‘Shinto Norito; A book of prayers’ by Ann Llewelyn Evans Canada: Tenchi Press/Trafford Publishing, 2001 138 pages small size ISBN:155369138-5 $17.00
This is a book of ancient Shinto prayers, translated into English with kanji on the facing page. There is also a
transcription of the Japanese into roman script, so that the prayers can be read out with their original sound. The intention is to preserve the kotodama (literally, word spirit). As Yukitaka Yamamoto, grand priest of
Tsubaki Shrine, notes in the foreword, this is important in terms of ‘vibrating’ on the same frequency as the kami. The twenty-two prayers mostly concern purification, though there are others covering daily worship and ancestral prayers. (A CD of the prayers being chanted can be obtained online for an extra $15.00) The introduction presents a brief but useful overview of Shinto (as conceived by Tsubaki) and at the back is practical advice. This not only covers use of the prayers, but how to maintain a kamidana (house altar) as well as instructions how to perform misogi (cold water purification) and chinkon (meditation). As far as I know, this is the only information of its kind in English-language publications.
Summary: Essential for anyone wanting to practice Shinto rather than read about it. (The book is available through the Tsubaki Grand Shrine in the USA.)
This is one of the most “hands on” books I’ve read about Shinto. It’s a pretty much just the norito themselves. I found the presentation in Japanese characters, romanji, and the poetic English translation to be an excellent combination, so that a non Japanese speaker could read them and have an idea what they were saying, without losing the art and beauty of the characters themselves.
I wished for a little more information about how the norito would best be used and performed. The appendices were good for this, but only touched on the most basic things.
That being said, the book never promised anything like that, and delivered what it said it would do beautifully. I’m certainly glad to have read it and have it in my library.
I’d wished I’d seen the CD when I ordered my copy. Might have to find a copy of that.
I will follow up on my own comment to say that I’ve picked up a copy of the CD that goes with this book. It is extremely useful to hear the norito read aloud. They are read nothing like I expected them to be.
My only issue at all with this CD is that it is hard to find. My understanding is that it is only available through the Grand Tsubaki Shrine of America. While the people who run Tsubaki America are wonderful and ordering things from them is not difficult, it is too bad that this perfectly ordinary audio CD isn’t also on Amazon and/or iTunes with the book.