Japan & South West Scotland

Shintō

Shintō (The Way of the Gods) is indigenous to Japan and is considered to be a collection of beliefs and traditions rather than a religion.  In Shintō, people are seen as essentially good.  Many of its rituals focus on purification.  Shintō is often described as nature worship because of its respect for nature and the belief that everything contains a spiritual essence called kami.  Until 1946 it was believed that the Imperial family were direct descents of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and that the Emperor was a living god.

Buddhism

Buddhism was introduced to Japan from India via China and Korea in the middle of the sixth century.  Its aims of achieving enlightenment and salvation were incorporated into Japanese culture so that Buddhism was able to co-exist with Shintō beliefs.  For example, Buddhist temples were built alongside existing Shintō shrines.  Today the majority of Japanese people still consider themselves Buddhist.

Zen Buddhism came to Japan from China in the twelfth century.  It was popular with samurai warriors because of its focus on self-discipline.  It also prizes simplicity and promotes an appreciation of nature, which compliments Shintō attitudes to nature.

Christianity

Portuguese missionaries began converting the Japanese to Christianity in the mid-sixteenth century.  Worried that it would disrupt the recently established peace and social order, in the 1620s Christianity was banned and its followers persecuted.  In the 1630s Japan initiated a policy of isolation. Japanese people were not allowed to leave the country and foreigners were not allowed to enter Japan.   Dutch and Chinese merchants could trade at specific ports, but only under strict conditions.  One of the reasons for this was to stop the spread of Christianity.  The ban was lifted in the Meiji period (1868-1912), but Christianity remains a minority religion in Japan.