![]() The 16th century was a time of conflict in Japan, but religious establishments continued to play a part in the administration of the various territories of the country. Between the 11th and 15th centuries Japanese government was in the hands of three interdependent power blocs: the court, the aristocracy, and the religious establishments, although there is some debate as to whether the various religious groups were ever able to present a united front, or whether they ever had as much political muscle as the other two blocs. Over the next few centuries the Buddhist influence in government grew steadily stronger, despite the DÕkyÕ affair in the middle of the 8th century. Philosophers put forward the idea that the kami were "transformations of the Buddha manifested in Japan to save all sentient beings".ĭuring the 7th and 8th centuries the spiritual status of the emperor as the descendant of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu became official doctrine, and was buttressed by rituals and the establishment of the Ise shrines as the shrines of the divine imperial family. This court liturgical calendar continued to play a major part in Japanese government until virtually the present day.Īs time went on, the Japanese became more and more accustomed to including both the kami and Buddhist ideas in their spiritual lives. These ceremonies (which soon included as many Buddhist and Confucian elements as they did Shinto) became part of the administrative calendar of the Japanese government. The Emperor and the court had very clear religious obligations, ceremonies that had to be carried out meticulously to make sure that the kami looked after Japan and its people. The rule of the state was referred to as matsurigoto, a word very close to that for religious ritual - matsuri - that was used to refer to both government and worship. The idea was put forward that humans should follow the will of the gods in political life. ©īuddhism began to expand significantly, and was given a role in supporting the growing influence of central government. ![]() The Seven Lucky Gods, depicted here by Hokusai (1760-1849), are a mixed bunch, sharing influence with Buddhism and Hinduism among other traditions. This meant that the development of Japanese theology and philosophy inevitably drew on the comparative intellectual richness of Buddhism and Confucianism. Shinto had a disadvantage compared to Buddhism and Confucianism in its lack of complex intellectual doctrines. At the same period, government took a role in religion with the establishment of the 'Department for the Affairs of the Deities'. ![]() The ruling aristocracy saw advantages in harnessing Shinto, Confucianism and Buddhism together to guide the people of Japan. Buddhist temples were built, and Buddhist ideas were explored. Some Shinto shrines became Buddhist temples, existed within Buddhist temples, or had Buddhist priests in charge. From then on Shinto faiths and traditions took on Buddhist elements, and later, Confucian ones. Shintoisms were the only religions in Japan until the arrival of Buddhism in the 6th century CE. Shinto and Buddhism Shinto and Buddhism togetherįrom the 6th century CE the beliefs that are now known as Shinto were greatly altered by the addition of other ingredients. Nor were they seen as a single religion the realms of Earth and the supernatural were so closely integrated in the world-view of the early Japanese that the things that modern people regard as a faith were seen in those times as just another part of the natural world, albeit a part of enormous power. ![]() These religions were highly localised, and not organised into a single faith. Other cults that are grouped together into Shinto probably arrived in Japan from Korea with the Korean tribes which invaded Japan in late prehistoric times. The early Japanese developed rituals and stories which enabled them to make sense of their universe, by creating a spiritual and cultural world that gave them historical roots, and a way of seeming to take control of their lives, in what would otherwise have been a fearful and puzzling landscape. In their case these were the Kami that were found in plants and animals, mountains and seas, storms and earthquakes, sand and all significant natural phenomena. Like many prehistoric people, the first inhabitants of Japan were probably animists devoted to the spirits of nature. Before Buddhism Before the arrival of Buddhismĭuring this period there was no formal Shinto religion, but many local cults that are nowadays grouped under the name Shinto. ![]()
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