The Compiling Work of Shinto Discourses in Medieval Times

Abstract

Most Shinto accounts about the origin of the country were written from the late Heian Period to the Kamakura Period, but they were made in ancient style to put on the aura of classical literature. Like other religious writings, those accounts came to be systematically categorized and compiled in the late Kamakura Period. This article will examine the method of categorization and compilation in medieval Shintoism with Ruijū-jingi-hongen, Gengen-shū, Jindai-no-maki-hiketsu, and other texts.