A bronze bell sounds at dusk over a Kyoto hillside, and the sound reaches a convenience store, a train platform, a school gate. Buddhism arrived in Japan in the 6th century from China and Korea, and it never left: it shaped the funerals, the temples, the food habits and part of the aesthetic that the country still lives with today.
Religion on the Japanese archipelago has a special place. Indeed, the taught precepts of these religions (Buddhism and Shintoism) can be found in several parts of Japanese society.
In education, in respect for elders, but also in founding myths, religion has a prominent place in Japanese life. But how was religion born in the land of the rising sun and more specifically where does Japanese Buddhism come from? From karma to reincarnation, from shrines to Zen dojos how did Japanese Buddhism get into the heart of Japanese culture?
Key points
- Buddhism, or bukkyo (仏教), reached Japan from China and Korea in the 5th and 6th centuries.
- It became the state religion in 592, then grew through three key eras: Nara, Heian and Kamakura.
- Three great branches shaped it: Hinayana, Mahayana (the root of Zen) and Vajrayana.
- Japan counts around 13 recognised Buddhist schools and roughly 76,000 temples.
- Buddhism and Shinto coexisted instead of fighting, which is rare in religious history.
Buddhism in the Japanese archipelago
Buddhism, or bukkyo (仏教) in Japanese, was imported from neighboring countries such as China or Korea around the 5th and 6th centuries. Notables such as emissaries, poets and merchants explored those countries and brought the Buddhist religion back home.
As in Europe, religion was linked to political power. One had to be a Catholic Christian to claim the throne of France. The same logic applied in Japan. In 592, Buddhism was declared the state religion.
Today the situation is different. Modern rulers may hold beliefs, but the population is free to believe or not. The majority of Japanese people describe themselves as secular. That sets Japan apart from countries like the US, where a president is still sworn in with a hand on the bible.
Japanese Buddhism has been greatly influenced by that of China and Korea, but also by the Shinto religion. Historically, the Shinto gods are present in Japan long before Buddhism. The two religions are not opposed to each other. That contrasts with the old continent, where religious wars caused thousands of deaths over several centuries.
That shared ground left its mark on objects as much as on beliefs. Temple visits are still a reason to dress with care, and the wooden sandals worn on gravel paths come straight from that world. Geta (下駄), the raised wooden sandal, raises the foot above dust and wet stone.
The history of Buddhism in Japan
The Buddhist religion has three major eras in its history with the Japanese archipelago:
- Firstly the so-called Nara era, which extends from 710 to 794,
- Then the so-called Heian era which runs from 794 to about 1185
- And finally the Kamakura period which comes from 1185 onwards.
In each of these moments, new doctrines and currents of thought were grafted onto existing precepts and schools. New Buddhist practices came into being.
As in the Christian religion, Buddhism has different branches. They modify the practice of religion in Asia, and more particularly in the land of the rising sun. Like the Orthodox or Protestant churches, some currents became majority ones.
The Bukkyo movement was installed first by the Japanese nobles before reaching the people. Its rites, teachings and rituals carried spiritual meanings that the wider population, still largely illiterate at the time, could not follow.
Hinayana Buddhism
This expression comes from an Indian dialect. It can be translated as the way of the small vehicle. The term refers to the ancient schools of Buddhism, the first people who practiced this religion by applying its precepts. This current focuses on individualism: the goal is individual rather than collective liberation. The term can also be read as pejorative, since it points to the selfishness attributed to its followers.
Mahayana Buddhism
This Indian term, from the same dialect as the previous one, can be translated as the way of the great vehicle. It originated in China and India and inspired what would become Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism is the Japanese branch of Mahayana. This belief emphasizes meditation and relaxation.
It is therefore practiced in a Zen posture that invites meditation. This branch is also directly related to the martial arts imported from China, where meditation plays a key role. Many similarities exist with the attitudes adopted in the various dojo or Zen dojo.
That practical need is exactly what traditional Japanese workwear and temple dress solved. The samue (作務衣), the outfit worn by monks for daily tasks, pairs a straight jacket with wide, easy trousers in cotton.
Vajrayana Buddhism
Like the previous two expressions, vajrayana comes from Sanskrit. It is usually translated as the way of the diamond. This current makes use of mantras and tantras, and is described by its followers as the way of indestructible reality, or the lightning of ignorance.
