1. Brent Roberts
Adapted and enhanced by Lisa Kemmerer
For RLST 170 online

2. Religions of Japan.
I. Shinto
II. Buddhism
III. Confucianism
IV. Christianity
2

3.  Difficult for Westerners to understand.
 Japanese idea of religiosity is different than
ours.
◦ Don’t go to temple or church regularly.
◦ Mostly based on festivals.
◦ Maintain festivals for multiple religions.
 New religions are common, often a mix of
contemporary practices: a bit of Buddhism, a
bit of Shinto, some Christianity...
3

4.  Shinto handles ―life‖ events
 Buddhism handles death events
4

5.  Ancient myths and deities
 Types of Shinto
◦ Shrine
◦ Imperial Household Shinto
◦ Folk Shinto
◦ Koshinto
5

6.  Shinto is the only indigenous religion of Japan
6

7. 7
Picture of the
creation myth
of Izanagi and
Izanami
Myths held in two volumes:
• Kojiki (Record of ancient matters)
• Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan from 720)

8.  They stand on the floating bridge of
heaven and thrust a Heavenly
Jeweled Spear into the brine below
 The spear’s dripping forms Japan.
 They build a pillar (phallus—Axis
Mundi) to walk around.
 Izanami speaks, and they can’t mate
because the woman isn’t supposed
to speak first
 They walk back around the pillar and
Izanagi speaks first
 Then they mate, beginning the
Japanese people.
8

9. 9
• Child of Izanagi and Izanami
• “Born” from a drip when Izanagi
used water to purify his left eye
after a visit to the polluted
netherworld (where he had gone
to collect his wife, Izanami)
• Rules the High Celestial Plain of
Heaven
• Her grandson, Ninigi no
Mikoto, is the grandfather of the
Japanese people
• His great-
grandson, Jimmu, became first
emperor, 711 BC

10.  She squabbles with her
younger brother, Susanoo no
Mikoto, who is obnoxious.
 As a result, she hides herself
in a cave.
 She is the sun goddess, so the
world falls into chaos and
darkness.
10

11.  Other divinities gathered and danced to draw her
out, using mirror and jewels as enticements. She
emerges, bringing back light.
 These 2 items (mirror and jewels), along with her
brother’s sword, constitute the Imperial Regalia of
Japan.
11

12. Officially: 119 million Shinto adherents
12

13.  Shinto stresses harmony with nature.
 Gods are believed to be everywhere:
mountains, trees, rivers, as well as in
people.
13

14. 1. Shrine
2. Imperial Household
3. Folk
4. Koshinto
14

15. 15
temple, torii , and roadside shrine
1. Shrine Shinto: Most common form

16.  Entering into a shrine is entering sacred space—
the dwelling place of kami
 Like most religions, Shinto emphasizes purity
 Must purify self to enter shrine
 You should not visit a shrine if one of your
relatives has died recently
16

17.  The most well-recognized symbol of Shinto
 The torii marks off sacred space
 Enter through Toriis to reach sacred space
17

18. 18

19. 19
Kamidana – household altar. Purity: Wash
hands, then make an offering (bowl of rice or an orange) to
gods

20. purification pool
20
Visitors wash out their
mouths before they enter

21. 21

22. 22
• Ise built about 600 ad
• Amaterasu is worshiped
at Ise
• Sacred mirror kept at Ise
• Presided over by high
priest/priestess of the
imperial family
• Prime vacation
destination

23. 23
Ise rebuilt every 20 years:
transitory nature of life
Impermanence of all things
Ise Shrine

24. Shimenawa – braided rice straw rope that
wards off evil spirits.
24

25. Omikuji: prayers
printed on small
papers that are
tied near the
shrine
25

26. 26
Visitors ring a bell (and offer
money) to awaken the god
at the temple, who resides
in the back.
Note the fox, guardian and
messenger of the powerful rice
kami (spirit/god)

27. 27
Omikoshi, portable platform that transports a deity during
festivals and holidays

28. 28
New Years: A big event, with breaking point right after
midnight. People toss in 5 yen for good luck.

29. Practiced only by the emperor and his posse
29

30. Omamori Himari –protective charms.
Pieces of wood where people write prayers.
What are common prayers in Japan? Entrance
into college! Hopeful students write the name of
the college they hope to enter on the wood.
30

31.  Spring, new year’s festival
 Throw soybeans to drive away demons of disease
 Bring good luck to new year
31

32. 32

33.  Karma
 Reincarnation
 Four Noble Truths
◦ Life is suffering
◦ Suffering is caused by ignorance/desire
◦ Suffering ends by ending desire (Liberation)
◦ Liberation comes through following the Buddha’s
Eightfold Path
33

