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| Means “religion”, a term that has been problematic to define in Japan. The word has pre-modern origins as a Buddhist term, and only really emerged in wider usage in the mid-19th Century, as Japan developed as a modern state and began to interact with Western nations. “Shu” means “sect”, whilst “kyo” means “teachings”. A connotation that implicitly associates “religion” with doctrines and organisations, rather than the more Western notions of doctrine and belief. |
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| Means “rock seat”. Large, sacred rock formations where a kami is invited to descend at certain times of the year. Used since ancient times as a Shinto prayer site, where food offerings can be made. The rocks are seen as a link to the world of the gods, and are thus considered divine in their own right. This is thought to be the origin of stone arranging in Japanese gardens. |
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| Trouble defining what a Kami is, “spirit” or “god” is the closest translation. Debated not only by Westerners coming to Japan, but Japanese scholars trying to define their own ideas within existing Western concepts. Early missionaries to Japan noticed the kanji for kami was the same character the Chinese used to refer to "spirit", and assumed it was the same thing. But this is an over-simplification of a complex concept. The word is used to refer to both the essence of existence which is found in everything, and to particular things which display that essence in an awe-inspiring way. But while everything contains kami, only those things which show their “kami-nature” in a particularly striking way are referred to as kami. Examples include elements of the landscape, like mountains and lakes, or powerful forces of nature, like storms and earthquakes. |
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| Means "Great Vehicle", originated in India. It is one of the two main branches of Buddhism that exist today, the other being the Theravāda school. The teachings of "Mahāyāna" refer to the path of seeking complete enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. |
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| Meaning “clan god”. The ujigami were guardian gods prayed to by clans for a number of reasons, including protection from sickness, success in endeavours, and a good harvest. |
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| The clan oversaw Shinto purification rites performed twice a year. Due to their vested interest in rituals, they allied themselves with the Mononobe clan in their opposition to Buddhism. However, in the early 7th century, the clan switched sides; possibly as a result of their loyalty to Prince Shōtoku, the most famous advocate of Buddhism in Japanese history. |
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| Her name means "shining in heaven". A part of Japanese myth and also a major deity of the Shinto religion. She is the goddess of the sun, but also of the universe. |
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| Their names mean “male who invites” and “female who invites” respectively. They are the divine couple who, according to myth, were the seventh generation of kami that gave birth both to the land of Japan and were the ancestors of its people and kami. Izanami died giving birth to the fire god and became a goddess in the underworld (Yomi). In a fit of rage, the fire god was slain by Izanagi and its dismembered remains became eight volcanoes. Izanagi went to the underworld to retrieve Izanami, but was driven out. Upon leaving the underworld, Izanagi washed the pollutants of the underworld from his body, which later became the basis of Shinto purification practices. |
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| The name sutra (Sanskrit for "thread") refers to the sermons of Buddha. The sutras were recited from memory by the Buddha's disciple, Ananda, at the First Buddhist Council – which was formed three months after the Buddha's death. Ananda's words laid the doctrinal foundations of the Tripitaka, a collection of the oldest Buddhist scriptures. |
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| Meaning "national peace through religious discipline". Buddhist ideas and rituals were introduced into Japan in the 6th century. They were immediately put into the service of the nation. The chanting of sutras was seen as having the power to stabilise and protect the nation from human-made and natural disasters through divine guardianship. |
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transgressions endangering cosmic and social order
Desecrations of sacred places
Actions provoked by men and nature
Damage to sacred fields where rice was grown for festival offerings
Not like “original sin” |
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| Meaning “uncleanness, defilement”, a Japanese term for a state of pollution, important in Shinto as a religious term. Typical causes of kegare are contact with death, childbirth, disease and menstruation. This condition can be remedied through purification rites called misogi and harae. |
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| Means “Eastern Great Temple“. A Buddhist temple located in Nara, built in 728 CE under Emperor Shōmu. It houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha. |
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| Dainichi Nyorai 大日如来 Dainichi 大日 |
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| Dainichi 大日 Meaning "Great Sun", Dainichi is worshipped as the supreme, primordial, cosmic sun Buddha that is omnipresent in the very air we breathe. All the other buddhas and deities are emanations of Dainichi. Although Dainichi did not create the universe, Tendai and Shingon Buddhist doctrine holds that the universe is grounded in him. |
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| A Buddhist term referring to the “Four Heavenly Kings”. They are the protectors of the world and fighters of evil, each able to command a legion of supernatural creatures to protect the Dharma, the laws of nature in Buddhism. |
