Shinto

1

Religions of Japan

• Shinto
• Buddhism
• Confucianism
• Christianity

2
Shinto The Way of the Gods

• Worship of Kami, the Shinto Gods
• Belief in harmony between deities, man and nature
• Native religion to Japan
• Began 6th century

3
Buddhism

• Belief that one can achieve self enlightenment
  through meditation and discipline
• Complements Shinto beliefs
• Introduced from Korea in 6th century

4
Confucianism

• Important principles Humanity, Loyalty,
  Morality and Consideration
• Complements Shinto and Buddhism
• Introduced from China via Korea in 285AD
• To know is to know that you know nothing. That
  is the true meaning of knowledge. Confucius

5
Christianity

• Belief in God, Jesus, son of God and Holy Spirit
• Introduced in Japan by Jesuit missionaries in the
  mid-16th century
• Banned in the 18th, and reintroduced in the 19th
  century in the Meiji period

6
Religious life in Japan

• Rich and varied traditions
• History of interaction among many religious
  traditions
• Constitution of Japan guarantees freedom of
  religion