haast District have had to face isolation, rugged geography and atrocious weather that's sometimes so bad for so long that the hair begins to rot from the backs of live c...

Shinto - A Short History provides an introductory outline of the historical development of Shinto from the ancient period of Japanese history until the present day.Shinto does not offer a readily identifiable set of teachings, rituals or beliefs; individual shrines and kami deities have led their own lives, not within the confines of a narrowly defined Shinto, but rather as participants in a religious field that included Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian and folk elements. Thus, ...

"One of the world's greatest spiritual leaders reflects on his commitments as a human being, a Buddhist monk, and the fourteenth Dalai Lama." — BooklistIn this elegant self-portrait, the world's most outspoken and influential spiritual leader recounts his epic and engaging life story. The Dalai Lama's most accessible and intimate book, My Spiritual Journey is an excellent introduction to the larger-than-life leader of Tibetan Buddhism—perfect for a...

A comprehensive study into the spiritual world of the Samurai, from the cult of revenge and suicide, to Zen and martial arts.The fierce loyalty and self-sacrificing attitude of the Samurai have made them both a legend and a cult. Yet although their military prowess and skills in the martial arts have been studied exhaustively, an understanding of their belief system still eludes many.This original and exciting work examines the spiritual world of the samura...