What is Shinto? Traditional religion of Japan. §1 Origins of Shinto

10.10.2019

04Oct

What is Shinto (Shinto)

Shinto is the ancient historical religion of Japan, which is based on the belief in the existence of many gods and spirits living locally in certain shrines or throughout the world, such as the sun goddess Amaterasu. Shinto has aspects, that is, the belief that spirits reside in natural inanimate objects, in fact, in all things. For Shinto, the first priority is that a person lives in harmony with nature. , Shinto or "Shinto" can be translated as - the Way of the Gods.

Shinto is the essence of religion - briefly.

In simple terms, Shinto is not exactly a religion in the classical sense of the term, but rather a philosophy, idea and culture based on religious beliefs. In Shintoism, there are no definite canonical sacred texts, no formal prayers and mandatory rituals. Instead, worship options vary greatly depending on the shrine and deity. Very often in Shinto it is customary to worship the spirits of ancestors, who, according to beliefs, constantly surround us. From the above, we can conclude that Shinto is a very liberal religion, aimed at creating the common good and harmony with nature.

Origin of religion. Where did Shinto originate?

Unlike many other religions, Shinto does not have a founder and a specific point of origin in time. The peoples of ancient Japan long practiced animistic beliefs, worshiped divine ancestors, and communicated with the spirit world through shamans. Many of these practices migrated to the so-called first recognized religion - Shinto (Shintoism). This happened during the Yayoi culture from about 300 BC to 300 AD. It was during this period that certain natural phenomena and geographical features were given the names of various deities.

In Shinto beliefs, supernatural powers and entities are known as Kami. They govern nature in all its forms and inhabit places of particular natural beauty. In addition to the conditionally benevolent "Kami" spirits, there are evil entities in Shinto - demons or "Oni" who are mostly invisible and can dwell in different places. Some of them are represented as giants with horns and three eyes. The power of "They" is usually temporary, and they do not represent an inherent force of evil. As a rule, in order to calm them down, a certain ritual is required.

Basic concepts and principles in Shintoism.

Purity. Physical purity, spiritual purity and avoidance of destruction;
physical well-being;
Harmony must be present in all things. It must be maintained to prevent imbalance;
Food and fertility;
Family and tribal solidarity;
The subordination of the individual to the group;
Reverence for nature;
Everything in the world has the potential for both good and bad;
The soul (Tama) of the dead can influence life before it joins the collective Kami of its ancestors.

Shinto gods.

As in many other ancient religions, Shinto deities represent important astrological, geographical and meteorological phenomena that have ever happened and were considered to influence daily life.

The creator gods are: Goddess of creation and death Izanami and her husband Izanagi. It is they who are considered to be the creators of the islands of Japan. Further along the hierarchy, the supreme deities are considered to be the goddess of the sun - Amaterasu and her brother Susanoo-god of the sea and storm.

Other significant deities in Shinto include the god-goddess Inari, who is considered the patroness of rice, fertility, trade and handicrafts. Inari's messenger is a fox, a popular figure in temple art.

Also in Shintoism, the so-called “Seven Gods of Happiness” enjoy special reverence:

Ebisu- the god of luck and diligence, who is considered the patron saint of fishermen and merchants;
Daikoku- the god of wealth and the patron of all peasants;
Bishamonten- the god of the warrior-defender, the god of wealth and prosperity. Very revered among the military, doctors and ministers of the law;
Benzaiten- the goddess of sea luck, love, knowledge, wisdom and art;
Fukurokuju- the god of longevity and wisdom in actions;
Hotei- the god of kindness, compassion and good nature;
Jurojin- the god of longevity and health.

In general, the pantheon of Shinto gods is very large and includes various deities who are responsible for almost all aspects of human life.

Shrines and altars in Shinto.

In Shintoism, a sacred place can belong to several "Kami" at once, and despite this, there are more than 80 thousand various shrines in Japan. Some natural features and mountains can also be considered sacred. Early shrines were simply mountain altars upon which offerings were laid out. Then, decorated buildings were erected around such altars. Shrines are easily identified by the presence of sacred gates. The simplest are just two vertical pillars with two longer crossbars, which symbolically separate the sacred space of the shrine from outside world. Such shrines are usually run and run by a head priest or elder, with funding from the local community. In addition to public shrines, many Japanese have small altars in their homes dedicated to their ancestors.

