Buddhism in Politics Throughout Medieval Japan
Buddhism originated in Northern India around 500 B.C.E. From there Buddhism started to spread all throughout Asia due to the efforts of the Mauryan King Ashoka. Delegations were sent throughout Asia to spread the teachings of Buddhism. These delegations reached as far away as Egypt all the way to China, Korea and eventually spread to Japan. Buddhism influenced cultures everywhere it went, but it was particularly impactful in East Asia. Buddhism ended up declining in India within 75 years of Ashoka’s passing and was almost gone within a century. It is in the East Asia where Buddhism was spread to that the Buddhist heritage is still present and strong. Japan was one such place where the Buddhist …show more content…
It became introduced to Japan for its art appeal. But it became popularized into Japan for political reasons by Prince Shotoku (Jayadi, 2012). From that point on, Buddhism had an unshakeable foothold in Japan. Buddhism continued to be a vital political tool used for consolidating power by different dynasties. After Shotoku’s passing future rulers all saw Buddhism as a potential asset to help solidify their rule and found new ways to utilize Buddhism for their personal goals. As Japanese society became more and more exposed to Buddhism, Buddhism’s position as a political machine also grew. In Buddhism’s early stages of Japanese history, Buddhism started off as a political tool that was exclusive to the aristocracy. From there, Buddhism expanded to becoming its own a separate entity. The Buddhist scholars and monks created sects and could influence politics of Japan at the highest level. From there, Buddhist underwent another change. They slowly went from being peace-loving sects to political machines, and eventually into a military force that played a major role in determining Japanese history. But one thing has never changed. Buddhism was first and foremost a political tool used by the ruling classes to aid in …show more content…
Shinto was the major belief system in Japan before Buddhism. Shinto is mainly composed of ritual practices done to please and provide worship to the numerous gods called kami. These kami are the essence of nature according to followers of Shintoism. Shinto has been around ever since the beginning of Japanese culture. It has records that trace it as far back as the Jomon era from 14,000 B.C.E to 400 B.C.E (Shirokateur, 2013). This was a period characterized by hunter gatherer societies for the most part. Evidence of worship to Kami is evident in burial mounds that have been uncovered all of Japan that date back tens of thousands of years. After the Jomon era, came the Yayoi era. This lasted from 900 B.C.E to about 250 A.D (Shirokateur, 2013). This was an era that saw a rise in agriculture and increased amount of settlements. Thanks to the increasing amount of settlements, it led to the first signs of political developments. Kami burial mounds become more apparent, along with evidence of ritual worship of Kami entities. During this time-period, regional chiefs came to power and began to have contact with Chinese diplomats. This period was characterized by the slow unification of Japan and the rise of the Yamato court. Shintoism was a major part of Japanese culture now, but it was not the official religion of the Yamato court. There was no precedence for a
Buddhism originated in Northern India around 500 B.C.E. From there Buddhism started to spread all throughout Asia due to the efforts of the Mauryan King Ashoka. Delegations were sent throughout Asia to spread the teachings of Buddhism. These delegations reached as far away as Egypt all the way to China, Korea and eventually spread to Japan. Buddhism influenced cultures everywhere it went, but it was particularly impactful in East Asia. Buddhism ended up declining in India within 75 years of Ashoka’s passing and was almost gone within a century. It is in the East Asia where Buddhism was spread to that the Buddhist heritage is still present and strong. Japan was one such place where the Buddhist …show more content…
It became introduced to Japan for its art appeal. But it became popularized into Japan for political reasons by Prince Shotoku (Jayadi, 2012). From that point on, Buddhism had an unshakeable foothold in Japan. Buddhism continued to be a vital political tool used for consolidating power by different dynasties. After Shotoku’s passing future rulers all saw Buddhism as a potential asset to help solidify their rule and found new ways to utilize Buddhism for their personal goals. As Japanese society became more and more exposed to Buddhism, Buddhism’s position as a political machine also grew. In Buddhism’s early stages of Japanese history, Buddhism started off as a political tool that was exclusive to the aristocracy. From there, Buddhism expanded to becoming its own a separate entity. The Buddhist scholars and monks created sects and could influence politics of Japan at the highest level. From there, Buddhist underwent another change. They slowly went from being peace-loving sects to political machines, and eventually into a military force that played a major role in determining Japanese history. But one thing has never changed. Buddhism was first and foremost a political tool used by the ruling classes to aid in …show more content…
Shinto was the major belief system in Japan before Buddhism. Shinto is mainly composed of ritual practices done to please and provide worship to the numerous gods called kami. These kami are the essence of nature according to followers of Shintoism. Shinto has been around ever since the beginning of Japanese culture. It has records that trace it as far back as the Jomon era from 14,000 B.C.E to 400 B.C.E (Shirokateur, 2013). This was a period characterized by hunter gatherer societies for the most part. Evidence of worship to Kami is evident in burial mounds that have been uncovered all of Japan that date back tens of thousands of years. After the Jomon era, came the Yayoi era. This lasted from 900 B.C.E to about 250 A.D (Shirokateur, 2013). This was an era that saw a rise in agriculture and increased amount of settlements. Thanks to the increasing amount of settlements, it led to the first signs of political developments. Kami burial mounds become more apparent, along with evidence of ritual worship of Kami entities. During this time-period, regional chiefs came to power and began to have contact with Chinese diplomats. This period was characterized by the slow unification of Japan and the rise of the Yamato court. Shintoism was a major part of Japanese culture now, but it was not the official religion of the Yamato court. There was no precedence for a