Buddhism in Japan

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Hello everyone!

Welcome to 仏教の生き様 (Bukkyou no Ikizama), a blog series where I talk about Buddhism, its connection with Japan and share my learnings with you.

Last time we went through Buddhism in brief, its origin, the beliefs and the main principles. With that as a base, we are ready to see how Buddhism is present in the everyday life of Japanese people.

So without wasting any more time, let's quickly get started. 

 

About me: 

This is Arpit Gupta, a student at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, pursuing his Bachelors in Japanese language and having a great interest in Buddhism and Japan.

 

Contents:

  • Famous Buddhist tourist attraction spots

  • Buddhism in the everyday life of a Japanese person

  • Festivals related to Buddhism 

  • Influence of Buddhism on Anime, Manga and Movies

 

Famous Buddhist tourist attraction spots:

Wohhooo, you finally got a trip to Japan and you are making your bucket list, planning what places you would want to visit. You might think a lot of things but some or maybe most of them would be the great temples and statues of Buddha. 

Starting from the Todai-Ji (Great East Temple), famous for not only the world’s largest wooden building but also the world’s largest bronze Buddha statue, Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-Ji), Kofuku-Ji Temple and the Kiyomizu-Dera Buddhist temple and many others are among anyone’s travel list, with many of them being the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

This shows how closely related Japan and Buddhism are. A simple image of Japan in everyone always has a Buddhist temple in it. Keeping travel and tourism aside, Buddhism is also an important part of the everyday life of a Japanese person.

 

Buddhism in the everyday life of a Japanese person:

Although a majority of the Japanese population might not associate themselves with any religion, this might be because they don’t see Buddhism, or even Shintoism for that matter, as a form of religion but as a philosophy or a way of life. A lot of their day to day life activities, customs and festivals point towards Buddhism, irrespective of if they follow Buddhism or not.

This can be seen by the fact that nearly all funerals in Japan are Buddhist and almost exclusively cremation. An average Japanese house has a few references or objects that directly refer to Buddhism. A Butsudan (仏壇, lit. "Buddhist altar"), is a shrine commonly ( in around 60% of the houses) found in temples and homes in Japanese cultures. The eldest child normally performs the rituals at home, lighting incense for the dead in their family. This can also be seen in numerous Anime and Dramas made in Japan. Forms of the Buddha can also be found in the kitchens and gardens of Japanese people. 

 

Festivals related to Buddhism:

Another aspect where Buddhism is clearly visible in the life of Japanese people is the festivals. Starting from the very first day of the year, the ‘Oshougatsu’ (Japanese New year), when most of the people visit the nearby shrines and temples. It is a common practice by Buddhist monks to strike the temple bell 108 times on New Year’s Eve as it is believed that it cleanses the sins and purifies minds. 

O-bon festival is another very important festival that highlights the impact of Buddhism in Japan. On this day people place lanterns outside their houses to welcome the ancestral spirits into their houses and honour and pray to them. This is can be seen as somewhat similar to the practice of “Pitra Pura” (ancestral worship) which is practised in India and might have different customs but very similar beliefs. 

 

Influence of Buddhism on Anime, Manga and Movies:

It would be an injustice if one leaves Anime, Manga and Movies out of the primary places which showcase the presence of Buddhism in Japan. As mentioned above as well, a lot of Anime and Movies highlight the various practices related to Buddhism. A manga dedicated to the Buddha called Buddha, and numerous animes and mangas like, Noragami, Sōsei no Onmyōji and even some really popular ones like Spirited Away, Death Note, Bleach, Weathering with You have heavy influences from Buddhism and Shintoism, showing the appearance of Kamis (gods) and other forms of supernaturalism. 

 

With this, we have come to the end of this small ride that crossed through Buddhism as present in a Japanese person’s life as we went through the major Buddhist temples, festivals, and some places where the impact of Buddhism is felt in the life of Japanese people and the impact of Buddhism on the entertainment media, taking insights some Anime, Manga and movies.

 So until next time, when we’ll read a bit more about Buddhism and its connection with Japan, keep connected as we learn together!

 

Happy learning ^.^

Arpit Gupta

Other Blogs: Getting started, About, Buddhism

Contact: apt.arpit.gup@gmail.com, Twitter

Hashtags:  #buddhism, #buddhisminJapan #blgmnk #student

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