The Religious Traditions of Japan 500-1600

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 Shinta 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 Shint interacted in Japanese culture.“By incorporating recent scholarship into this book, Bowring has filled a significant gap in the study of Japanese religion in general. Written with nonspecialists in mind, this book, with its historical detail, Japanese terminology, and kanji, will also interest those with a more specialized background in things Japanese.” Choice... this volume offers much to both the novice student of Japanese Buddhism and the seasoned scholar. James L. Ford, Monumenta NipponicaThe first English-language overview of the interaction of Buddhism and Shint in Japanese culture.Richard Bowring is Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Cambridge and Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge. He is co-author of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan (1993) and has written a number of Japanese Language textbooks.