Contemporary Japanese Religion
Contents
Introduction
Major Religious Facilities
Traditional Religions, New Religions, and
Religions of Non-Japanese Origin
1. Religious Practices as Customs
Annual Events
Rites of Passage
Social Functions of Shinto Shrines
Deities Worshipped at Shrines
History of Shrines
Four Functions of Buddhist Temples
Japanese Buddhism and Religious Commandments
2. Religious Impact on Lifestyles\\The
New Religions and Christianity
Overview of the New Religions
Notable Features of the New Religions
Reception of Christianity
Christian Customs
New Religions of Foreign Origin
3. Postwar Japanese Society and the New Religions
The Period of Postwar Chaos and the New Religions
New Religions in the High-Growth Period
New Religions in an Age of Affluence
Various Objectives of Religious Movements
Diversification of the New Religions
The New Religions and Japanese Society
4. Aum Shinrikyo and Other Recent Religious
Movements
Unique Features of Aum Shinrikyo
Youth and Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo and Crime
Forced Seclusion
Young People Who Choose to Undergo Rigorous
Spiritual Training
Special Interest in the Natural Sciences
Loss of Judgment
A Generation in Which Psychic Powers and
the Occult Have Thrived as a Subculture
The Influences on Shoko Asahara
Hyper-Traditional Religious Movements
5. The Religious Environment Surrounding
Japanese Youth
The Boom in Magic and the Occult
Trends Since the Mid-1970s
Generational differences
Interest in Doomsday Prophecies and Death
Religious Education Today
Differences in Prewar and Postwar Conditions
Postwar Religious Education
Problems of Religious Education
6. Social Recognition of Religions
The Religious Corporation System
Numbers of Believers
Preferential Tax Treatment
The State and Religion
Politics and Religious Groups
Controversies Involving Religions
Attempts to Solve Problems
7. Conclusion
Impact of Change in Japan's Structure
More Personal Types of Faith
Introduction
Major Religious Facilities
In considering the religions of a particular
nation, distinctive features can be readily
discerned to a certain extent by looking
at what kinds of religious facilities are
in operation. The Shinto shrine (jinja) is
a kind of distinctively Japanese religious
facility that cannot be found in other countries.
There are many such shrines in both urban
and rural areas in Japan. In fact, it is
estimated that there are about 80,000 shrines
in existence throughout Japan. Furthermore
they range in size from the enormous to the
minuscule. Among the large shrines boasting
a long history, Ise Shrine in Ise City, Mie
Prefecture, is the most famous. Other especially
renowned shrines are Meiji Shrine in Tokyo,
Kamo Shrine in Kyoto, Kasuga Grand Shrine
in Nara, Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya, Izumo Grand
Shrine in Shimane Prefecture, and Dazaifu
Shrine in Fukuoka Prefecture. Such major
shrines are scattered throughout Japan. There
are also many tiny shrines tucked away in
corners of towns and villages, whose diminutive
shrine buildings are likely to escape the
notice of people who do not know they are
there. On the average, the typical main shrine
building is a bit larger than an ordinary
home and is often found in a grove. The torii
gate generally serves as a symbol to demarcate
the border between the sacred precincts and
the profane world outside. At the same time,
because anyone is free to enter a Shinto
shrine at any time, it might be said that
it is the most open kind of religious facility
existing in Japan.
In most cases Buddhist temples are also easily
recognizable from their exterior appearance.
Actually, although temples have distinctive
features depending on which sect they belong
to, most Japanese cannot differentiate among
them. As we will see later, Buddhist temples
can roughly be divided into four categories
according to their functions. The most common
type is that which concentrates on ancestor
worships. Such temples usually have graveyards
within their precincts.
Christian churches do not tend to be very
noticeable in Japan. Altogether, Christians\\including
both Catholics and Protestants\\account
for less than 1% of Japan's total population.
Consequently, compared to their counterparts
in Europe or the United States, Christian
churches in Japan tend to be rather small.
Catholic churches and cathedrals have a tendency
to be relatively large, but nearly all Protestant
churches are roughly the same size as an
ordinary family home. Moreover, they often
have starkly simple interiors. In addition,
because ordinary Japanese do not have any
basic knowledge about Christianity in its
various manifestations, they are unable to
distinguish between Catholic and Protestant
churches. As a matter of fact, many people
are not even aware that there are any differences
between the two.
Although the adherents of new religions are
next in number to professed believers in
Buddhism, they do not have all that many
religious facilities. Even when they do build
facilities, in most cases they cannot be
identified as performing religious functions
from their exteriors. In other words, they
do not stand out like shrines or temples.
At the same time, however, many of the new
religions have a tendency to erect quite
large structure, presenting distinctive architectural
feature, for their headquarters or at sacred
sites. These are often eye-catching. Good
examples are the headquarters-/sacred center
of Rissho Koseikai in Suginami Ward, Tokyo,
the shrine building of Sekai Mahikari Bunmei
Kyodan on the Izu Peninsula, and the shrine
building of Sukyo Mahikari in Takayama City,
Gifu Prefecture. These structures are all
very unusual and attract attention from even
quite a distance. The headquarters of Tenrikyo
in Tenri City, Nara Prefecture, (known within
the religion as the jiba) is actually a complex
of religious facilities. In fact, Tenri City
might be taken as a classic example of a
religious community, since as the number
of Tenrikyo believers living there grew,
so too did the number of religious facilities.
Because subsidiary Tenrikyo churches have
a distinctive style, they tell the tale how
this new religion has spread throughout the
length and breadth of Japan. It is believed
that today there are more than 10,000 such
branches nationwide. However, Tenrikyo is
an exception among the new religions in boasting
so many branch churches (Figure 1).
Traditional Religions, New Religions, and
Religions of Non-Japanese Origin
The shrine Shinto and sects of Buddhism referred
to above might be considered as Japan's mainstream
traditional religions, since they are faiths
that have developed in the country since
ancient times. On the other hand, the "new
religions" took shape in modern Japan
and have seen staggering growth in their
ranks of believers. Christianity was first
introduced into Japan during the sixteenth
century by Catholic missionary societies,
including the Jesuits (Society of Jesus),
Franciscans, and Dominicans. Their proselytizing
efforts came abruptly to an end at the beginning
of the Edo period (1603|1868), when Christianity
was banned by the Tokugawa shogunate. Consequently,
the churches now existing in various parts
of Japan were all built since the Meiji Restoration
in 1868.
Religions in Japan perform a variety of functions,
although great differences can be identified
in the roles played respectively by the traditional
religions and the new religions. If you were
only to judge the situation from the great
number of shrines and temples in the country,
you might conclude that Japanese religion
is centered almost exclusively on shrine
Shinto and the Buddhist sects. And in terms
of the grand sweep of history, that is undoubtedly
true. In addition, most aspects of the religious
life of the average Japanese are related
to Shinto and Buddhism. But there is another
dimension to be considered as well, namely
the very real impact that the new religions
and Christianity have on the daily lives
of many Japanese. Furthermore, in the postwar
period a number of foreign religions have
been introduced into Japan, and their influence
is increasing.
Thus, the religious landscape in Japan is
becoming ever more complicated. Because of
this situation, the religious behavior and
religious consciousness of the younger generation
is beginning to undergo major change. With
that in mind, below I would like to explain
the state of religion in contemporary Japan.
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