Sect Shinto and the Case of Ooyashirokyo

If, as we sometimes hear, Shinto is “the ethnic religion of the Japanese people” it might seem difficult to understand how there can be Shinto “sects.” And yet there are several distinctive groups which claim both to pertain to Shinto and to be somehow special in their orientation and activity. This paper provides a reflective introduction to the paradoxical subject of Sect Shinto, with various examples. In particular it presents the case of Izumo Ooyashiro-kyō, which has branches all over Japan but has previously been little studied.