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After spreading from its birthplace in India to China, Buddhism
reached Japan in about the mid-sixth century.
Buddhism secured its place in Japan during the Nara
Period by becoming the state religion, thereby gaining Imperial
protection and patronage. Imperial sanction also facilitated the
proliferation of temples and monasteries.
During the Heian Period, the Great Teacher Dengyo refuted
the six sects of Nara and raised the Lotus Sutra to a position of
prominence for a time. However, by the end of the Heian Period,
religious thought began to show symptoms of the Latter Day of the Law,
as reflected in the rising popularity throughout Japan of the Pure Land
sect, whose teachings encourage people to pray for redemption in a
heavenly paradise after death.
By the time the Kamakura military government seized
control, Japanese society was in chaos and religious sects were
springing up one after another. In the midst of this confusion, Nichiren
Daishonin worked tirelessly to refute all of the erroneous sects and
establish the True Law that would lighten the darkness of the Latter Day
and bring relief to the suffering masses.
Official Arrival of Buddhism in Japan
It is believed that Buddhism officially reached Japan in
either 538 or 552 CE, when King Seongmyeong, who was sovereign of the
ancient Korean kingdom of Paikche, presented an image of the Buddha,
doctrinal treatises and other Buddhist articles to Emperor Kimmei of
Japan.
The Japanese reaction to Buddhism was mixed. The
pro-Buddhist Soga clan and the staunchly anti-Buddhist Mononobe clan
contested the assimilation of Buddhism, but Buddhism was not the only
cause for tension between the two families. Both the Sogas, with their
close ties to the nobility, and the more conservative Mononobes, were
vying for dominant positions in domestic and foreign affairs.
Succession issues following the death of Emperor Yomei in
587 CE forced the Soga and Mononobe clans into a confrontation in which
Soga Umako crushed Mononobe Moriya, thus seizing control and paving the
way for Buddhism in Japan.
In 592, Soga Umako assassinated Emperor Sushun and placed
his niece Suiko on the throne. However, Prince Shotoku, Emperor Sushun’s
nephew, became regent in 593 and assumed governing authority.
Prince Shotoku established what really was a code of
conduct, known as the Seventeen Article Constitution. The following are
two of the Prince’s ideals. “Harmony is to be held in high esteem.” “The
Three Treasures—the Buddha, the Law, and the Priesthood—are to be
regarded with sincere reverence.” Prince Shotoku also wrote commentaries
on the Lotus Sutra, the Shrimala Sutra and the Vimalakirti Sutra, and
conducted political affairs according to the principles of Buddhism.
Empress Suiko and Emperor Kotoku also issued edicts ensuring the
prosperity of Buddhism. Through these and other efforts, Buddhism
developed in Japan under Imperial protection.
Nara Period
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