Any American convert to Shinto?

If so then any on line reading or websites to recommend?

Considering that converting to Shinto would mean accepting the Emperor of Japan as a living descendant of God, I can't see why any non-Japanese could convert to the faith without being a bit of a traitor.

No, not one more religion please.

Jeremiah 17:5-10

5 This is what the LORD says:

?Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.

7 ?But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.?

9 The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?


1 Corinthians 16:22
If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord !

Psalm 40:4
Blessed is that man that Maker the LORD his trust,

Anyone may practice Shinto. However, you can't convert because there is no "conversion" process in Shinto. If you live your life according to Shinto precepts, then you're a Shintoist. You can register with a Shrine but that's more about getting on the mailing list than anything else.

Here are some websites:

From the Kokugakuin University:
http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/

An important Shrine in Japan:
http://www.isejingu.or.jp/shosai/english/index.htm

A Shrine in the U.S.:
http://www.tsubakishrine.org/schedule/index.html

Note that Shinto has no founder, no commandments, and no "authoritative" scriptures. There are Shinto texts but they are not central to the religion. Shinto encompasses a wide variety of practices and is highly individualized. Even the Shrines are only loosely organized by the Association of Shinto Shrines (Jinja Honch?) and some important Shrines don't even belong. Broadly speaking there are four main categories of Shinto:

1. State Shinto: Has to do with the Emperor's ceremonies.

2. Shrine Shinto: Has a Shrine building and a resident priest. In a small village the priest may work for one of the larger Shrines and his wife runs the local Shrine (Don't think that this means women can't be priests. The highest priest in Shinto is a woman, but there are more men then women priests). Usually belongs to the Jinja Honch?. This is what you typically see in a search for Shinto.

3. Folk Shinto: Small Shrines either on private or public property usually with no priest (there are no absolutes in Shinto). This also includes traditional rituals performed in some communities at a local level.

4. Sect Shinto: This converse just about everything else. Typically there is a religious specialist who has had a vision and leads a group of followers. They may or may not be associated with a Shrine and even if they aren't officially associated they may use a particular Shrine for some or all rituals. These groups are different from the Ko groups which have an official record at a Shrine.

Ko groups: Associated with Shrine Shinto, these groups perform rituals with a lay leader rather than with a priest. They may also perform various services for the Shrine. Different Shrines handle these groups in a wide variety of ways. In some cases they have mandatory training courses and follow ups by the priests of the Shrine. In other cases the Shrine just wants the Ko group to register.