Reflective Essay

I believe that the topic I chose ended up being more difficult that I expected. I should have known that information would have been rare, especially since my topic is discussing something we cannot really have any solid ‘evidence’ or ‘proof’. Since the time era of my topic, there are no direct written records, and is probably mostly all speculation. I feel that if I had a lot more time, I would have been able to possibly get my hands on some of the rare books and translations, which I could not find online or locally. Also, I was not able to complete an interview, which may have been helpful. But for a truly good interview, traveling to Japan would have been ideal as well.

I think I learned a lot about the history and fundamentals of Shinto. I did not realize there had been so many different stages of Shinto development. I was also very interested to find out about the connection Shinto has with Buddhism, and that there are different sects of Shinto. I am very glad I narrowed down my search to the early years of Shinto, because I did not realize how much content and discussion there has been about this religion. Overall, I am happy with my research project, although I did have difficulties of finding sources and content, especially about the beginning roots of Shinto. This could certainly be considered the first of a series of research projects available on this topic, and I would like to try and continue with further research.