This book provides key official documents alongside political, religious-philosophical, and historical essays, illustrating how the term \"Shinto\" has metamorphosed terminologically from Japan\'s emergence as a modern nation state in the late 19th century to the postmodern Japan of today. \"Shinto\" is one of the most contested categories in the field of Japanese religious studies. While the term \"Shinto\" has a long history in the pre-modern period, this volume focuses on how the term has evolved in modern Japan. Divided into five parts, the book covers:Shinto and the modern Japanese nation statePre-war Japanese intellectuals on ShintoShinto and ultra-nationalism of the 1930s and 1940sPost-war reforms and reformulationsContemporary ways of defining ShintoPresenting a wealth of documents, most of which have been translated here for the first time, the book is an invaluable resource for scholars and students of Japanese religion. 3 Tables, black and white