Shintoism Buddhism Influence

Many contemporary Japanese beliefs and values have a religious background. Despite the fact that modern-day Japan is a largely secular society, various religions have a hand in the shaping of Japanese society, including, but not limited to, Shintoism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Of the following, Shintoism and Buddhism can arguably be called the most influential, and while only Shintoism is indigenous to Japan, today, the influence of Buddhist culture compares to that of Shintoism (Dolan 1992). Shintoism, or the way of the gods, is more a mix of beliefs and practices indigenous to Japan than a strict religion. It predates Buddhism; however, it does exhibit Buddhist influence. Shintoism is the belief in the pantheistic universe of kami, …show more content…
Pollutants can include sickness, death, and impure thoughts, and common purifying agents include water and salt. Shintoism plays an influential role throughout history, especially in the period leading up to WWII and directly after. In ancient Japan, Shintoism was extremely popular with the common people and middle to lower classes. Shintoism grew in prominence during the Meiji Restoration, where revolutionary leaders reformed Shintoism into a state religion. During this time, Shintoism developed into different sects and evolved into emperor worship and the concept of the emperor’s divine descent (BBC 2016). The idolization of the emperor played a large role in WWII, where Japanese citizens were pushed towards emperor worship in an attempt to spark feelings of fervent nationalism among the people. In the period leading up to the war, the government required citizens to seek membership in a Shinto shrine. Shintoism remained the state religion until 1945 when Japan was defeated in WWII (BBC 2009). The emperor denied his divine descent, and General MacArthur outlawed Shintoism as a state religion, ultimately leading to its