Shinto - A Short History provides an introductory outline of the historical development of Shinto from the ancient period of Japanese history until the present day.Shinto does not offer a readily identifiable set of teachings, rituals or beliefs; individual shrines and kami deities have led their own lives, not within the confines of a narrowly defined Shinto, but rather as participants in a religious field that included Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian and folk elements. Thus, ...