New Books on Japan: "In the Presence of Gods and Spirits: Hirata Atsutane and His Collaborators"

Monday, November 16, 2026 | 8:00-9:30 PM ET

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In the Presence of Gods and Spirits: Hirata Atsutane and His Collaborators (Harvard University Asia Center Press, 2024)

Presenter: Anne Walthall, Professor Emerita of Japanese History, University of California Irvine

Discussant: Barbara Ambros, Professor of East Asian Religions, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Moderator: Emer O'Dwyer, Associate Professor of History and East Asian Studies, Oberlin College

The Modern Japan History Association invites the wider community to a conversation with Anne Walthall, who will be speaking about her new book In the Presence of Gods and Spirits: Hirata Atsutane and His Collaborators (Harvard University Asia Center Press, 2024). In the Presence of Gods and Spirits brings to life the early nineteenth-century Japanese religious leader and scholar Hirata Atsutane, whose fear of Russian incursion onto Japan’s soil led him to redefine what it means to be Japanese. Atsutane advocated the study of the Way of the Gods, commonly known as Shinto, to explain what happens to the soul after death and to cultivate a Japanese identity centered on gods, spirits, and the emperor. His teachings would later attract thousands of followers and feed the movements that led to the Meiji Restoration. Drawing on the concept of material religion, Walthall demonstrates how Atsutane and his collaborators sought out knowledge of the unseen world and educated others, while seeking to bring themselves closer to the gods and spirits. This work showcases Atsutane and his community’s legacy, which has had a profound influence on Japanese society, religious belief, and culture far beyond his lifetime. Barbara Ambros (UNC) will serve as interlocutor.