Shintō and jinja shrines
Officially twenty-five centuries old, Shintō, or Shintoism, is the indigenous religion of the Japanese, as opposed to Buddhism, which originated in China and Korea. It consists in the worship of the notion of Kami. The mythology of Shintō was transcribed into the Kojiki (collection of ancient things) in 712 by order of the emperor and, subsequently, into the Nihon shoki in 720. These two works reveal a rich and colorful mythology. Curiously, Shintō is the only religion in the world that has no Koran, Bible or Talmud, no written precepts and no statues in the image of a deity. Yet every Japanese has an intuitive perception of Kami, often referred to in a friendly and honorary way as "Kami-sama" in everyday life. The Japanese perceive two things: the event, i.e. the phenomenon itself, and the state of a force that causes the event to take place. A certain resonance that makes us say "it's coming from somewhere". So it's difficult to talk about divinities, god(s), spirits or shamanism. It's better to keep in mind the word Kami or Kami-sama and the perception it covers. And as Shintō involves no baptism, communion, prohibition, punishment, written knowledge or precepts, it's only the power of place that counts - the sanctuary. In Tōhoku, these include the Ōsaki Hachiman-gū shrine in Sendai, listed as a National Treasure, or the Gassan-jinja shrine, perched atop Mount Gassan, one of the three sacred mountains of Dewa Sanzan. Yahiko Shrine, in Niigata prefecture, is also a Shintō shrine, revered for centuries in the region.
Buddhism and temples
The year 552 marks the official introduction of Buddhism to Japan, when the king of Paekche in Korea sent a letter to Emperor Kimmei of Yamato (Japan), asking for his help in containing the expansionist aims of his neighbor, the ruler of Silla. The letter also explained the merits of Buddhism. At this time, Yamato had a colony in Korea, Minama. In 562, the Japanese were forced to abandon their fiefdoms in Korea, taking with them many Korean artists and clerics fleeing the war. Buddhism thus officially entered the Empire, but soon came up against opposition from the Shintō. Only the nobility converted, with a few clans redoubling their rivalry with the Shintō clans. The regent Shōtoku Taishi nonetheless managed to impose Buddhism as the official religion and renewed ties with China and Korea. The Japanese leaned more and more towards syncretism, mixing the Shintō and Buddhist paths, but in the early 8th century, the establishment of six different sects in Nara led to doctrinal divergence. Six texts were written: the sanron-shū, the kusha-shū, the hossō-shū, the jōjitsu-shū, the kegon-shū and finally the ritsu-shū. One hundred and fifty years later, the emperor, anxious to free himself from the six sects of Nara that had taken on significant political weight, sent missions to China to bring back new doctrines. These were synthesized. They enabled the faithful to reach their goal through the simple adoration of divinities and simpler practices. This was the time of Amidism (Amida is the representation of Buddha who takes souls to paradise). Supported by what became jōdō, or veneration of Amida "of the pure land" in a future life, Buddhism did not move away from the Tendai sect, but the mere vocal invocation of nembutsu ensured the devotee's entry into paradise, i.e. the aim was no longer to achieve enlightenment during one's lifetime, unlike in original Buddhism. The troubles that accompanied the decadence of the Fujiwara period in the 12th century favored, in the Kamakura period, the installation of new aristocratic sects like Zen, coming from Chinese Chan, corresponding to the warriors of the aristocracy: the sects of jōdō-shin-shū or Nichiren. It was Chinese monks who imported Chan (Zen) through Eisei, who founded the Rinzai sect in 1191. The monk Dōgen founded the Sōtō sect some thirty years later. This doctrine was very popular with intellectuals and warriors. It is not based on any text and refers to the essence of things, meditation and the study of paradoxes. In Tōhoku, the Chūson-ji temple in Hiraizumi, founded in the 11th century, is one of the most remarkable Buddhist sites in northern Japan. Not far away, the Mōtsū-ji temple, built in the style of the Buddhist paradise, completes this spiritual duo in the heart of Iwate prefecture. Zen has a considerable influence on the world of the arts, from architecture and painting to garden design and the tea ceremony. Its teaching makes use of didactic paradox.
Shingon Buddhism
Shingon is an esoteric Japanese Buddhist school founded in the IXᵉ century by the monk Kūkai (or Kōbō Daishi). During a stay in China in the year 804, Kūkai was initiated into the arcana of the Shingon Mikkyo, by Master Keika, which he then spread throughout the Archipelago on his return. In 816, he received Mount Koya from the emperor. Since that time, Koyasan has been the principal place for the practice of Shingon Buddhism. The monastery was built in the heart of the mountains, far from any distractions, to enable monks to meditate and pray for peace. According to one belief, Kōbō Daishi never died. He meditates for eternity in the Gobyo, his mausoleum. In this school, emphasis is placed on understanding the Buddha's wisdom and performing numerous pious deeds to help people and bring them happiness. The Entsū-in temple, in Matsushima, is linked to the Shingon branch and contains magnificent moss gardens and a stunning mausoleum decorated with European motifs.
The shugendō
Emerging in the 8th century, shugendō, a thousand-year-old Japanese spiritual tradition of osmosis between man and nature, has as its founder En no Gyōja, a half-historical, half-legendary figure. This religion, literally translated as "the path of training and testing", includes the notion of asceticism, mountain living and other beliefs such as animism, Shintoism and Taoism. The ascetic, called shugenja or yamabushi, devotes himself to nature, worships it, prays to it and tries, by creating a pure spirit, to merge with it. In the past, these were hermits who lived in the mountains and underwent intense training. For these adepts, the Yoshino-Omine mountains in Nara are the supreme place for this ascetic practice. In the heart of the village of Yoshino lies Kinpusen-ji, the main shugendō temple established in the 6th century by En no Gyōja. Sanctified by the Shugendō ascetic cult, the three Dewa Mountains (Dewa Sanzan), located in Yamagata prefecture, are also among the most emblematic pilgrimages of this religion in northern Japan. The spiritual journey often begins at Mount Haguro, accessible year-round, and continues to Mount Gassan and Mount Yudono, symbols of birth, death and rebirth respectively. These mountains are always frequented by yamabushi in traditional dress, especially during summer rituals.
Christianity
Catholic missionary activity in the country can be traced back to 1549. They were initiated by the Jesuits, who had the support of Portugal. The Spanish-supported Mendicant Orders soon followed and arrived on the archipelago. The Jesuits' strategy was first to try and influence those in power to facilitate the spread of Christianity to the rest of the population. Some Japanese historians believe that the conversion of the Japanese to Christianity was forced, but the Christians defend themselves by saying that conversions were due to the exemplary behavior of the lords. Japanese Christians of this period are known as " kirishitan ". The vast majority of converts abandoned Christianity following the 1614 ban on the religion by the Tokugawa shogunate (the dynasty that ruled Japan from 1603 to 1867), and it was only in modern Japan that Christians were able to practice their faith again. The Tsuruoka Catholic Church, founded by French missionaries, is an example of Christian religious settlement in the north.
