REVIEWS Allan G. G ra p a rd, The Protocol of the Gods: A Study of the Kasuga Cult in

Kasuga Shrine is the shrine of the Fujiwara family and had a close relation ship with the family temple, Kofuku-ji. Both temple and shrine were estab lished during the time the capital was in Nara, and both have endured, through times of grandeur and times of distress, to the present day. The Protocol of the Gods: A Study of the Kasuga Cult in Japanese History (here after Protocol) presents the cult of Kasuga as a structural model of Japanese culture. It is a long-awaited book. According to the preface the author began work on this subject in 1978，pursued his research in Japan in 1981-1982, and finished writing in 1985. Published late in 1992, the book takes its place later than the author expected among the small number of monographs that treat medieval Japanese religion. It also joins two other studies of the cult of Kasuga 春日信仰 一 that of Royall T y le r (1990) and my own (1992). Suspicious oi being critical because of my engagement with the same sub ject, and also aware or the tendency to criticize work done in English in this difficult area for what it does not do rather than praise it for what it does do,