Occult Japan: The Way of the Gods probes Shinto as a lived, thaumaturgic tradition. Traveling through late-Meiji villages and shrines, Lowell records god-descents (kamigakari), oracles, fox-possession, exorcisms, fire-walking, yamabushi asceticism, misogi purifications, and matsuri where kami are felt to act. In limpid, essayistic prose that blends travel narrative with proto-ethnography, he situates Shinto amid the recent separation of kami and buddhas (shinbutsu bunri) yet repeatedly finds the tenacious syncretism of practice. The book preserves minute ritual gestures, tools, and chants otherwise eclipsed by emergent State Shinto. A Boston Brahmin and polymath (1855-1916), Percival Lowell spent formative years in East Asia, learned Japanese, and moved between salons and village precincts. Preceded by The Soul of the Far East and Noto, this inquiry grew from travel notebooks and a Victorian faith in comparative religion. His later astronomical fame notwithstanding, he writes with an exacting eye for ceremony and speech. Read this as a primary-source portrait of Meiji folk religion-brilliantly observed, though marked by an Orientalist lens. Students of religion, folklore, Japanese studies, and travel writing will find both evidence and style rewarding. Pair it with modern ethnographies to test his claims, and savor the lucid prose.
Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable-distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Author Biography · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.
