It is only since the end of World War II that Japanese historians have begun to study religious organizations and their doctrinal systems in the context of their historical backgrounds. A number of histories of Japanese religion and Japanese Buddhism have resulted from this new scholarship. A History of Japanese Religion is a particularly note-worthy example, a volume in which sixteen distinguished experts approach the subject from fresh perspectives to elucidate the entire broad spectrum of Japanese religion. The book ranges from prehistoric times through the impact of Buddhism in the feudal period, and from the activities of the first Christian missionaries to the surge in the development of new religions in the early postwar years. KAZUO KASAHARA, the editor and one of the authors of this comprehensive volume, is a former professor at the University of Tokyo and a specialist in the history of Japanese Buddhism. The names of the other authors and their academic affiliations are listed at the end of the book.