Today, we explore the philosophy of Shinto, Japan’s traditional religion. Toji Kamata, Professor Emeritus at Kyoto University, is an expert in Shinto and other Asian traditions. His work spans Japanese thought history, folklore, philosophy of religion, and comparative civilization. He plays traditional Japanese musical instruments and writes Shinto songs and poems. He has climbed Hi-ei Mountain 723 times as a practitioner of Shugen-do, a Japanese syncretic religion drawing from folk religions, Shinto mountain worship and Buddhism. Professor Yujin Nagasawa provides translation.

Toji Kamata is Professor Emeritus at Kyoto University and Specially Appointed Professor at the Institute of Grief Care at Sophia University in Japan. He is ordained as a Shinto priest. He has authored numerous books addressing Japanese spirituality from historical, cultural and philosophical perspectives. An English translation of his book Myth and Deity in Japan was published in 2019.

The Global Philosophy of Religion Project aims to make the philosophy of religion a truly global field by promoting the scholarly work of researchers from underrepresented regions and religious traditions. It is led by Professor Yujin Nagasawa and hosted by the University of Birmingham. This interview was conducted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn, host of Closer To Truth.

This project was made possible in part through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

The opinions expressed in this video are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.