In discussing the history of Japanese religions, I must limit myself to pointing out a few main historical developments, since there is no room in a book such as this to cover the subject thoroughly.
Shinto
Strictly speaking, Japan has three main religious traditions: Shinto, Buddhism, and Christianity. It is thought that Shinto developed from the belief systems of the tribes that inhabited the rice-planting areas of the Japanese archipelago. Primitive Shinto began in the form of ujigami, a tutelary or guardian shrine system in which each family or clan (uji means a surname) had its own shrine as a central symbol of its dedication to the "ancestral spirit." The spirits of ancestors were thus worshiped and enshrined by each successive generation of descendants, and after many years people made a religion of their worshiping. A remnant of this religion of ancestor worship can still be seen in the unique village festivals of rural Japan.
Maintaining its hereditary good name and continuing its ancestors' glorious work was the most important responsibility of a family. The religion also set up certain ethical standards for family members. However, no provision was made for the salvation of the individual; instead, the ultimate destiny of an individual was to lose his identity and merge with his ancestral spirits after death.
Anyone familiar with the history and mythology of Japan will agree that Japan's beginnings can be traced to a time when one clan triumphed over the other clans and made them subservient to its rule. It is quite conceivable that the conquering clan united the various clan gods together under the banner of its own deity. Political considerations were of course part of this consolidation, but it was assisted by the homogeneous nature of the Japanese people. When Amaterasu Omikami, the Sun Goddess, was given centrality by the most victorious clan, all Japanese became a people under her protective reign. Thus a nationwide religion, Shinto, was born. It emerged from the primeval worship of clan gods. Shinto means "the way of the gods," an idea borrowed from the old Chinese concept "mandate of heaven."
When the Ainu people living in northern and eastern Japan were defeated by the Genji clan, they were made kin and admitted to the family with the surname Abe. If we investigate the origins of Japanese families named Abe today, we will find that almost all of them derived from the Genji clan. And it is said that if we follow any Japanese family far enough back into history, it will be traceable to one of four clans: Minamoto (Genji), Taira, Fujiwara, or Tachibana. Since all four of these clans regard the Emperor as their founder, all Japanese are, theoretically speaking, one large family.
The militarism that came on stage following the great Meiji Restoration (1868) forced all Japanese to worship the Emperor as a central figure and Amaterasu Omikami as the ancestor of the Japanese Imperial Family. Thus "State Shinto" was established—a political and religious system which stressed the divinity of the Emperor. But this attempt could not have succeeded if it had not been supported by two beliefs already entrenched strongly among the Japanese—namely, the belief that everyone on the island originally descended from the Imperial Family line and the strong belief in ujigami (clan gods).
However, you might not get many yeses from the Japanese to the question "Do you believe in Shinto?" The spirit of Shinto is communicated in myriad ways—in the Japanese architecture made of cypress wood, in the tea ceremony, in flower arrangement, and in the New Year's celebration. The fine spirit of Shinto flows silently through the hearts of the Japanese. The essence of Japanese life is found in this unconscious, unapprehended tradition. One reason the Japanese themselves are unaware of it is because of Shinto's pantheistic nature. "Eight million gods" are recognized. Every clan created many of its own distinct objects of worship, so depending upon the sect, we find different gods. These clan gods have colored Japanese life to a considerable degree.
Since a farming people's life cycle reaches completion every year and renews itself, as it were, each spring, the Japanese have come to appreciate the changing seasons greatly and to find a concept of eternity in them. The many festivals held at different times throughout the four seasons express gratitude to the ancestors. In many rural areas of Japan people have a custom of climbing a hill after the rice planting or harvest to offer thanks to the gods enshrined on the hill. Depending on the local tradition, there may be phallic or sexual objects worshiped at the shrines. These are the male and female forms of gods, made of stone, wood, or other materials. The ancient Japanese explained the birth of Japan as the result of the mating of the gods, which demonstrates the religious power they sensed in sexual union. The sexual act, duplicating the divine activity, is a means not only of communicating with the gods (the ancestors) but also of producing descendants, which is considered a holy act. Thus the worship of sexual organs is in a sense the worship of creativity and shows the Japanese appreciation of their ancestors.
Buddhism
Buddhism entered Japan in the sixth century by way of Kudara on the Korean peninsula. The teachings of Buddha originated in India, spread to China, and were finally brought to Japan. After the Japanese ingested the teachings, they transformed them tremendously to suit their character. The major transformation was an emphasis on worshiping the spirits of the dead, a departure from the strict precepts of Buddhism. Of course, the doc trines of Buddhism were also respected, but the most influential ideas the Japanese gleaned from Buddhist scriptures were that our present life on earth is only temporary, that the real life is in the world to come, and that after death there is a heaven or a hell. The most common Buddhist practice in Japan, therefore, has been praying for rebirth in paradise. People who are approaching death begin to devote their minds to spiritual matters, chanting, "Namu-amida-butsu" or "Namu-myoho-renge-kyo" ("May my soul rest in peace, merciful Buddha"). They embrace religious faith as they near death because they regard religion as a means of passing from this world to the next. If they act with the utmost sincerity of heart, they are sure to attain final enlightenment, for Buddha, as the object of faith and the possessor of infinite love, will take everyone unto him. This is a popularized interpretation of Buddhism in Japan.
All these religious phenomena reveal the Japanese devotion to their ancestors. The relics of ancestors are enshrined in the Buddhist altar of the home. Those who die are interred in the same grave with their ancestors, and their happiness in the afterlife is prayed for. At the two higan (going to the other shore) festivals in spring and autumn, families crowd the graveyards to pay their respects to their ancestors. Few other peoples place such importance on visiting graves as do the Japanese. On special anniversary days decorative altars are erected, votive lights are lit, and a Buddhist monk from a nearby temple is invited to recite the scriptures before the family altar. When something important is accomplished or a joyful event occurs, the Japanese say, "I must bow before the grave and show my gratitude," or "I must report to the ancestors." It seems that a majority of the Japanese have combined their ancestors, the gods of Shinto, and the Buddhist deities into one beneficent image of God and feel that they are watched over and protected by that image.
For this reason, many a family has both a Shinto and a Buddhist altar in the house with no feeling of contradiction. The dead are thought to reside in the relics placed in these altars. The remains of the dead are sacred objects in Japan. After World War II many Japanese returned to the site of some wartime battles to retrieve the remains of a relative or a friend who died there. Though this might strike the Westerner as odd, it is an indication of the depth of the Japanese religious spirit.