This doctrine has much in common with Hinduism. The influence of Buddhism now stretches across Asia as far as the Eurasian steppe, meaning as far as Russia.
The different Buddhist schools in the land of the rising sun
There are no less than 13 Buddhist schools present in Japan. Each of these schools saw the introduction of new doctrines or schools of thought, carried by Buddhist stories or monks. The appearance of each school depends on the era the country was going through, and most draw on Mahayana Buddhism. Buddhist philosophy, Buddha's teachings, spirituality, ceremonies and Zen meditation are all taught in these schools.
Nara period:
- Hosso is a school of Chinese origin inspired by Indian characteristics
- Kegon is a school of Chinese origin and Huayan can be translated as "flower garland".
- Ritsu, it is again a school of Chinese origin Luzhong, also called school of the Precepts
Heian period:
- Tendai, this school is the one of Mount Tiantai (it is the name of a Chinese mountain in the province of Zhejiang where is located the temple which inspired this doctrine)
- Shingon, (Vajrayana Buddhism, also called Tantric Buddhism) we find the school of the True Word (mantra in Sanskrit, the Indian dialect at the origin of the different currents) sometimes called dharani shu, that is to say the school of dharanis
Kamakura period:
- The Buddhism of Nichiren also called Hokke shu which can be translated by school of the Lotus, which gives the school of the Buddhist monk Nichiren.
- Jodo, school of the Pure Land
- Jodo shin, school of the true Pure Land
- Yuzu nenbutsu, derived from Tendai, school of Mutual Attention to the Buddha (nenbutsu is actually the invocation of Amida Buddha's name)
- Ji, school of the Hour
So-called Zen schools, based on "silent meditation" inspiring Japanese Zen Buddhism
- Rinzai, school of the Chinese monk Linji
- Soto, school of Chinese bonzes Chaoshan Benji (Cao-So) and Dongshan Liangjie (Dong-To)
- Obaku, school of Mount Huang Bo (Chinese mountain in Fujian province, where the founding temple is located), influenced by the Pure Land
This list of currents and schools is not exhaustive. After multiple subdivisions, the country counts more than 184,000 registered religious groups. Buddhism has lost many followers in Japan, where most inhabitants now declare themselves atheists. The teachings and habits, though, have crossed the centuries.
For example, the consumption of meat (monkey, beef, chicken) was forbidden for nearly 1,200 years in the archipelago. Today, Japanese people eat mainly fish. This is one of the many legacies left by Buddhism in Japanese culture.
Buddhist places of worship on the archipelago
Places of worship are very numerous in Japan. There are almost 76,000 Buddhist temples in the Japanese archipelago. Buddhist temples, called tera or jiin in Japanese, are generally built the same way.
Like a church or a monastery in the Christian religion, they gather the same kinds of elements: cloisters, buildings, study halls, pagodas.
Japanese animal deities adorn the entrance to Japanese shrines, as in temples dedicated to Shinto. Buddha statues, incense and deities inspired by different Buddhist schools are also found there.
In these temples one can study the Buddha way, grasp the laws of Dharma, follow Buddhist practice, or try to learn the spiritual side of Buddha nature.
Many temples ask visitors to remove their shoes before entering the halls. Split-toe tabi socks are the traditional answer to that rule, and they still make temple visits easier today.
FAQ
Is Buddhism in Japan different from Buddhism elsewhere?
Yes, in practice more than in doctrine. Japanese Buddhism grew mainly from Mahayana, absorbed Shinto elements, and developed schools found nowhere else, such as Nichiren and Jodo Shinshu. Zen is also a Japanese development of a Chinese tradition.
Why is Buddhism so widespread in Japan?
Because it arrived with state backing in the 6th century and was never forced to displace Shinto. Families kept Buddhist funeral and ancestor rites across generations, so the religion stayed in daily life even as personal belief declined.
What is Japan's main religion today?
Shinto and Buddhism are both counted as major religions, and many people are registered in both. Surveys vary widely, from under 20% to around 46% identifying as Buddhist, because the question of belonging works differently in Japan.
Can I visit a Buddhist temple as a non-Buddhist?
Yes. Temples welcome visitors. Cover your shoulders and knees, remove your shoes where asked, keep your voice low, and check for signs before photographing a statue or an altar.
