Buddhism in Japan

Buddhism in Japan
The Great Buddha (Amida) (Daibutsu) at Kōtoku-in, Kamakura, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (National Treasure)
Total population
Estimates vary, from c. 71 million or 67% (Government est., 2022)[1] to under 20% (JGSS Research Center, 2017).[2]
Regions with significant populations
Throughout Japan
Religions
Buddhism (mostly East Asian Buddhism)
Languages
Japanese and other languages
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Buddhism in Japan
Schools
Key figures
Key topics
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Buddhism
History
Buddhist texts
Practices
Nirvāṇa
Traditions
Buddhism by country

Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE.[3][4][5] Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185－1333).[6] During the Edo (Tokugawa)-period (1603–1868), Buddhism was controlled by the feudal Shogunate. The Meiji-period (1868–1912) saw a strong response against Buddhism, with persecution and a forced separation between Buddhism and Shinto (Shinbutsu bunri).

As of 2022, around 70.8 million people, or about 67% of Japan's total population, identify as Buddhist. The largest sects of Japanese Buddhism are Pure Land Buddhism with 22 million believers, followed by Nichiren Buddhism with 10 million believers, Shingon Buddhism with 5.4 million, Zen Buddhism with 5.3 million, Tendai Buddhism with 2.8 million, and only about 700,000 for the six old schools established in the Nara period (710－794).[6]

  1. ^ 宗教年鑑 令和5年版 [Religious Yearbook 2023] (PDF) (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan. 2023-12-28. p. 35. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  2. ^ Iwai, Noriko (11 October 2017). Measuring religion in Japan: ISM, NHK and JGSS (PDF) (Report). JGSS Research Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  3. ^ Bowring, Richard John (2005). The religious traditions of Japan, 500–1600. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 15–17. ISBN 0-521-85119-X.
  4. ^ Dykstra, Yoshiko Kurata; De Bary, William Theodore (2001). Sources of Japanese tradition. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 100. ISBN 0-231-12138-5.
  5. ^ Bowring, Richard John (2005). The religious traditions of Japan, 500–1600. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 16–17. ISBN 0-521-85119-X.
  6. ^ a b "文化庁 宗教年鑑 令和5年版" (PDF). Agency for Cultural Affairs. 2023-12-28. p. 51. Retrieved 2024-03-17.