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| State-sponsered Buddhist rituals that are held in the spring and the fall. Involves decorating the statues of a buddha, bodhisattva or the Four Heavenly Kings. A large number of monks are invited to read sutras. The rituals are considered to be efficacious in delivering benefits. |
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| Meaning “syncretism of kami and buddhas”. When Buddhism was introduced through China in the 6th century, rather than discard the old belief system, the Japanese tried to reconcile it with the new, assuming both were true. As a consequence, Buddhist temples were attached to local kami shrines and vice versa, devoted to both kami and Buddha. This amalgamation was not rectified until the late-19th century. |
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| Meaning “shrine temples“. These were Buddhist temples associated with Shinto shrines. Jingūji were built according to the notion of shinbutsu shūgō. |
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| A Japanese Mahayana school of Buddhism. Whilst its distinctive focus was on the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, it embraced other schools, such as Vinaya, Shingon, Zen, and even some elements of Shinto. Tendai organises all of these teachings into a coherent framework. It was brought to Japan by the Chinese monk Ganjin, but was truly created by Japanese monk Saichō. |
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| The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tendai sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei by Saichō in 788 CE. Gave monks greater independence from the confines of the capital. Monks would usually reside there for 12 years of teaching. |
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| “True word” school of esoteric Buddhism. An attempt to reach the eternal wisdom of the Buddha that was not expressed in his public teachings. The sect believes that this wisdom may be developed through special ritualistic means employing body, speech, and mind. It was intended to arouse the sense of spiritual enlightenment that is inherent in all living things. |
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| First settled in 819 CE by the monk Kūkai, Mt. Kōya is primarily known as the world headquarters of the Kōyasan Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. Located in an 800 m high valley amid the eight peaks of the mountain, the terrain was chosen due to its supposed resemblance to a lotus plant. The original monastery has grown into the town of Kōya. |
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| Means “secret teachings”. A Japanese term that refers to the esoteric practices of the Shingon Buddhist school and the related practices that make up part of the Tendai and Kegon schools. Mikkyō is a little-understood, yet often sensationalised, synergistic “esoteric construct” that lies at the very core of Japanese spirituality and mysticism. |
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| Bodhisattva OR Bosatsu 菩薩 |
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| Japanese translation of the Sanskrit term "bodhisattva," meaning “heroic aspirant to enlightenment”. Saintly entities in Buddhism who, having reached enlightenment, vow to postpone their entry into nirvana in order to help others reach enlightenment. |
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| Translated as “skilful means”, whereby buddhas and bodhisattvas may use a variety of teaching methods to impart wisdom in accordance with the capacity of their listeners. |
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| Means “original traces”. Refers to a theory widely accepted until the Meiji period, according to which Buddhist deities choose to appear in Japan as native kami in order to more easily convert and save the Japanese. The theory reinterpreted Japanese kami as the “manifest traces” of the “original substance” of buddhas or bodhisattvas. |
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| Translated as the “Age of Dharma Decline”. In Japanese Buddhism, this is the age of the degeneration of the Buddha’s law, which some believe to be the current age in human history. Japanese Buddhists calculated that the age of mappō began in 1052 CE. |
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| Means “The Way of Yin and Yang”. A traditional Japanese esoteric cosmology, a mixture of natural science and occultism. It was accepted as a practical system of divination, and was influenced by Taoism, Buddhism and Shintoism, and evolved into the system of onmyōdō in the late 7th century. |
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| The name means “God of Eight Banners”. In Japanese mythology, Hachiman is the Japanese syncretic god of archery and war, incorporating elements from both Shinto and Buddhism. Although often called the god of war, he is more correctly defined as the god of warriors. He is also the divine protector of Japan and the Japanese people. |
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| Meaning “Record of Ancient Matters”, this is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, dating from the early 8th century (711-712 CE). The Kojiki held myths concerning the origin of the four islands of Japan, and the Kami, as well as stories of the 1st to 33rd Emperors of Japan. |
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| “The Chronicles of Japan”, this is the second oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the Kojiki, the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeologists, as it includes the most complete extant historical record of ancient Japan. The Nihon Shoki was finished in 720 CE. |
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| A governmental body that regulated the lives and activities of Buddhist monks and nuns in Japan. Had responsibilities like: registering the names and locations of monks and nuns, recording deaths, adjudicating lawsuits against clergy, defrocking errant clergy, and so on. |
