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The history of all the great Asian countries and cultures have become developed by adopting ideas from other countries. Japanese history is roughly contemporary with that of England. In Japan, the earliest records are not those made by the inhabitants themselves, but by visiting foreigners or in the annals of the nearby mainland Empire. In this way the relation of Han China to early Japan is very similar to that of the Roman Empire to Britain before the Roman conquest. However, there was no Chinese conquest of Japan (FitzGerald 141). The Japanese have always shown compromising attitudes toward foreign cultures and religions. The result is a combination of the growing beliefs with the life-conceptions and religious ideas imported from the Asiatic continent and now further increased by the addition of western religious beliefs together with the various factors of modern civilization. There are religious systems and church organizations which not seldom have antagonized each other, but the people at large always remained indifferent to sectarian distinctions.
In the late sixth century A.D., Buddhism entered Japan. Buddhism was at first opposed as a foreign faith likely to incur the wrath of the native nature deities, however it finally became accepted by Emperor Yomei who ascended the throne in 585 A.D (Sebald 13). Shinto ("Way of the Gods") and Butsudo ("Way of the Buddha") are the two native religions. The two "ways" were no longer regarded as incompatible. Under Empress Suiko the Regent, Prince Shotoku adopted Buddhism as an effective instrument for elevating the cultural life of his people. By an imperial ordinance in 594 A.D, he urged support of the Three Treasures: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha (Kiyota 15). He also promoted study of Buddhist forms in art, iconography, and architecture. Chinese and Korean monks were brought in as teachers, and Japanese began to enter the Order. Japanese monks, that were capable, traveled to China for advanced study. This brought back knowledge of Chinese Buddhism in all its phases. During the period when Nara was capitol of the country (710-783 A.D), doctrines of six schools of thought were Hachiman in the Guise brought over. By the ninth of a Monk century, these were officially recognized as the Six Buddhist Sects. Through them, Japanese students became acquainted with the philosophies of Nararjuna, Asanga and Vasubandhu, along with the exact ceremonies of ordination and other rituals (FitzGerald 142).
From 794-1184 A.D. was the period of the Heian Era. During that time, the imperical capital was at Kyoto. Here two more sets arose, Tendai and Shingon. Tendai, which is the Chinese T'ien T'ai Tsung adapted to Japanese conditions, which was found by Saicho (FitzGerald 148). This sect holds to the Lotus Scripture as containing the supreme doctrine of all Buddhism, the Mahayana conception of the Buddha as eternal. The Shingon (True World) sect was found by Kobo Daishi (FitzGerald 148). Essentially this is a mystical and secret form of Buddhism. It teaches that the Buddha at the heart of the universe is somehow present but not visible in all living beings. Awareness of this may be realized through special rituals - chanting mystical syllables, ritual fingerentwining, magical spells, yoga concentration, and manipulation of symbolic utensils (FitzGerald 149).
America has tried to make clear the logic which indicates how Buddhism, as an imported, foreign thought, was adopted, understood and practiced in Japan from the historical standpoint that Buddhism, which had been developed in India, was transformed in China, and transmitted to Japan (Kiyota 12). At the same time, there is a consideration of the question of how the thought and customs peculiar to the Japanese caused Buddhism to be transformed. There are expressions of profound religious and philosophical thought and a high ideal of human love; but there are also some distorted views and a despicable professionalism. "If you hate a monk, hate even his surplice (kesa)." It is recognizable that unpleasant aspects certainly exist in Japanese Buddhism. However, there are many strong points to the extent that there is no comparison. Buddhism, just like any other religion, has its strong and weak points (Kiyota 14). No matter what sphere one considers, politics, economics,society or culture, it is safe to say that Buddhism never appears externally influential. Articles related to Buddhism are extremely few in news reports and general publications. On this point, the growth of a new sect, the Soka Gakkai, in the past five of six years is remarkable (Kiyota 14). However, it is also a fact that the power of Buddhism cannot be treated lightly. Even now, the greater part of the Japanese are, at least formally, Buddhists. They are each registered as the parishioner or believer of some temple and some sect, and when there is an occasion, they will participate in religious ceremonies (Kiyota 15). In most homes, rites related to Buddhism are performed. Buddhism has also influenced the sphere of the actual society that appears in the economic strength of the great temples and sects. Looking at it politically, it is a fact that a good number of votes in an election are gathered with the Buddhist organizations in the background (Sebald 22). In the Meiji and Taisho eras, the priests were not eligible for election because their political growth was feared.
Buddhism has taught the Japanese to love mankind and mutually help each other, and that one should reverence all life (Kiyota 33). It indicated the ideal that at the same time that one perfects himself, he should make other men happy. Since Doto first built the Uji Bridge, many Buddhists built roads, bridges, ponds, regulated rivers, and planted trees in silence. Kukai made a school for the common people and he provided food for the teachers and the students. Ninsho built a hospital and helped leprosy patients. He also built a hospital for horses. Tetsugen gave food everyday to ten thousand famine-stricken people (Kiyota 34). It was Buddhism that taught honor and respect for life and had men give up the habit of eating meat. It was Buddhism in an early age that caused the abolition of capital punishment. Buddhism also taught the relation of man to man, and nature for us. In short, what is called humanism today we have primarily learned from Buddhism.
The main threads of Buddhism are the three studies of precepts, meditation, and wisdom. With respect to social existence, moreover, before these the practice of offerings is required. We cannot call what departs from this main thread of true Buddhism. It is natural that as times change and the environment changes, the form of Buddhism also changes. However, only this fundamental principle is immovable. No matter how much one skillfully chops logic, if there is no seeking of Bodhimind above and the savings of beings below, it is not Buddhism (Kiyota 40).
People who seek Buddhism from a liberal standpoint cannot find anything (Sebald 28). A number of new Buddhist movements also arose during the Showa period, but in only the first two or three years were they pure. Soon they came into the hands of a few leaders who put on the airs of the head of a sect, and the upshot was that they declined to medieval "churches" no better than the already existing religious bodies. Organizations where only those who are partial gather and listen to lectures which imitate preaching are even more harmful for true Buddhist activity. This is because it gives rise to the hallucination that one participates in the Dharma unaccompanied by practical activities in benefiting others. Today when the natural sciences have reached the stage where it is possible to destroy mankind at a blow, Buddhist humanism has become increasingly important. In order for Asian people to go hand in hand, it is absolutely essential to have true Buddhism (Kiyota 43). There never existed in Japan a religious reformation which was a first step toward modern society. In the newly arisen religious sects of the Kamakura period only one or two founders exhibited a freshness. Soon these sects became completely fixed and as well as a part of the feudal system. Even the Shinshu Order ultimately ended as one of the feudal powers. Finally, religious reformation as the womb of modern capitalism in the manner observed in Europe did not appear in Japan. Thus the premodern, formalistic religious bodies, still continue to exist today in Japan (Kiyota 48).