Jingi kōshiki: A neglected field of study

One-sixth of the known works of the kōshiki genre belong to the category of jingi kōshiki, which make non-Buddhist divinities their central objects of worship and thereby integrate them into Buddhist doctrine and practice. Appearing 210 years after the first works of the genre were composed, this subgenre is not one of the oldest, but it is the category that contains the greatest number of works, a fact that makes this group extremely important for an understanding of the genre of kōshiki as a whole. Nevertheless, the study of jingi kōshiki has remained the most neglected field of research among those related to kōshiki. This article examines specific problems faced when attempting to grasp the character of jingi kōshiki, while maintaining a steady focus on the development of the genre as a whole.