Comparing Buddhism And Shintoism In Ancient Japan

Identification and Evaluation of Sources

The main purpose of this investigation is to successfully compare and contrast Buddhism and Shintoism in Ancient Japan. This is an important question to look into because it is necessary to analyze the similarities and differences in religions to get a better understanding of how religions can influence each other, and to see how religions can change over time from several environmental factors. In this investigation, the primary time period being investigated will be the 6th century (501-600 AD) to the modern day, and the place of focus will naturally be Japan. How do the beliefs, practices, and history of each religion relate or differ from each other? By examining these questions thoroughly, the

Only in the 6th century CE when Buddhism and Confucianism became popular did this ancient religion establish a name for itself to distinguish between other religions. Before then, Shinto was only known as groups of unnamed animists, or people who were devoted to the spirits found in nature. Considering how old the religion is, and how there is no specific religious writing for it, it is hard to place one single belief or founder on the religion. The Shinto religion also does not have any formal rites of initiation, aside from some rights of passages which, even still, are not required to practice Shinto. Shinto is not an evangelistic religion, so there has been little effort to convert others. Only recently has it tried to spread its practices to Korea and Manchuria through shrines and mandatory rituals; this was only done to try and legitimize the religion, however, and the results were mixed. In modern Japan, there are over 100,000 shrines dedicated to different Kami- the spirits or sources of nature which embody nearly all earthly things- throughout the country, and in Ancient Japan, there were around 1,000,000. Plenty of these aforementioned shrines could be found in very nature-centered areas, as most Kami are tied to natural elements such as rivers, streams, rocks, volcanoes, and other such things. Kami are not only found in nature, however. They are known less as nature spirits, and more as spirits which can be found in both animate and inanimate things, including humans. The Association of Shinto Shrines provides a set of principles that can define the Shinto religion best: be grateful for the blessings of the Kami and devote oneself to ritual, serve the world and its people in the service of the Kami, embrace mercy, live a prosperous life, and pray for the prosperity of Japan and the world. The practice of Shinto is to