All over the world religions change in order to adapt to fit the environments needs. Religions change for many reasons such as the government, or even the religions are being practiced in. The Japanese religion Shinto is no different than any other religion when it comes down to change. For Shinto the biggest amount of change happened around the time of World War II. The changes within Shinto as a whole were mainly due to Japan’s government's authority and law pre-WWII and post-WWII. Shinto grew using other religions such as Buddhism and Confucianism to evolve into sixth century Shinto. Although Shinto started before the sixth century C.E., the official date of origin is unknown (Shinto 1). In ancient Japan, Shintoism was created within spread …show more content…
Many times when a new religion surfaces it often leads to conflict, but the three religions were largely, but not exclusively ones of tolerance and harmony. Elements from each religion quickly entwined with one another. “Japanese leaders even sent envoys to the Chinese mainland to study Chinese civilizations and identify aspects of it to adopt in Japan. The Japanese took on the concept of emperor and learned the Chinese monosyllabic language” (Shinto 1). Both cultures invested themselves in learning the other's practices. Buddhism in particular became tightly woven within Shinto practices. The Buddhist temples were built under the direction of Shinto priests and often are dedicated in Shinto ceremonies (Shinto 1). Buddhism became the primary religion of the upper class in Japan. Many Shinto shrines were taken over by Buddhist priests. Preaching, funeral services, and administration were taken care of by the Buddhists. The Shinto priests oversaw births, marriages, religious ceremonies and national festivals. The …show more content…
The years from 1600 to 1868 are known as the Tokugawa, or Edo, period (Sonnier 30). During this era it was unusually peaceful. Although one problem was that the shoguns had isolated Japan from the rest of the world (Sonnier 30). American forces during this time forced Japan to agreed to trade deals that were unfavorable to Japan. Starting in the nineteenth century, Japanese scholars believed that Shinto could and should be separated from Buddhist influences (Sonnier 30). From this development started the Meiji restoration of 1868. Under this new political system the government of Japan came under central authority. The foundation of this system was the political philosophy called, State Shinto. State Shinto used Shinto beliefs combined with elements of Confucianism to create a monarchy based upon religion (Sonnier
-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.
The establishment of the Japanese archipelago assumed its present shape around 10,000 years ago. Soon after the era known as the Jomon period began and continued for about 8,000 years. Gradually they formed small communities and began to organize their lives communally. Japan can be said to have taken its first steps to nationhood in the Yamato period, which began at the end of the third century AD. During this period, the ancestors of the present Emperor began to bring a number of small estates under unified rule from their bases around what are now Nara and Osaka Prefectures. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Tokugawa Ieyasu set up a government in Edo (now Tokyo) and the Edo period began. The Tokugawa regime adopted an isolationist policy that lasted for more than 200 years, cutting off exchange with all countries except China and the Netherlands. The age of the Samurai came to and end with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, and a new system of government centered on the Emperor was set up. The new government promoted modernization, adopted Western political, social and economic systems, and stimulated industrial activity. The Diet was inaugurated, and the people began to enjoy limited participation in politics.
The third chapter is about Shintoism during the prehistory to 1794 and discusses how the tradition was passed down and how Shintoism was fused with Buddhism since Shintoism was too simple to compare with Chinese Confucianism. Chapter four discusses Shinto history from 1794 to 1801 and is about how many Shinto philosophers tried to rewrite Shintoism to separate it from Buddhism. To continue the thought chapter 5 starts from 1801 to 2002 theorizes the Shinto separation leads to an imperialist mentality such as kamikaze pilots and World War 2. The final chapter six speculates the future of Shintoism after WW2 and the Yasukuni controversy plus the tug of a war battle between essentialist and existentialist Shintoism and the issues with vocabulary that both types of Shinto has.
The Tokugawa period, also known as Edo period (1603-1867), was the final period of traditional Japan that lasted for more than 250 years (britannica.com,2013). The period was a time of internal peace, political stability, and economic growth under the Shogunate founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Tokugawa Shoguns maintained strict control over the structure of society by keeping a firm control over what they were allowed to do and what they were not allowed to do.
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”)
The development and evolution of the different sects of Japanese Buddhism such as Zen Buddhism played an important role in the development of classical Japanese culture throughout the four major periods, which was shown in the way that the Nara period, the Heian era, the Kamakura period, and the Edo period were all shaped by the ascent and decline of different Buddhist sects. It is these transitions that make Japanese history a myriad, but fascinating web of interconnecting events that manages to confuse even the most veteran historians. At first, Buddhism was only a pastime of the elite class of landowners and daimyo that held no special significance to the common peoples. It was mainly another way for the central government to gain power and influence among the many local lords that it had to contend with on a regular basis. Although it is to be noted that most of these new converts to Buddhism did not abandon their earlier religions, but instead blended it together with several aspects of Shintoism, the original indigenous religion of Japan(“Japanese Buddhism”,1). This created several amalgamations of the two religions wherever and whenever they met(“Japanese Buddhism”,1). However, as Buddhism was introduced to the general population through the process of hierarchical diffusion, it quickly branched off and evolved from its original form as different sects that shaped contemporary Japanese culture (Kasahara, 302).
