Journal paper

Issue No.	VOL.48（Spring）
Title	A Textual Study of Syncretizing Shennong with Shinto Deities in Tokugawa Japan
Author	NG, WAI-MING
Page	1-20
Abstract	The Shennong belief had been localized since its introduction to Japan. In the Heian and medieval periods when Buddhism reached the peak of its influence, Shennong was considered an incarnation of Buddhist bodhisattvas in China. However, in the Tokugawa period (1603-1868), Shennong was regarded as a manifestation of Japanese deities in China. The transition from the Buddhist model to the Shinto model reflects the tug-of-war among religious forces and the rise of national consciousness in Tokugawa Japan. Some Tokugawa Shintoists, kokugaku (national learning) scholars and Confucians attempted to establish a Japan-centric theory of local manifestation, pairing Chinese deities with different Shinto gods. Three theories regarding the syncretism of Shinnong with Shinto gods emerged in Tokugawa Japan: the Susanoo-no-Mikoto theory, the Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto theory, and the Takitsuhiko-no-Mikoto/Ukanomitama-no-Mikoto theory, each showing different forms and levels of syncretism. The Sino-Japanese religious syncretism was one of the most important features of the Shennong belief in Tokugawa Japan. Based on Japanese primary sources, thispaper examines how Shennong was syncretized with Shinto gods and the significance of this phenomenon.
Keyword	Shennong, Edo Japan, Shinto, localization, local manifestation
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