When tourists were being interviewed and asked to give comments on Japan, it is not surprising that most of them would agree that is a mixed-culture and amusing place with full of astonishment.
Kyoto, the former capital of Japan, is a city with two adverse faces and expressions. On the one hand, it is similar to the metropolitan capital city Tokyo with modern designed architecture. On the other hand, it represents peace and history whereas temples and historical architectures could be seen everywhere. At the same time, the two main religions, Shinto and Buddhism tremendously and continuously influencing the traditional culture of Japan. Encompassing examples like annual rites and parades being held during particular months as well as the tradition art performer Geisha.
Similar to China or India, Japan is a country affiliated with multiple religions. However, the country is mainly Shinto oriented. According to the research conducted by Reader (1991), there are nearly 95% of Japanese associated with the organizations related to Shinto, whereas 76% are Buddhist correlated (Crane, 2012). Maybe people would wondered although Japan is originally Shinto orientated, there are still hundreds and thousands Buddhist temples were built. Or asking why Buddhism, which oriented in India, would become worship in Japan. Did Buddhism fight against Shinto and took over its place?
Flashing black to the history, the Japanese emperor named Kimmei, was exposed to Buddhism since the thirteenth year of his reign. A Korean diplomat presented him the gold-plated Buddha along with a latter of information about Buddha written by the Korean King. The king was completely amused and received it with praise. He even wanted to lead Buddhism into Japan. In no ...
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... d'autres, (2011). Gion Matsuri 2011. Yamaboko Junko with website link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkaJy16lhMc
Richie & Georges (1995). The temples of Kyoto. Singapre: Charles E. Tuttle Company. Inc. of Rutland, Vermont & Tokyo, Japan. P.11-13
Roemer, M. K. (2010). Shinto festival involvement and sense of self in contemporary Japan. Japan Forum, 22(3/4), 491-512. doi:10.1080/09555803.2010.533506
The Hong Kong Arts Development Council (06.07.2006). Arts Education for Children. Retrieved March 26, 2014 from The Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Web site: http://www.hkadc.org.hk/en/content/web.do?page=press20060706
The Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Grants/Commissioned projects > 1-Year / 2-Year Grant. Retrieved March 26, 2014 from The Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Web site: http://www.hkadc.org.hk/en/content/web.do?page=OneAndTwoYearGrants
In his 1996 chapter of “The Grand Shrines of Ise and Izumo: The Appropriation of Vernacular Architecture” of the Architecture and Authority in Japan, William Howard Coaldrake explores the history and the purpose of the Grand Shrines of Ise and Izumo.
-Nara’s Buddhist temples were another result of cultural diffusion, Buddhist began in India in 500s B.C.E. about 1,000 years later, it came to Japan from China by way of Korea.
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
Holcomb, Sabrina. "Arts Education." Rss. National Education Association, 17 Jan. 2007. Web. 10 May 2016.
Greene, Carol. Enchantment of the World Japan, p. 97. 28 Pitts, Forrest R., Japan. p. 78. -. 29. Davidson, Judith.
Shintoism has no founder ,and the history behind the technicalities of the rise of Shinto are rather obscure. Experts don't agree as to when Shinto became a unified religion more than just a label to give to the different faiths of Japan. Before the arrival of Buddhism, Shinto referred to the many local cults of the prehistoric Japanese people. These people were animists; devoted to the worship of nature and spirits. These spirits were the Kami; found in living things, nonliving things and natural phenomena. The early Japanese created a spiritual world—and rituals and stories to accompany it—that seemingly gave them control of their lives. It wasn't considered a religion at those times, early Japanese people regarded their faith as a commonality as a part of the natural world. The realms of Earth and the supernatural were closely integrated into each other for them. (“Religions”)
Compare And Analysis The Japanese Buddhism And Indo Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy founded by Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India during the period from the late 6th century to the early 4th century BC. Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played an influential role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of much of the Eastern world. It is the prevailing religious force in most of Asia (India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet). ‘Buddhism’ is reformulated and re-expressed in different cultures and at different times, adopting and redefining aspects of the cultures in which it has taken root. Today, there are about 300 million followers. (Yamplosky) The Indian religion Buddhism, founded in the sixth century BC, is one of the common features of Asian civilization, and Buddhist institutions and believers are found all over East, South, and Southeast Asia. While Buddhism is now just a minority belief in the country of it’s founding, it remains a significant religious and cultural force in Japan today. Buddhism started in India and made its way to China and Korea. From there, it ended up in Japan. Buddhism went through several different periods before it became Japan's national religion. In indo Buddhism, the temple is the main sanctuary, in which services, both public and private, are performed but Japanese Buddhism is mainly hub of individual activities and services. Similarly to Japanese Buddhism, in Indo Buddhism the monastery is a complex of buildings, located usually in a spot chosen for its beauty and seclusion. Its function is to house the activities of the monks. Images are important features of temples, monasteries, and shrines in both Indo a...
