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Course: Art of Asia > Unit 4
Lesson 1: Beginner’s guide to Japanese Art- Introduction to Japan
- Buddhism in Japan
- Zen Buddhism
- Shinto
- A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Jomon to Heian periods
- A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Kamakura to Azuchi-Momoyama periods
- A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Edo period
- A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Meiji to Reiwa periods
- Japanese art: the formats of two-dimensional works
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Buddhism in Japan
Buddhism was officially transmitted to Japan in 525, when the monarch of the Korean kingdom of Baekje sent a mission to Japan with gifts, including an image of the Buddha, several ritual objects, and sacred texts. Buddhism's journey from India to China, Korea, and Japan had taken about a thousand years.
The arrival of Buddhism—which is quite different from kami worship, the ancient native belief system—created political struggles between pro- and anti-Buddhist groups. Eventually, the adherents of Buddhism prevailed, and the new religion became firmly established under imperial sponsorship.
Buddhism also brought with it a political structure, advanced technologies, and sophisticated cultural practices—including music, dance, a new writing system, and above all, elaborate Buddhist art—that would revolutionize many aspects of Japanese life.
Today, some thirteen schools of Buddhism exist in Japan, and the majority of the population professes to be Buddhist. There are about 80,000 temples with some 150,000 priests as well as several colleges dedicated chiefly to Buddhist studies.
Want to join the conversation?
What are the statistics on Japanese citizens who still practice "Kami Worship" and who adhere to just that belief system instead of Buddhism or any other religion?(7 votes)- Shinto worship and buddhism is highly entwined in Japan, two sides of the same coin of Japanese religion, they coexist simultaneously.
The Japanese very actively keep shinto practice alive, a lot of companies will have a small shrine, when a new building is opened they often have a shinto priest bless it.
Its not a matter of shinto being lesser or not actively practiced just because buddhism is popular. You can be a buddhist and you can follow shinto practice, its not mutually exclusive. A Japanese person wouldn't get what you meant if you tried to ask them why they don't actively practice shinto belief over buddhism.
Just as its difficult to find a Japanese person whom only follows shinto practice, it would be difficult to find a Japanese person whom only believes in buddhism to exclusion.(8 votes)
is it the same as pagenisam? ,and most likely i didnt spell that right(3 votes)
Paganism is a relativistic term developed by Christians to describe non-Judeo-Christian religions. In that sense: yes, Buddhism is a pagan religion. But then again, Buddhists could consider Christians pagan, because Christians are non-Buddhist; so as you can see, "paganism" is a fairly vague and useless term.(6 votes)
Is there any different between the Buddhism in Japan and India?(2 votes)
Why does Japan believe in Buddhism?(1 vote)- I am a lot more interested in Shinto. Does khan academy have Shinto history?(2 votes)
What does it mean when the article reads in part: "...several collages...", is this referring to art work (collages) that are chiefly dedicated to Buddhist studies?(1 vote)
From context, I think the correct word is "colleges", not "collages".(3 votes)
Was the Buddhism a myth or did it really exits?(1 vote)
Buddhism is a religion that is very real and still practiced today by many Asian cultures such as Korea, Japan, etc.(2 votes)
- What is Kami worship? Please elaborate.(1 vote)
Kami (Japanese: 神?) [káꜜmì]) are the spirits or phenomena that are worshiped in the religion of Shinto. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, as well as beings and the qualities that these beings express, and include the spirits of venerated dead persons. Many kami are considered the ancient ancestors of entire clans, and some ancestors became kami upon their death if they were able to embody the values and virtues of kami in life. Traditionally, great or sensational leaders like the King could be kami.[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kami(1 vote)
Was Buddhism the first religion to reach Japan? Also what is Kami worship and what is the difference between Kami worship and Buddhism practice?(1 vote)
Didn't the Chinese bring their bodhisattva Guan Yin as well to Japan?(1 vote)