34.  The Eightfold Path
◦ Right view
◦ Right intention
◦ Right speech
◦ Right action
◦ Right livelihood
◦ Right effort
◦ Right mindfulness
◦ Right concentration
34

35. 35
 Huge impact on Japanese literature and art

36.  Buddhism came to Japan from China, 552 AD.
 Today about 91 million followers in Japan
 As with Christianity, did not spread until adopted
by ruling class
36

37.  Medieval period: 1200s to 1500s.
 Rise of two important Japanese Buddhist
branches: Pure Land (Jodo Shu) and Rinzai (Zen).
37

38.  Founded by Nichiren—buddhist monk in the
1200s.
 Focus on the Lotus Sutra (buddhist text).
 Amitabha (Buddha of Infinite Light) as savior
 Chant to be saved: ―Namu-myo-horen-
genkyo.‖
 Evangelical and radical
38Pure Land temple

39.  Built 1252 by Pure Land branch
 One of Japan’s most famous
images
 Image of Amitabha
 In Kamakura
 Bronze
 44 feet high
39

40.  Founded by Nichiren
 One of 3 branches of Zen Buddhism
 Philosophical
 Goal is to see one’s true nature
 Koan’s (puzzles) central (Requires thinking outside
the box)
40
Rinzai Zen

41.  Rinzai became extremely powerful.
 Warring States period (1450-1600), the most
beautiful city, Kyoto, burned.
 Nobunaga and Hideyoshi took power.
 Nobunaga hated Buddhist monks because of their
power. He burned many temples to the ground,
breaking the power of Rinzai.
41

42. 42
Household shrines:
Butsudan
 Icon of the Buddha
 Pictures of patriarchs
 Memorial tablets
 Offerings of flowers or
fruit.

43. 43
Funeral rights generally performed by a Buddhist priest.
Sutras chanted at intervals after a death, noting the passage of
a deceased loved one to the next level of the afterlife.

44. 44
Still have large, ornate temples, but more often, much
smaller neighborhood temples.
Almost everyone is registered with their local temple..
Ringing of the bell. Important on New Year’s Day
– ringing it 108 times for the 108 sins of mankind

45. 45
Obon: Festival of the Dead (August)
 Spirits of ancestors come home for a visit
 Family reunions, businesses close.
 Festival carnivals, dancing, then spirits go home
 At the close of the festival, Lights represent spirits
returning to the land of the dead.

46. 46
Obon

47. Shinto and Buddhism closely linked
 Most people practice both (as well as other
religions)
 Sometimes Shinto shrines are inside the
grounds of Buddhist temples.
 From Meiji period on (1850s on), the state
supported Shinto and sought to separate
Buddhism and Shinto
47
Meiji Emperor

48.  Not a Japanese
religion, but has much
influenced Japan
 Confucian ideology
has dominated Japan
since the late first
century
 Confucian ideals
shaped the social
hierarchy and daily
life
 Created a Meritocracy
48

49.  Appointments and responsibilities are assigned
based on an individual’s "merits," namely
intelligence, credentials, and education,
determined through evaluations or examinations.
49

50.  SPAM=Samurai, Peasants, Artisans, Merchants.
50
Samurai armorpeasants

51.  Not important in Japan:
Less than 1% of Japanese
people are Christian.
 Portuguese shipwrecked in
Japan in 1549.
 Missionary Frances Xavier
arrived 1549.
 Christians brought
technology and goods from
the west, including guns
 There was soon an
economic advantage to
becoming Christian
51
Xaviar

52.  Toyotomi Hideyoshi disliked Christianity
 Suspicious that Christians were eyeing Japan
for invasion
 Great Christian persecution, including many
crucifixions
 1590s –26 Christians were crucified in
Nagasaki
 Christianity went underground
52

53.  Tokugawa Leyasu closed Japan to foreigners
◦ drove out missionaries
 limited foreign presence to one small island off the
coast of Nagasaki
 In Japan, people had to renounce Christianity
or risk execution.
 Kakure Christians (hidden Christians)
Continued to practice.
53

54.  Japanese borders reopened in1853
 State Shinto maintained control, forcing rigid
adherence to Emperor as supreme head of state
 Christianity suppressed until after WWII.
54

55.  Christmas is
merely a
commercial event
in Japan
 New Years is the
big holiday,
celebrated in
Shinto style as
described above
55

56.  Valentines Day: Women give men chocolate.
 White Day (March 14): Men give women chocolate.
56

57. Japanese weddings
often in Western style.
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58.  Rich and varied history
 Nonexclusive: Overlap of four traditions
 Eclectic: an assortment of beliefs and practices
 Flexible: have accommodated modernization and
imported religions
 Adapting but holding a traditional core
 Shinto and Buddhism as core of Japanese
religions
58

59. Brent Roberts
Adapted and enhanced by Lisa Kemmerer
For RLST 170 online