The most important Shinto shrine is the Ise Grand Shrine (Ise Shrine), dedicated to Amaterasu with a secondary shrine to the harvest goddess Toyouke.

Shinto and Buddhism.

Buddhism arrived in Japan in the 6th century BC as part of the process of Chinese colonization. These belief systems have hardly been in opposition. Both Buddhism and Shinto found mutual space to flourish side by side for many centuries in ancient Japan. During the period AD 794-1185, some Shinto "kami" and Buddhist bodhisattvas were formally combined to create a single deity, thus creating Ryobu Shinto or "Double Shinto". As a result, images of Buddhist figures were included in Shinto shrines, and some Shinto shrines were administered Buddhist monks. The official separation of religions occurred already in the 19th century.

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Shintoism

Shintoism, or Shinto (Japanese - "the way of the gods"), - ancient religion peoples of Japan, the essence of which is the deification of natural phenomena. It is in the fullest sense the religion of the unity of man with nature. It arose on the basis of a primitive cult of nature, worship of tribal and tribal deities, and various witchcraft rites. The example of Shinto clearly shows how the formation of a religion from ancient natural cults is going on. Shintoism stopped at the first stage of the development of religion from the cult of nature. In line with the fact that the main natural object in Japan, the Sun was considered (the Japanese call their country the “land of the rising sun”), the highest deity in the Shinto pantheon is the sun goddess Amaterasu. She is the progenitor of all Japanese emperors and the patroness of agriculture. The main thing in Shintoism is belief in gods and spirits (shin or kami), inhabiting and spiritualizing all nature, capable of incarnating into any object (figurine, tablet with the name of a deity), which becomes an object of worship (shintai - the body of a god). Shinto is thus closer than all other religions to the original mythological representations.

The gods who originally inhabited the earth include the gods of earth and roofing, wind and sea, mountains and trees, plains and mists, fire and the moon. The god of the moon along with the god of the wind and water spaces, along with Amaterasu, make up the trinity of great gods, under whose authority are all objects. Amaterasu dominates the upper, heavenly world, and the divine ancestors of people live there; earth ("middle country") - the habitat of people and earthly spirits. Present in Shintoism is the country of the dead (“the country of the yellow spring”), where the gods of thunder and furies dominate. This is the “lower world of darkness”, where birds carry the souls of the dead.

Gods in Shinto are both the divine ancestors of people and cultural heroes, which indicates their origin and source (for example, Amaterasu's brother, the wind god Susanoo).

The goal of life in Shintoism is the realization of the ideals of the ancestors, and salvation is achieved in this, and not in the other world, by spiritual merging with the deity through prayers and rituals performed in temples or at home. Shintoism is characterized by magnificent holidays with sacred processions and dances. The ethics of Shinto adopted a lot from Buddhism that spread in Japan, but at the same time it is based on the cult of the emperor and, thus, is of great national importance.

A parallel can be drawn between Shintoism and Taoism. Both religions are based on unity with nature and focus on primeval simplicity. But if Taoism is more mystical and aims at the principles of the functioning of the world, then Shinto is more phenomenological and deifies specific natural phenomena. The fundamental difference between Shinto and Chinese religions is that in Japan, unlike China, there were no such developed religions. philosophical systems, and therefore Shintoism was formed directly from Japanese mythology, which, in turn, also not being developed, which indicates the degree of development of art (in this it is similar to Chinese), stemmed from the deification of natural phenomena. In China, the presence of developed philosophical systems led to the fact that religions were formed as a result of the synthesis of mythology and philosophy, and the two main philosophical trends in China gave names to the two main Chinese religions.

If we consider three oriental cultures, then in the direction from India to Japan through China, the value of the metaphysical component decreases, while the value of the physical increases. Considering that the religious aspect itself is also decreasing (as part of the metaphysical one), one can understand why the Indian religions spread in China and Japan, and we do not observe the reverse process - the spread of the religions of China and Japan in India. There was an expansion of more developed religions into regions in which religiosity remained underdeveloped (as evidenced by the absence of the word "religion" in Chinese and Japanese). The traditional Japanese religion, like the Chinese, did not rise to the level of Buddhism with its developed moral aspect, although Taoism, focused on the principles of the functioning of the world, and not on specific natural phenomena, advanced further in this direction than Shinto (and in some areas of Taoism, the orientation merge with the Tao suggests an analogy with the Buddhist nirvana).

