The Religious Traditions of Japan 500–1600

Richard Bowring author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:15th Sep '05

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The Religious Traditions of Japan 500–1600 cover

The first English-language overview of the interaction of Buddhism and Shintō in Japanese culture.

Richard Bowring traces the development of Japanese religious thought and practice from the introduction of writing to the point when medieval attitudes gave way to a distinctive pre-modern culture. This is the first English-language book to provide an overview of how Buddhism and Shintō interacted in Japanese culture.Richard Bowring describes in outline 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. The result is as full a picture as possible of the richness of the Japanese tradition as it succeeded in holding together on the one hand Buddhism, with its sophisticated intellectual structures, and on the other hand the disparate local cults that eventually achieved a kind of unity under the rubric of Shintō. An understanding of this process of constant and at times difficult interaction is essential to a deeper appreciation of Japan's history and its cultural achievements.

'An absolute must for graduate courses on Japanese religion. It is unlikely to be eclipsed by another general English-language work on the history of religion in pre-modern Japan for many years to come.' Gary P. Leupp, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
'… an engrossing, fascinating, and exhaustive study.' Brian O. Ruppert, The Journal of Japanese Studies
'… this volume offers much to both the novice student of Japanese Buddhism and the seasoned scholar.' James L. Ford, Monumenta Nipponica

ISBN: 9780521851190

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 27mm

Weight: 840g

502 pages