The Religious Traditions of Japan 500}}}1600 [Paperback]

The first English-language overview of the interaction of Buddhism and ShintM in Japanese culture.Richard Bowring traces the development of Japanese religious thought and practice from the introduction of writing to the point at which medieval attitudes gave way to a distinctive pre-modern culture. The resources of art, history, social and intellectual history, as well as doctrine are brought to bear on the subject in order to give as full a picture as possible of the richness of the Japanese tradition. This is the first book in a Western language to provide an overview of how Buddhism and Shintõ interacted in Japanese culture.Richard Bowring traces the development of Japanese religious thought and practice from the introduction of writing to the point at which medieval attitudes gave way to a distinctive pre-modern culture. The resources of art, history, social and intellectual history, as well as doctrine are brought to bear on the subject in order to give as full a picture as possible of the richness of the Japanese tradition. This is the first book in a Western language to provide an overview of how Buddhism and Shintõ interacted in Japanese culture.Richard Bowring traces the development of Japanese religious thought and practice from the introduction of writing to the point at which medieval attitudes gave way to a distinctive pre-modern culture, a change that brought an end to the dominance of religious institutions. A wide range of approaches using the resources of art, history, social and intellectual history, as well as doctrine is brought to bear on the subject in order to give as full a picture as possible of the richness of the Japanese tradition and an overview of how Buddhism and Shintõ interacted in Japanese culture.Introduction; Part I. The Arrival of Buddhism and Its Effects (c.538800): 1. The introduction of Buddhism; 2. Creating a dynasty; 3. Buddhism and the early state; 4. Monuments at Nara; Part II. From SaichM to thls)