{"id":88606,"date":"2022-05-24T18:20:04","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T09:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=88606"},"modified":"2024-11-25T22:07:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T13:07:22","slug":"religion-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/religion-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Religion in Japan: What is the main religion in Japan?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\u201cA Japanese is born as a Shinto, marries as a Christian, and dies as a Buddhist.\u201d This looks impossible, but in Japan, it has its logic. The concept of spirituality and religion in Japan is different from what we are used to<\/strong> in the West, so it is very interesting to learn about it. But be careful: once you are onboard the Japanese religion’s train, you won’t be able to stop. You must be willing to learn more to better understand its culture and society. So, travel with us as we learn the differences between Buddhism, Shintoism<\/a>, and the other religions coexisting in Japan!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the 2021 official document<\/a> of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, there are 48.1% of inhabitants in Japan consider themselves Shintoists and 46.5% Buddhists.<\/strong> There is only 1.05% of Christians, and the other 4.3% include other religions. This data doesn’t seem out of the ordinary until we see that this statistic has been made according to 181 million people, and Japan only has 126 million inhabitants. How is it possible? The answer is that many people consider themselves both Shinto and Buddhist and therefore choose both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see, Shintoism and Buddhism have great relevance in Japan. Their synchronicity over the years has made them coexist in the same country and influence each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The word Shinto<\/em><\/strong> (\u795e\u9053 \u2014 Shintoism) literally means the deity path. The first kanji \u795e means kami<\/em> (deity, spirit), and the second \u9053 is michi <\/em>(way).<\/p>\n\n\n Shintoism is a religion that follows the cult of kami<\/em> (spirits)<\/strong>. It has greatly influenced Japanese culture for more than 2000 years<\/a>, thus being the basis of Japanese thinking<\/strong>. This religion has its rituals and ways of expressing gratitude to the kami<\/em>. Despite this, it has no founder, no supreme God, and no sacred scriptures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is one of the few archaic religions that still survive in the modern world<\/strong>, and it has never been in danger of disappearing due to the threat of a more powerful religion. Buddhism was the only religion that could overshadow it, but both have been able to adapt and influence each other in such a way to mix traditions, rituals, and representative figures.<\/p>\n\n\n Even though we can find similar religions in other countries, such as Chinese Taoism<\/a>, the Shinto religion itself only exists in Japanese culture<\/strong>. Japan is the only country that considers Shinto as an official religion. We just can find a few small shrines (called kaigai jinja<\/a><\/em> \u2014 shrines outside the country) in countries where there has been a lot of Japanese immigration, such as Hawaii, Brazil, and the United States. At the same time, Shinto has no missionaries in other countries. We can say that Shintoism is completely rooted in the Japanese archipelago and its inhabitants. It is a way of understanding the environment, nature, the elements, and even the Japanese status quo and its emperor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A kami<\/em> is not the same as the omnipresent Western God we know<\/strong>. We can define them as powerful spirits superior to mortals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These Japanese spirits can be in many ways,<\/a> and their numbers are endless. There are important gods such as the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, spirits living within living beings (animals), elements of nature (mountains or a storm), and deceased ancestors, including the ancient emperors of Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A kami<\/em> usually lives inside an object (shintai<\/em> \u2014 \u795e \u4f53) like a mirror, a jewel, a sword, and is stored in a hidden box located in the main shrine building. But others are hidden inside a tree or a mountain. There are some of them where they are stored within a kami<\/em> itself, such as Mount Fuji<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shinto is as old as the Japanese civilization<\/strong>. In the prehistoric Jomon period (14,500 BC \u2014 300 BC), each community living in the Japanese archipelago had its own animistic beliefs. They also interpreted the surrounding unexplained events, believing powerful spirits and ancestors made it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When they established the Yamato state (the first Japanese nation), they decided to unify these small beliefs to impose a \u201csingle truth.\u201d The history of Japanese mythology was compiled in Kojiki<\/strong>, Japan’s oldest book. Here, they explained the beginnings of human existence according to Shintoism and linked these higher divinities with the Japanese royal family. It is good to remember that, according to Shinto, the emperor and his family are descendants of the sun goddess Amaterasu and therefore have the legitimacy to reign in Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n Shintoism is a true symbol of Japanese identity<\/strong>. In certain periods of history, it has been used by Japanese nationalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Meiji Restoration<\/strong> is the most recent period of history when Shinto was used for non-religious purposes. Some purists of Japanese society wanted to impose Shinto as the only religion in Japan and even tried to suppress Buddhism. During this period, Shinto shrines became part of state institutions run by the government, which was the ones making decisions. This was called the State Shinto<\/a> and lasted until the end of World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After that, the government abolished the State Shinto, yet the relationship between Japanese nationalism and Shinto still has its open wounds. The clearest example is the Yasukuni Shrine <\/strong>in Tokyo. This shrine was created in 1869 to honor the soldiers who died during the Boshin War. Since then, as we explained in our yurei<\/em> ghosts article,<\/a> many of the war fighters have been enshrined as kami<\/em> there, including World War II criminal war soldiers<\/strong>. This seems an old story, but even nowadays, some Japanese prime ministers have visited this shrine to pay their respects on behalf of the government.