Religion 宗教

Kubo gave a dissertation during our travel today on the main religions in Japan: Shintoism and Buddhism.

Frankly, Google put it in a summary form that was much more succinct and more than sufficient.

Shintoism originated in the late 6th century and and is the oldest surviving Japanese religion. It centres on the worship of kami (神): every single object, from people to rocks, contains a kind of soul or spirit. It is often marked with a strip of white paper or the Shimenawa: a braided straw rope that is tied around the object and used for ritual purification.

Shintoism lacks a single founder or holy book and emphasises reverence for nature, purity, harmony, and sincerity. Key practices include visiting shrines, which are marked by a torii gate and participating in festivals. 

The 2nd largest religion is Buddhism which officially arrived in Japan from Korea in the 6th century. Unlike Shintoism, Buddhism does not acknowledge a god or higher being but instead is centred on many scripts, a caste that studies the ancient scriptures, and lessons from the Buddha, a spiritual leader, philosopher, and teacher, which must be learned and followed.

Over time, these two religions integrated beliefs and practices - called ‘syncretism’.

In the Meiji period (1868–1912), the government enforced a separation of Shinto and Buddhism, though the cultural integration had become deep.