Japan's: Buddhism and Character Writing

Japan's original religion was Shinto. This religion expresses the love and respect of the Japanese for nature. Its followers worship spirits called kami, which are impressive natural objects, such as wind, lightning, rivers, mountains, waterfalls, large trees, and unusual stones.​

​Shinto

Buddhism began in India in the 500s B.C.E., and about 1,000 years later, it came to Japan from China by way of Korea.​

• As Buddhism spread throughout India, a new form arose, called Mahayana, or “Greater Vehicle.”

• ​Mahayana Buddhism arrived in Japan in 552 when a Korean king sent the Japanese emperor a statue of the Buddha and a recommendation for the new religion.

A new Form of Buddhism​

• Shintoists celebrate life and the beauty of nature.

• In contrast, Buddhists see life as full of pain and suffering.​

Both have different views ​

The emperor was not quite sure what to make of it. “The countenance [expression] of this Buddha,” he said, “is of a severe dignity such as we have never at all seen before. Ought it to be worshipped or not?”

After a fierce controversy, the emperor and his court adopted the new religion. They admired its wisdom and rituals, and they considered the Buddha a protector of families and the nation.​

​Buddhism did not replace Shinto. Instead, both religions thrived and even blended, with Buddhists building shrines to kami,

Ancient Japanese was only a spoken language. The Japanese had no writing system of their own, so written documents were in Chinese, a language the Japanese had learned from Korean scholars. Over time, however, the Japanese adapted Chinese characters, or written symbols, to write their own language.

First, Japanese scholars began using kanji, or “Chinese writing,” to write Japanese words. Kanji allowed the Japanese to keep records, write legends, and develop their own literature.​

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​Japanese Writing

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• ​The earliest literary works in Japan were poems that date from the 7th and 8th centuries. Using Chinese characters, Japanese poets developed a form of poetry called tanka,

• ​Tanka is based on the number of syllables in each line. Each short poem contains 31 syllables, divided into five lines of 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 syllables. The poems are often devoted to love and to the beauty of nature.

​Japanese Literature​

Archaeologists have found examples of early Japanese sculpture around burial mounds that date to the 4th and 5th centuries. The sculptures are clay figures of armored warriors, saddled horses, robed ladies, and objects such as houses and boats. They were probably meant to accompany or protect the dead.​

Japanese Art​

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New forms of temple design came to Japan from India by way of China.

When Buddhism arrived in Japan, the Japanese adopted the pagoda design. For Buddhist worship, Prince Shotoku founded the Horyuji, a magnificent temple in Nara with wooden buildings, including a hall for worship and a pagoda. Lofty pagodas soon appeared all around the capital city. They were intended to contain relics of the Buddha and of bodhisattvas, as well.​

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​Japanese Architecture

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