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Shintoism Shintoism, or Shinto (Japanese - "the way of the gods"), is an ancient religion of the peoples of Japan, the essence of which is the deification of natural phenomena. It is in the fullest sense the religion of the unity of man with nature. It arose on the basis of a primitive cult of nature, worship of family and

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251. Shinto 251. SHINTO An ancient religious and philosophical system in Japan, formed on the basis of autochthonous, Japanese beliefs and practices, finally formed during the period of penetration of Buddhism into the country (VI-VIII centuries). Shinto, or Kannagara - "The Way of the Gods". According to

Which religion in Japan has the most adherents? This is a complex of national and very archaic beliefs, which is called Shinto. Like any religion, it developed, absorbed elements of the cult and metaphysical ideas of other peoples. But it should be said that Shinto is still very far from Christianity. Yes, and other beliefs, which are commonly called Abrahamic. But Shinto is not just a cult of ancestors. Such a view of the religion of Japan would be an extreme simplification. This is not animism, although Shinto believers deify natural phenomena and even objects. This philosophy is very complex and deserves to be studied. In this article, we will briefly describe what Shinto is. There are other teachings in Japan as well. How does Shinto interact with these cults? Is he in direct antagonism with them, or can we talk about a certain religious syncretism? Find out by reading our article.

The origin and codification of Shinto

Animism - the belief that some things and natural phenomena are spiritualized - existed among all peoples at a certain stage of development. But later the cults of worship of trees, stones and the solar disk were discarded. Religious views peoples reoriented themselves to the gods who control the forces of nature. This has happened throughout all civilizations. But not in Japan. There, animism was preserved, partially changed and metaphysically developed, and became the basis for the state religion. The history of Shinto begins with the first mention in the book "Nihongi". This eighth-century chronicle tells of the Japanese Emperor Yomei (ruled at the turn of the sixth and seventh centuries). The said monarch "professed Buddhism and honored Shinto." Naturally, each small area in Japan had its own spirit, god. In addition, in certain regions the sun was honored, while in others other forces or natural phenomena were preferred. When in the eighth century the processes of political centralization began to take place in the country, the question arose of codifying all beliefs and cults.

Canonization of mythology

The country was united under the ruler of the Yamato region. Therefore, at the top of the Japanese "Olympus" was the goddess Amaterasu, identified with the Sun. She was declared the foremother of the ruling imperial family. All other gods were given a lower status. In 701, Japan even established the Jingikan administrative body, which was in charge of all cults and religious ceremonies performed in the country. Queen Genmei in 712 ordered a compilation of beliefs that existed in the country. This is how the chronicle "Kojiki" ("Records of the deeds of antiquity") appeared. But the main book, which can be compared with the Bible (of Judaism, Christianity and Islam), for Shinto was Nihon Shoki - "Annals of Japan, written down with a brush." This set of myths was compiled in 720 by a group of officials under the leadership of a certain O-no Yasumaro and with the direct participation of Prince Toneri. All beliefs were brought into a kind of unity. In addition, Nihon Shoki also contains historical events, telling about the penetration of Buddhism, Chinese and Korean noble families.

ancestor cult

If we consider the question "what is Shinto", then it will not be enough to say that this is the worship of the forces of nature. The cult of ancestors plays an equally important role in the traditional religion of Japan. There is no concept of Salvation in Shinto as there is in Christianity. The souls of the dead remain invisible among the living. They are present everywhere and permeate everything that exists. Moreover, they take a very active part in things happening on earth. As in the political structure of Japan, the souls of the deceased imperial ancestors play a significant role in the events. In general, in Shintoism there is no clear line between people and kami. These latter are spirits or gods. But they are also drawn into the eternal cycle of life. People after death can become kami, and spirits can incarnate into bodies. The word "Shinto" itself consists of two hieroglyphs, which literally mean "the path of the gods." Every resident of Japan is invited to take this road. After all, Shintoism is not She is not interested in proselytism - the spread of her teachings among other peoples. Unlike Christianity, Islam or Buddhism, Shinto is a purely Japanese religion.