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| The “Lotus Sutra” presents itself as a discourse delivered by the Buddha toward the end of his life. It is one of the most popular scriptures in the East Asian Buddhist tradition. Its key teachings are that of “buddha nature”and “skilful means”. Lotus sūtra 37. |
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| (175-248 CE) Obscure shaman queen of Yamatai in ancient Wa (Japan). Believed to occupy her time with magic and sorcery, the Yayoi period populace chose her as their ruler following decades of warfare among the kings of Wa. She is the supposed originator of the Grand Shrine of Ise, considered the most important Shintō sanctuary in Japan. |
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| Prince Shōtoku 聖徳太子 Shōtoku Taishi: |
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| His parents were relatives of the ruling Soga clan, and he was involved in the defeat of the rival Mononobe Clan. A devotional cult arose around the figure of Prince Shōtoku for his protection of Japan, the Imperial Family, and of Buddhism. The Buddhist name “Shōtoku Taishi” was given to him posthumously, a hundred years after his death. |
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| Kūkai 空海 or Kōbō Daishi 弘法大師: |
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| (774–835 CE) One of the best known and most beloved Buddhist saints in Japan, founder of the Shingon (“True Word”) school of esoteric Buddhism. He contributed greatly to the development of Japanese art, literature and education. |
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| Meaning “Record of Ancient Matters”, this is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, dating from the early 8th century (711-712 CE). The Kojiki held myths concerning the origin of the four islands of Japan, and the Kami, as well as stories of the 1st to 33rd Emperors of Japan. |
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| Meaning the “six realms of rebirth”. A Buddhist concept of the cycle of death and rebirth stemming from Hindu philosophies. A being may be reborn into six realms after death, determined by the accumulated karma of their past life. By practicing Buddhist teachings, they can break free of the six realms, and attain enlightenment. Human birth is the easiest realm to do this in. |
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| Jiriki is a Japanese Buddhist term meaning “one's own strength”, the ability to reach enlightenment through one's own efforts, such as meditation. Tariki, meaning “other power”, places faith in Amitābha Buddha to reach enlightenment, through recitation of the nembutsu. |
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| Means "seated meditation". In Zen Buddhism, this is a meditative discipline practitioners perform to calm the body and the mind, and be able to concentrate enough to experience insight into the nature of existence and thereby gain enlightenment. |
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| Kokugaku: Meaning “native study”, a national revival originating during the Tokugawa period. Kokugaku scholars worked to refocus Japanese scholarship away from the then-dominant study of Chinese, Confucian, and Buddhist texts in favor of research into the early Japanese classics. |
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| Meaning “native study”, a national revival originating during the Tokugawa period. Kokugaku scholars worked to refocus Japanese scholarship away from the then-dominant study of Chinese, Confucian, and Buddhist texts in favor of research into the early Japanese classics. |
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| Means “separation of kami and buddhas”. An effort made by the Japanese government during the Meiji Restoration to create a clear division between native Shinto (kami) beliefs and Buddhism. Peviously, local kami beliefs and Buddhism were connected by shinbutsu shūgō, up to the point that even the same buildings were used as both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. |
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| Meaning “State Shinto”, nationalistic official religion of Japan from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 through to World War II. Founded on precedent of saisei itchi, the “unity of religion and government”. Focused on ceremonies of the imperial household and public Shintō shrines. Ended in 1946 when Emperor Hirohito announced that he was not a descendant of god. |
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| Meaning “sectarian Shinto”, a group of independent Shinto sects which began their activities in the late Tokugawa and early Meiji periods. |
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| The “first Shinto shrine visit” of the Japanese New Year. Some people visit a Buddhist temple instead. Many visit on the first, second, or third day of the year as most are off work on those days. Generally, wishes for the new year are made, new omamori (charms or amulets) are bought, and the old ones are returned to the shrine so they can be burned. |
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| Shinto term referring to a shrine maiden or supplementary priestess who was once regarded as a shaman, but is now considered an institutionalised role in daily shrine life. Her ritualistic and clerical duties range from sacred cleansing to performing the Kagura, a sacred dance. |
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| The Japanese word for a “festival” or “holiday”. In Japan, festivals are usually sponsored by a local shrine or temple, though they can be secular. There are no specific matsuri days for the whole of Japan; as dates vary from area to area. Almost every area has at least one matsuri in the late summer/early autumn related to the rice harvest. |
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| Buddha nature or busshō 佛性 |
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| Hanae-shiki 花会式 the Flower Ceremony |
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