Most foreign visitors to Japan are surprised to know that two religions, Buddhism and Shintoism, coexist peacefully in Japanese society.

Religious beliefs and values such as Buddhism and Confucianism, brought to Japan from China, came to coexist with Shinto, our indigenous religion. Through the mixing of these native and imported ways of thought, the unique value system of the Japanese was developed through a process of trial and error rather than through conflict.

Buddhism came to Japan from China in the 6th century.

At some point, Buddhism became tied to Japan’s power structure. Later, many Buddhist sects emerged. Over time, Buddhism was spread widely among the people, taking many forms.

The syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism

Buddhism also combined with Japan’s native religion, Shinto, to create Japan’s unique form of Buddhism.

The syncretism is based on the theory that the Japanese Shinto deities are manifestations of Buddhist divinities. The unique situation in which Buddhism and Shinto merged and temple and shrine were unified lasted for 1200 years until 1868.

The Meiji Government issued the Ordinance distinguishing Shinto from Buddhism in 1868, which triggered a movement to abolish Buddhism.

Why did the syncretism take place?

In Japan, people have revered nature and ancestors since ancient times. Shinto is a nature-based religion, but it has no scripture or founder. While Buddhism teaches how to escape the agonies of life and to reach nirvana, or enlightenment. Because of Shinto’s tolerant nature, it accepted Buddhism.

There was a political reason for Buddhism. Buddhism was used to control the country and its people for national stability. The rulers believed in the syncretism theory to rule the country in a stable manner and ensure prosperity. Therefore, the syncretism was not only a religious merger, but a phenomenon shaped by multiple factors, including political, cultural, and philosophical ones.

The Ordinance distinguishing Shinto and Buddhism was issued in 1868

After the Tokugawa Shogunate came to an end, the Meiji Government sought to establish an Imperial State centered on the emperor. According to Japan’s oldest history book, written in the 8th century, the first emperor, Jimmu, was a descendant of Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun, and is said to have ascended to the Imperial Throne in 660 BC.

At the time of the Meiji Restoration, Shinto was instituted as a state religion for political purposes, using the emperor’s prestige as its symbolic head.

There was an anti-Buddhist movement during the Meiji Restoration, when the official policy of separation of Shinto and Buddhism was issued. It caused great damage to Buddhism in Japan; the destruction of Buddhist property took place all over the country.

After WWII, GHQ issued the Shinto Directive to Dismantle State Shinto, Militarism

The Shinto Directive, issued in 1945, aimed to dismantle State Shinto, militarism, and ultranationalism. The directive also redefined the ideological and moral framework of prewar Japan. It sought to abolish State Shinto and secure freedom of religion, eliminating militarism and super-nationalism. As a result, state and Shinto were separated, but Shinto itself remains.