Key Ideas

So, many natural phenomena and even things have a spiritual essence, which is called kami. Sometimes it dwells in a particular object, but sometimes it manifests itself in the hypostasis of a god. There are kami patrons of localities and even clans (ujigami). Then they act as the souls of their ancestors - some kind of "guardian angels" of their descendants. One more cardinal difference between Shintoism and other world religions should be pointed out. Dogma occupies quite a bit of space in it. Therefore, it is very difficult to describe, in terms of religious canons, what Shinto is. What matters here is not orthodoxy (correct interpretation), but ortho-praxia (correct practice). Therefore, the Japanese do not pay much attention to theology as such, but to following rituals. It is they who have come down to us almost unchanged from the time when humanity practiced different kind magic, totemism and fetishism.

Ethical component

Shinto is not a dualistic religion at all. In it you will not find, as in Christianity, the struggle between Good and Evil. The Japanese "ashi" is not absolute, but rather something harmful that is best avoided. Sin - tsumi - does not carry an ethical color. This is an action that is condemned by society. Tsumi changes human nature. "Ashi" is opposed to "yoshi", which is also not an unconditional Good. This is all good and useful, something worth striving for. Therefore, the kami are not a moral standard. They can be at enmity with each other, harbor old grievances. There are kami who command the deadly elements - earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes. And from the ferocity of their divine essence does not become less. But for the Japanese, following the "path of the gods" (that's what Shinto is called for short) means a whole moral code. It is necessary to respect the elders in position and age, to be able to live in peace with equals, to honor the harmony of man and nature.

The concept of the world around

The universe was not created by a good Creator. Out of the chaos appeared the kami, who at a certain stage created Japanese islands. Shintoism of the Land of the Rising Sun teaches that the universe is arranged correctly, although by no means good. And the main thing in it is order. Evil is a disease that devours established norms. Therefore, a virtuous person should avoid weaknesses, temptations and unworthy thoughts. It is they who can lead him to the tsumi. Sin will not only distort the good soul of a person, but also make him a pariah in society. And this is the worst punishment for the Japanese. But absolute good and evil do not exist. In order to distinguish “good” from “bad” in a particular situation, a person must have a “heart like a mirror” (adequately judge reality) and not break the union with the deity (honor the rite). Thus, he makes a feasible contribution to the stability of the universe.

Shinto and Buddhism

One more distinguishing feature Japanese religion - its amazing syncretism. Buddhism began to penetrate the islands in the sixth century. And he was warmly received by the local aristocracy. It is not difficult to guess which religion in Japan had greatest influence to the formation of the Shinto rite. First it was proclaimed that there is a kami - the patron of Buddhism. Then they began to associate spirits and bodhidharmas. Soon, Buddhist sutras began to be read in Shinto shrines. In the ninth century, for some time, the teachings of Gautama the Enlightened One became the state religion in Japan. This period modified the worship of Shinto. Images of bodhisattvas and the Buddha himself appeared in the temples. The belief arose that the kami, like humans, needed to be saved. Syncretic teachings also appeared - Ryobu Shinto and Sanno Shinto.

Temple Shinto

The gods have no need to dwell in buildings. Therefore temples are not kami dwellings. Rather, they are places where the faithful of the parish gather to worship. But, knowing what Shinto is, one cannot compare a Japanese traditional temple with a Protestant church. The main building, the honden, houses the "kami body" - shintai. This is usually a tablet with the name of a deity. But there may be a thousand such Shintai in other temples. Prayers are not included in the honden. They gather in the assembly hall - haiden. In addition to him, on the territory temple complex there is a kitchen for preparing ritual food, a stage, a place for practicing magic, and other outbuildings. Rituals in the temples are performed by priests called kannushi.

home altars

It is not necessary for a believing Japanese to visit temples. After all, kami exist everywhere. And you can also honor them everywhere. Therefore, along with the temple, home Shinto is very developed. In Japan, every family has such an altar. It can be compared with the "red corner" in Orthodox huts. The kamidana altar is a shelf with nameplates on display. various kami. Amulets and amulets bought in "holy places" are also added to them. To appease the souls of the ancestors, offerings in the form of mochi and sake vodka are also placed on the kamidana. In honor of the deceased, some things important for the deceased are also placed on the altar. Sometimes it can be his diploma or an order for a promotion (Shintoism, in short, shocks Europeans with its immediacy). Then the believer washes his face and hands, stands in front of the kamidan, bows several times, and then claps his hands loudly. This is how he attracts the attention of the kami. Then he silently prays and bows again.

Hello, dear readers - seekers of knowledge and truth!

