| relig. |
Sacred scriptures. A term used in Shinto scholarship for texts regarded as classic sources for the understanding of Shinto. The term shinten parallels the Buddhist "butten" (Buddhist scriptures) but there is no collection of texts, sutras etc. in Shinto which parallels the Buddhist canon or the Confucian classics. Shinten refers to documents containing ancient hymns and prayers, early poetry and mytho-historical annals. Works which are often referred to as shinten include the Kojiki, Nihon shoki (Nihongi), Kogoshui, Manyoshu, various fudoki, the Engi-Shiki (including norito) etc A Popular Dictionary of Shinto (Brian Bocking) |
