Japanese Journal of Religious Studies

Aims & Scope

The Japanese Journal of Religious Studies is a peer-reviewed journal registered as an Open Access Journal with all content freely downloadable.

The journal began in 1960 as Contemporary Religions in Japan, which was changed to the JJRS in 1974.

It has been published by the Nanzan Institute since 1981.

The JJRS aims for a multidisciplinary approach to the study of religion in Japan, and submissions are welcomed from scholars in all fields of the humanities and social sciences.

To submit a manuscript or inquiry about publishing in our journal, please contact us at the address below.

Metrics & Ranking

Abstracting & Indexing

Journal is indexed in leading academic databases, ensuring global visibility and accessibility of our peer-reviewed research.

• Scopus
• Google Scholar
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
• Web of Science

Subjects & Keywords

Journal’s research areas, covering key disciplines and specialized sub-topics in Arts and Humanities, designed to support cutting-edge academic discovery.

Licensing & Copyright

This journal operates under an Open Access model. Articles are freely accessible to the public immediately upon publication. The content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), allowing users to share and adapt the work with proper attribution.

Copyright remains with the author(s), and no permission is required for non-commercial use, provided the original source is cited.

Policy Links

This section provides access to essential policy documents, guidelines, and resources related to the journal’s publication and submission processes.

• Aims scope
• Homepage
• Oa statement
• Author instructions
• License terms
• Review url
• Board url
• Copyright url
• Apc url
• License

Most Cited Articles

The Most Cited Articles section features the journal's most impactful research, based on citation counts. These articles have been referenced frequently by other researchers, indicating their significant contribution to their respective fields.

• Frame, flow and reflection: Ritual and drama as public liminality

  Citation: 177

  Authors: Victor

• The life-cycle of ethnic churches in sociological perspective

  Citation: 30

  Authors: Mark R

• Aspects of secularization in the West

  Citation: 28

  Authors: Bryan R

• Against the Ghosts of Recent Past: Meiji Scholarship and the Discourse on Edo-Period Buddhist Decadence

  Citation: 25

  Authors: Orion

• The structural conditions of religious consciousness in modern societies

  Citation: 21

  Authors: Thomas

• Sanbōkyōdan: Zen and the way of the New Religions

  Citation: 15

  Authors: Robert H

• Power Spots and the Charged Landscape of Shinto

  Citation: 14

  Authors: Caleb

• Rice, bronze, and chieftains: An archaeology of Yayoi ritual

  Citation: 13

  Authors: Mark J

• Things that Believe: Talismans, Amulets, Dolls, and How to Get Rid of Them

  Citation: 13

  Authors: Fabio R.

• Letters to the gods: The form and meaning of ema

  Citation: 12

  Authors: Ian