We have long known that Buddhism is one of the world's religions, the most ancient and incredibly interesting. For several millennia, it has been slowly wandering around the world: in some countries it is a “passage”, and somewhere it lingers for many centuries, benevolently adjacent to other religions, and sometimes completely merges with them.

Something similar happened in Japan - Buddhism entered where its own religion dominated - Shintoism, mixed with it and became a full-fledged religion. Our article today will tell you about the differences between Buddhism and Shintoism.

Shintoism

To begin with, it will not be superfluous to recall what Shinto is. This is a Japanese religion, which can be called a national treasure. For more than two millennia, people have been collecting ideas, observations, views about life, spiritual traditions, and only in the 8th century did they acquire the name that was first used in writings called the Annals of Japan.

This religion developed with the penetration of the ubiquitous Buddhism, Chinese Confucianism and Taoism, but at the same time separated from them. Keyword"Shinto" consists of two characters: "shin" - kami, "to" - the way. Literally, it can be translated as "the path of the gods."

In Japanese culture, the term "kami" is very important for perception, they denote a deity, a spirit that every thing has. Kami is a truly Japanese concept, national, it gave birth not to all people on Earth, but only to the Japanese.

The main feature of Shintoism is the deification of phenomena and objects, endowing them with a soul. Even seemingly inanimate objects, such as stone, a spirit appears in Shinto. This is "kami".

There are kami - the deities of a certain territory, and then there are the spirits of nature or the patrons of the clan. These ideas were mixed with the ancient rituals of worshiping the phenomena and forces of nature, animals, the souls of the dead, with the cult of ancestors, shamanism. The emperor's family is especially exalted and deified.

It is believed that spiritual harmony is achieved precisely in this world and precisely through unity with kami, merging. Belief in it has given rise to several types of Shinto, which are characterized by where traditional ceremonies are held and on what scale:

folk - faith is rooted in the minds of most of the nation and affects the social way of life;
home - rituals are held at home, at the altar;
sectarian - religion at the level of individual independent organizations;
temple - special temples are created;
imperial - rituals held in the temples of the imperial palace;
state - a synthesis of temple and imperial Shinto.

Buddhism

How much we have already learned about Buddhism together! Its founder was Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince who later became - awakened from the world of luxury, excesses and reached nirvana. Which is what all the Buddhists of the world want.

Nirvana is a state of complete peace and tranquility. It is achieved through long practices, meditations, conscious calming of the mind, renunciation of worldly amusements, earthly empty joys and attachments.

The goal of every Buddhist is to follow the advice of the Awakened One and find that very "middle way" - a balance between two extremes: empty earthly pleasures and complete self-denial.

The teachings of the Buddha reached the borders of Japan through Tibet, incorporating the features of the Tibetan current. Here it is divided into several traditional schools, which are predominantly Mahayana.

Interestingly, they were not planted here by force, so in Japan Buddhism took root as harmoniously as possible, peacefully adapted in art. , culture and religious beliefs.

What is the religion in Japan?

Scientists cannot clearly understand what role Shinto played in the formation of the state, and what significance Buddhism had in this matter. At one time, a noisy controversy erupted around this issue. Therefore, Japan is currently dominated by the so-called religious syncretism- a combination of different faiths.

The majority of the population identifies themselves as either Buddhists or Shintoists, or both at the same time. At the birth of a child, they can conduct rituals in a Shinto shrine, a wedding ceremony in a Buddhist one, and read the Tibetan Book of the Dead over the body of the deceased.

Over time, the boundaries of religions are erased so much that Shinto-Buddhist teachings appear, for example, Shingon-shu, Shugendo, the difference between which to the inhabitants may seem simply illusory.

What are the differences?

The rituals that are carried out in temples, the worship of numerous deities, merging with nature - this is what Shintoists and Buddhists have in common. What is the difference between one faith and another?

In Buddhism, special prayers are said - mantras that are addressed to a particular saint. Shintoism in this regard contains remnants of shamanism, when people want to call on the forces to rain or stop the storm with spells.

The teachings of Siddhartha are flexible, able to adapt to any mentality and are able to travel around the world, flowing into different forms. The Shinto faith is something national, close, native only to the Japanese.

In general, it is something more than religion in the usual sense, it is a whole complex of knowledge that is not amenable to strict structuring, enumeration of unambiguous dogmas. What is needed here is not orthodoxy, but continuous practice, ritualism with a claim to magic and animalism. The main thing in Shinto is not blind adherence to the canons, but simplicity, not formal rituals, but sincerity.