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...
Before Confucianism became an integral philosophy for Japan during the Edo period (1602-1868), Japanese women exercised multiple freedoms. Women could own and inherit property, be highly educated, hold a family position in feudal Japan, and become a female samurai. “They were expected to control the household budget and household decisions to allow men to serve their lord.” In fact, Japan was considered mainly as a matriarchal society until Buddhism, Confucianism, and the Samurai ethic influenced the culture. This change came about when the Tokugawa Shogunate came to power and the government embraced Confucianism. The main ideology that was emphasized was the supreme position of male authority and a new hierarchal structure from matriarchal to patriarchal.
Before the Meiji Restoration and the production of State Shinto, this story was only one myth among many, and not something crucial to Japanese self-image. In the sixth century Buddhism was foreign made into Japanese religious life and Buddhism and Shinto together started to have an impact in Japanese government (Cartwright, p-3). The Emperor and court had to perform religious functions to ensure that the kami took care of Japan and its kin. A court ritualistic timetable was
The period of his rule is known as the Meiji Era, a period of major economic, political and social change, lasting from 1868 to 1912, (Meiji Restoration, Britannica). The Meiji government put full focus into modernizing Japan, statesmen from Japan were sent to western countries to observe the way government and civilization functioned, the gathered information was implemented to Japan, (Beck, Roger, B, 720). Some of the major reforms included, moving the capital, removing feudal class privileges, universal education, a new tax system and much more, (Meiji Restoration, Britannica). These reforms were met with mixed views, while many benefitted from Japan’s modernization, many in the samurai class felt that their status had been destroyed, and many peasants distrusted the new regime and were against its new western policies. This led to large revolts, peaking in the 1880s, (Meiji Restoration, Britannica).
The Edo period in Japan reflected tradition and peace under the rule of long reigning Tokugawa shogun dynasty. This time period was prompted when Catholic missionaries traveled from Europe and converted many Japanese individuals to Christianity. The Tokugawa Shoguns who were the leaders of Japan and they feared the outcome would demoralize Japan’s rich culture and this was the first step toward European domination. To prevent this horrible outcome, the Act of Seclusion was released by the shoguns which closed Japans borders. For over two and a half centuries, many citizens struggled because trade was prohibited.
The Tokugawa dynasty ruled Japan from the period 1600-1868 that was known as the Tokugawa or Edo period, as Edo was the Capital city at this time (O’Neill,115).This clan came to power via Iyasu’s victory in the battle of Sekigahara in 1600 over the forces loyal to the house of Toyotomi (Gordon, 11). This was the last warrior clan to rule Japan, ending with the restoration of Imperial power in 1868 (O’Neill, 115). The warriors of this clan were known as samurai, a Japanese word meaning “one who serves”, the military elite that went on to establish themselves as the ruling class of military nobility over Japan from 1185-1868 (O’Neill, 106). They were also called bushi, another word for warrior (O’Neill, 108). The Tokugawa regime was known for its elaborate system of civil administration based on the Confucian philosophy (Totman, 98). This system was also established in order to maintain peace and consolidate power (Gordon, 9). It is the organs of this regime that will be analyzed in detail throughout this essay.
Shimazono, Susumu. 2005. "State Shinto and the Religious Structure of Modern Japan." Journal Of The American Academy Of Religion 73, no. 4: 1077-1098. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2012).
The Nature and Characteristics of the Meiji Modernization The samurai leaders, mainly Satsuma and Choshu men’ who engineered and led the Meiji Restoration had no pre-conceived program of social and economic reforms in mind - i.e. the developments in the post-1868 period were not planned before the Restoration. The Meiji Restoration (1868) was essentially a political samurai movement aiming at the destruction of the Shogun’s power so as to effect a new national unity in resistance to western encroachment. After the restoration, the task of national defence fell on that group of men who now dominated the government (the Meiji oligarchy). If they failed in resisting the western challenge, then, they might be attacked by their enemies as they themselves had attacked the shogun in the Bakumatsu period (1853-1868). Thus, the new oligarchy devoted all their efforts - ‘Rich Country and a Strong Army’ (Fukoku Kyohei).
Shinto, the indigenous religion of Japan, survives even to this day and lies at the basis of Japanese society. Shinto played and continues to play not only an enormous role in general Japanese society, but also regarding the roles of women both in general society and the society within traditional Shintoism.