The Way of Life

 

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When I entered a Japanese home for the first time, I noticed two peculiar looking altars in the main living room.  I learned that these were the 神棚 (かみだな - kamidana) and the 仏壇 (ぶつだん - butsudan).  I knew a little about religion in Japan from textbooks, i.e. that Buddhism and Shintō were the main faiths, but I was curious as to why both were in represented in the living room of the house.  It is natural to think that someone belongs to just one (or no) religion, but in Japan it is quite different.  They are not regarded as "religions" rather a way of life.  Most people "belong" to both Shintō and Buddhism faiths and practise their rituals daily.

 

Both Shintōism and Buddhism rituals and ceremonies are practised throughout the life of each person, with a sprinkling of Christianity in some cases as well. Here is an example:

- When a baby is born it is taken to a shrine - omiyamairi (Shintō)

- When a child turns 3 (girls), 5 (boys) or 7 (girls) they dress in kimono and visit a shrine - shichi-go-san (Shintō)

- When a young man/woman turns 20 they celebrate adulthood - seijinshiki (Shintō)

- Before eating any meal, itadakimasu is said to thank all the processes and people that brought food to you (Shintō).

- Traditional weddings are at a shrine (Shinto) or a chapel/church (Christian-like)

- When someone builds a house, the land is blessed - jichinsai (Shintō)

- Every year around August, the spirits of the deceased are welcomed back - o-bon (Buddhist)

- When someone passes away, the funeral is held in a temple - soushiki (Buddhist)

 

You may recognise a few themes - Shintō is related to life/growth and Buddhism is related to death/spirits.  It is a lot more complicated than that, but those generalisations are fine as an introduction to learning more.

 

Here is a video I made that I hope explains it a little clearer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shintō  　神道　　しんとう

Notes on Shintō

Shintō is the native religion of Japan.  People visit shrines (taisha 大社, jingu 神宮 or jinja 神社) and worship spirits called kami (かみ  神).

 

Consider the following observation:"Western visitors to Japan sometimes come away with the idea that Shintō, Japan's indigenous religion, is a "dead" tradition, with shrines preserved as mere historic sites or tourist traps." (http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-4-7700-3044-3).

 

"Shintō is undeniably a religion unique to the Japanese people.  It is a natural religion born and nurtured in the Japanese islands, unlike Buddhism or Christianity, which are world religions that have come to Japan from foreign countries." (Yamakawa, Leeuw & Rankin, 2006, p.36).

 

"Shintō has evolved out of the life and experience of the Japanese people...  Shintō's true founder is nature herself." (Yamakawa, Leeuw & Rankin, 2006, p.38).

 

"Shintō certainly has its own way of thinking and feeling as well as its own distinctive world view that cannot be adequately contained within the Western concept of religion.  Underneath an array of expressions that ostensibly have no pattern, Shintō is filled with a rich world of faith." (Yamakawa, Leeuw & Rankin, 2006, p.37). 

 

“Shintō has no sacred canon like the Bible, the Koran, or the Sutras. Neither has it any code of morals or body of dogma. Cleanliness may be called its most prominent feature.” (Brinkley & Kikuchi, 1915, p.158).

 

Buddhism 　仏教　　ぶっきょう

Notes on Buddhism in Japan

Buddhism was introduced to Japan.  People visit temples (o-tera お寺 or simply ji 寺) and can worship one of many Buddhist gods.  There are many different sects of Buddhism (e.g. Jōdō-shu and Zen), just like there are in Christianity (e.g. Catholic, Protestant).

 

"Today Buddhist schools, sects, denominations, branches and movements combined represent the largest form of organised religion in Japan. There are more than 70,000 temples, 250,000 clergy, 95 million lay believers, and numerous lay and professional societies and organisations" (Berkwitz, 2006, p.290).

 

"During the Kamakura period (1185–1333), Buddhism became the faith of all people of all classes. This was due in part to the many priests who became itinerant evangelists and brought Pure Land Buddhism to the masses." (http://asiasociety.org/countries/religions-philosophies/buddhism-japan)

 

 "Master Shimada urged his pupils to practice Zen in order to learn the secrets to the art of fencing.  Katsu began his Zen training at age twenty.  Each morning, in the cold darkness before dawn, the pupils would assemble in the temple hall.  Speaking was strictly prohibited, as were yawning, coughing, sneezing and all other forms of noise.  Barefoot and clad in short cotton robes and trousers, the pupils would form perfectly straight rows, four or five abreast.  They would kneel on the bare wooden floor, assuming a proprer sitting posture - legs and feet tucked underneath, back straight, eyes looking ahead and slightly downward, hands resting atop the thighs.  The pupils were forbidden to move from this position for a certain period of time - perhaps one hour, perhaps two, occasionally three - regardless of the pain in their cramped, burning muscles.  The only sound was that of their breath flowing in and out of their bodies, until the silence was inevitably broken be a sudden and sharp crack of the Zen priest's hard wooden stave upon the shoulder of one who had momentarily lost his posture, emitted a sound, flinched, or in any other way violated the sever code of Zen training." (Hillsborough, 2010, p.28).

 

Others

The imprisoned Venetian merchant Marco Polo once gave an account of the famed land of Zipangu (Japan).  As you will read, it was entirely different to what the Europeans soon discovered, however it was the catalyst that lead to the discovery of Japan by the Europeans, and the introduction of Christianity. 

 

"Zipangu is an island towards the cast in the high seas, fifteen hundred miles distant from the Continent, and a very great island it is.  The people are white, civilised and well favoured.  They are idolators and are dependent on nobody.  And I can tell you, the quantity of gold they have is endless; for they find it in their own island, and the king does not allow it to be exported.  Moreover, few merchants visit the country, because it is so far from the mainland, and thus it comes to pass that their gold is abundant beyond all measure."  (Yule, 1923 as cited in Otis, 2013).

 

"The first known appearance of organized Christianity in Japan was the arrival of the Portuguese merchants in 1549. Francis Xavier arrived in Japan with three Japanese Catholic converts intending to start a church in the Nagasaki area. The local Japanese people initially assumed that the foreigners were from India and that Christianity was a new "Indian faith"." (Wikipedia, 2014)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Andreasen, E. (1998) Popular Buddhism in Japan: Shin Buddhist religion & culture. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi.

 

Berkwitz, S. C. (2006). Buddhism in world cultures: comparative perspectives. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.

 

Brinkley, F. & Kikuchi, D. (1915). A history of the Japanese people from the earliest times to the end of the Meiji era. New York: Encyclopædia Britannica Co.

 

Christianity in Japan. (2014). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved August 1, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Japan

 

Hammer, E. (2014). Buddhism in Japan.  Retrieved August 1, 2014 from http://asiasociety.org/countries/religions-philosophies/buddhism-japan

 

Hillsborough, R. (2010). Samurai tales: courage, fidelity and revenge in the final years of the shogun. Rutland, Vt: Tuttle Pub.

 

Otis, C. (2013). A history of Christianity in Japan: Protestant missions. London: Forgotten Books. (Original work published 1909)

 

Publisher's Weekly (2007). Review of The Essence of Shintō: Japan's Spiritual Heart. Retrieved July 31, 2014 from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-4-7700-3044-3

 

Yamakage, M., Leeuw, P. & Rankin, A. (2006). The essence of Shintō:: Japan's spiritual heart. Tokyo: Kodansha International.