Sakurai Haruo is Professor in the Department of Welfare Studies at Kôgakkan University-Nabari Campus. Previously he has taught in the Department of Shinto Studies at Kôgakkan University-Ise Campus. He has carried out field research on the shrines and rituals of Mie Prefecture, as well as historical research on the shrine merger and shrine reestablishment movements. His publications include Yomigaeru mura no kamigami (Tokyo, 1992) and Jinja fukushi no kenkyû (Ise, 1995).