What is especially striking when deepening into Shintoism is the absence of a founder, such as, for example, Gautama, Jesus, Muhammad. Here the preacher is not a single holy person, but the whole nation, from generation to generation.

And most importantly: the meaning of the life of a Buddhist is to break out of a series of rebirths and finally achieve nirvana, the complete liberation of the soul. Shintoists do not seek salvation in the next life, in afterlife or in an intermediate state - they reach agreement, merge with the "kami" in the present life.

Conclusion

Thank you very much for your attention, dear readers! May your path be light and bright. Recommend us at in social networks and let's search for the truth together.

The national religion of Japan is Shintoism. The term Shinto means the way of the gods. A son or kami - these are gods, spirits that inhabit the whole surrounding a person peace. Any object can be the embodiment of kami. The origins of Shinto go back to ancient times and include all forms of beliefs and cults inherent in peoples: totemism, animism, magic, fetishism, etc.

Development of syntonism

The first mythological monuments of Japan related to the 7th-8th centuries. AD, - Kojiki, Fudoki, Nihongi - reflected the complex path of the formation of the system of Shinto cults. A significant place in this system is occupied by the cult of dead ancestors, the main of which was the clan ancestor ujigami, symbolizing the unity and cohesion of the members of the genus. The objects of worship were the deities of the earth and fields, rain and wind, forests and mountains, etc.

On the early stages development of Shinto did not have an ordered system of beliefs. The development of Shinto followed the path of forming a complex unity of religious, mythological representations various tribes - both local and those who came from the mainland. As a result, a clear religious system was never created. However, with the development of the state and the rise of the emperor, the Japanese version of the origin of the world, the place of Japan, its sovereigns in this world is being formed. Japanese mythology claims that at first Heaven and Earth existed, then the first gods appeared, among which was a married couple. Izanagi and Izanami which played a major role in the creation of the world. They disturbed the ocean with a huge spear tipped with precious stone, sea water dripping from the tip formed the first of the Japanese islands. Then they began to run around the celestial pillar and gave birth to other Japanese islands. After Izanami's death, her husband Izanagi visited the realm of the dead, hoping to save her, but was unable to. Returning, he performed a rite of purification, during which he produced from his left eye the goddess of the Sun - Amaterasu - from the right - the god of the moon, from the nose - the god of rain, who devastated the country with a flood. During the flood, Amaterasu went into a cave and deprived the land of light. All the gods, having gathered, persuaded her to go out and return the Sun, but they succeeded with great difficulty. In Shintoism, this event is, as it were, reproduced in holidays and rituals dedicated to the arrival of spring.

According to mythology, Amaterasu sent her grandson Ninigi down to earth to rule the people. Japanese emperors, who are called tenno(heavenly sovereign) or mikado. Amaterasu gave him the "divine" regalia: a mirror - a symbol of honesty, jasper pendants - a symbol of compassion, a sword - a symbol of wisdom. In the highest degree, these qualities are attributed to the personality of the emperor. The main temple complex in Shinto was the shrine in Ise - Ise jingu. In Japan, there is a myth according to which the spirit of Amaterasu, who lives in the Ise jingu, helped the Japanese in the fight against the Mongol conquerors in 1261 and 1281, when the divine wind " kamikaze"twice destroyed the Mongol fleet, which was going to the shores of Japan. Shinto shrines are rebuilt every 20 years. It is believed that the gods are pleased to be in one place for such a long time.

Syntonism levels

In Shinto, several levels are distinguished, which are determined by the objects and subjects of the cult.

Dynastic Shinto is the property of the imperial family. There are gods that only family members can call upon, and rituals that can only be performed by family members.

emperor cult(tennoism) - Mandatory for all Japanese.

Temple Shinto - worship of common and local gods that exist in every locality and protect people living under their protection.

Home Shinto - worship of family gods.

At the beginning of the VI century. in Japan become known and. Gradually, Buddhism begins to play a significant role in the life of Japan, there is an interpenetration of Buddhism and Shintoism, their complementarity. The deities of Buddhism are accepted in Shinto, and vice versa. Shinto, with its collectivist character, serves the needs of the community, while Buddhism, personal character focuses on individuality. There is a situation called rebusinto(double path of the gods). Buddhism and Shintoism have coexisted peacefully for several centuries.