<\/p>\n\n\n The sacred place for Shintoists is the kami<\/em>‘s dwell<\/strong>, a shrine<\/strong> (\u795e\u793e \u2014 jinja<\/em>). Unlike other religions, sanctuaries are built in the place where the spirit is believed to live<\/strong>. This can answer why there are many sanctuaries in hidden and surprising places. Some shrines to visit in Japan are: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The philosophical doctrine of Buddhism was created by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) in India (VI \u2014 IV BC). Buddha is not considered a supreme god, but as someone who reached a very high spiritual level, worth following his teachings. Buddhism has influenced the spirituality and behavior of many Asian countries<\/strong>, including Japan, and that makes it one of the most widely followed religions in the world. The Buddhist religion has some doctrines, and following them can lead you to complete happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Buddhism was established in Japan during the Nara Period <\/strong>(710-794), in the 6th century during Emperor Kinmei’s reign. Thanks to the support of important families, the pro-Buddhist emperor Shomu built Todaiji Temple in Nara, a symbol and hub of a network of Buddhist temples around Japan. This was how Buddhism was rooted in Japanese society until today. Throughout history, some Buddhist schools had more powers beyond religion, reaching to politics and the imperial court. But in the Sengoku period, Buddhism was forced to abandon that power and focus on religion.<\/p>\n\n\n Over the years, Buddhism has been creating schools of the different Buddhist sects. One of the most well-known is Shingon<\/strong>, an esoteric Buddhism current with the Japanese religious center in Koyasan<\/a>. Another well-known Buddhist current is Pure Land Buddhism<\/strong>, devoted to educating and expanding Buddhism ideas to the lower classes of the Japanese society during the Kamakura Period. This school says that you can receive salvation by commending yourself to Amida Buddha by saying his name. The last school we will mention is the world-famous Zen<\/strong>, originating from China’s Chan Buddhism and divided into two ways: Rinzai (which emphasizes koan<\/em> practice during meditation) and Soto (which emphasizes sitting with open consciousness). Zen focuses on meditation<\/a>, following daily tasks, and knowing yourself to achieve enlightenment.<\/p>\n\n\n Shinto considers death as something negative, but when Buddhism arrived in Japan, the funerary rituals of both religions adapted themselves<\/a>.<\/strong> Shinto priests rarely performed the deceased rituals, so Buddhist monks started the task of carrying out these funerary rituals. From the Tokugawa government, this was compulsory, as Buddhist monks were ordered to bury the deceased. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nowadays, in Japan, you can choose both a Shinto or a Buddhist ritual.<\/strong> Even so, the majority of Japanese citizens choose the second option. Besides funerary rituals, Buddhism has more celebrations related to death and the spirits of the deceased ones, such as Obon<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A temple is the place of worship for Buddhists. They can be identified by their big doors, the manji<\/em> symbol<\/strong> (\u534d), and other distinctive aspects. Some temples to visit in Japan are: <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Religion in Japan goes further than Shinto and Buddhism. Even though existing more than 80,000 shrines<\/a> and 75,000 temples<\/a>, there are other places of worship for other religions in many cities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nowadays, just 1% of the Japanese population considers themselves Christian<\/strong>. Christianity arrived in Japan in the 16th century thanks to the European missionaries. After a few rooting decades in the country, the Period Edo government forbade it and expelled the vast majority of missionaries living in Japan. It wasn’t till the 19th century that Christianity was allowed again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Religion in Japan: What is the Main Religion?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Shintoism, the Indigenous Religion of Japan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What is Shintoism?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Is a Kami a God?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What is the Origin of Shinto Religion?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Is Shinto a Symbol of Japanese Nationalism?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Shinto Shrines to Visit in Japan<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Buddhism, Another Religion in Japan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How did Buddhism Come to Japan?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Buddhist Schools in Japan<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Death in Japanese Buddhism<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Buddhist Temples to Visit in Japan<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Where Can I Practice My Religion in Japan?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Churches and Cathedrals in Japan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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