English What Is Ko-Shinto (Ancient Shinto)? Three Meanings, Ancient Clues, Key Ideas and the “Koshi Koden” Texts
Ko-Shinto, "ancient Shinto", means the faith in the kami before Buddhism and Confucianism reached Japan, or the search for it. But the word is used in very different ways. This guide fairly introduces its three meanings, the clues to the ancient faith, key ideas such as musubi and kotodama, and the mysterious "Koshi Koden" texts, with comparisons to Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism.