Neo‑Shintoism does not revolve around a single, binding scripture in the way that some other religious traditions do. Rather than being a “religion of the book,” it inherits from Shinto a primary emphasis on practice, ritual, and lived relationship with the kami, while offering new philosophical interpretations of that heritage. What gives Neo‑Shinto thought its character is less a fixed canon and more a shared orientation toward re‑reading and re‑thinking traditional materials.

In this interpretive work, certain classical Japanese texts often serve as touchstones. The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, with their mythological and historical narratives, are frequently consulted as foundational sources for understanding the world of the kami and the early shaping of the tradition. Ritual prayers (norito) and other elements of the broader Shinto literary legacy may also be drawn upon, not as infallible authorities, but as rich symbolic reservoirs to be contemplated and re‑interpreted.

Neo‑Shinto thinkers typically stand within a long line of reflection on these materials, engaging earlier scholarship while also bringing in broader philosophical concerns. Figures associated with Shinto revival and later Shinto philosophy become part of this ongoing conversation, as their writings offer models for how to extract and articulate principles of nature, harmony, and spiritual cultivation from inherited texts. The result is a landscape in which no single book defines the path, yet a recognizable cluster of sources and commentaries continues to guide inquiry.

What ultimately holds Neo‑Shintoism together is a method and a mood rather than a closed canon: a willingness to return to traditional narratives, prayers, and reflections, and to read them anew in light of contemporary questions. Scripture, in this context, is less a fixed rulebook and more a living archive, continually re‑examined for insight into the relationship between humans, the natural world, and the divine presence that Shinto names as kami.