N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014. Whitfield, Roderick, Susan Whitfield, and Neville Agnew. Cave Temples of Mogao: Art and History on the Silk Road. Los Angeles: Getty Conservation Institute and the J. Getty Museum, 2000. Print.
Japan is part of our world that not many people know, for the few that do, they know that Japan is filled with an extraordinary history. Some of the history starts with little traditions like, the tradition of kimono’s, to big ones such as their well known Japanese festivals. Ancient Japan was a series of islands and many cultural expansions which included religion, armies, art, classic traditions, and their type of clothing. Ancient Japanese is still alive today, from basic works of art, to then a following of certain religions such as Shinto and Buddhism. Many Americans don’t the cultural aspects that were attributed by many across the world, they don’t know that many of those aspects made what Japan is today in society.
Fourteenth century Japan was a time of peace for many people. Buddhism had just become a major part of Japanese culture due to the Shogun Yoshimitsu. He became ruler in 1367 at the sapling age of ten (Waley 21). Yoshimitsu needed to distinguish himself from his ancestors and he did this by being devoted to Buddhism, specifically the Zen Sect (21). “Zen Buddhism and the life and teaching of Shinran are popularly identified as typical Japanese Buddhism.” (Takeda 27) However Buddhism, in Japan, is different and unique from Buddhism in other countries because it is considered the “funeral religion” (27). This is mainly influenced by ancient Japanese beliefs of the onryo.
Western Washington University (2011). US / Japan culture comparison. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from www.wwu.edu/auap/english/gettinginvolved/CultureComparison.shtml
Lowenstein, Tom, and Peter Bently. Treasures of the Buddha: The Glories of Sacred Asia. London: Duncan Baird, 2006. Print.
Shinto has ancient origins that can be traced all the way back to 500 B.C.,but it wasn’t called Shinto until 8th century Japan when Buddhism started to threaten the Japanese way of life. The religions begun, of course, in Japan. Shinto has no founder, it has been practiced by the Japanese since they appeared on the earth apparently so nobody knows who the heck started it (). There is no specific person who spread the religion, due to the fact Shinto didn’t spread much, There are some temples in Hawaii, South America, and Europe, which are most likely from immigrants into those regions from Japan (). Some say that Shinto is tied in with the land of Japan. If your mom was Shinto yo...
Japan has many wonders that the general public does not know of. Most Americans only know about the past wars of Japan, therefore they don’t know the true history of the people that life there. Several wonders of Japan include its History, Government, Geography and Topography, Cultural Customs and Economy and Trade.
Shintoism began in 550 A.D. It is an ancient Japanese tradition. Shinto does not have a true founder like the Buddha, Jesus or Muhammad. Also, it has no sacred texts that it refers to. Shinto was not recognized as a religion until the 12 century. It started out more as a philosophy. (World Religions Online) Shinto literally means “the way of the Kami” (Student Resources in Context) or “the way of the Gods”. They believe that all natural things have their own spirituality. They also believe the spiritual powers exist in the natural world. Kami can be found in many natural places for example, animals, mountains, plants, etc. (URI Kids) Although you are able to practice Shintoism, it is not considered evangelical. The Japanese used Shintoism to bring the nation together to help get support for their emperor. Shinto has created many themes for the Japanese people to follow, for instance, creating harmony among the Kami, having a strong relationship with family, love, and reverence for the natural artifacts and processes. (BBC-Religions)