Religious Pluralism in Ancient Japan

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a close look at the three religions that shaped Japanese culture: Buddhism, Shinto and Confucian thought. With the advent of Buddhism in 552 C.E., the Japanese were to experience a resurgence in religious devotion. The writer traces the steps that the Japanese took in welcoming a new spirituality, from the building of temples to schools of philosophy.

From the Paper:

"Thus on the surface Buddhism won a hands-down victory over Shinto. But this was not quite the complete story. Intellectually and institutionally, Buddhism was dominant for a thousand years in Japan. Yet Shinto continued to exist and carry on, especially in the multitudes of village shrines, much as it had for centuries past. This was true even after the "new" Buddhism of the Kamakura thirteenth-century period became the religion of multitudes of common people. Indeed, Buddhism captured the minds of many inside Japan, but the long standing traditions of Shinto would continued to echo in the halls of Japanese history. In addition to this, the development of numerous denominations, regional differences, and the later introduction of Christianity led to religious pluralism in Japan. Cultural borrowing gave the nation a broad perspective of the world, but would also induce a great deal of confusion in later generations."

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