Tea Houses and Buddhism at Nezu

Tea Houses are all over the grounds. They are used for private tea ceremonies, where nature combines with the aromatics of tea along with the influence of Buddhism.

Walking the grounds at Nezu Museum

Walking the garden grounds that surrounds Nezu Museum, it takes you away from the fact that you are in central Tokyo and into the serenity of a garden oasis surrounded by the presence of nature, peace and the serenity of the presence of Buddhism.

Nezu Museum is about 10 minutes from Omotesandō Station
Omotesandō Station

Metropolitan Museam of Art - Japanese Exhibition

From the department of Asian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Shinto and Buddhist Art

Shinto, which translates literally as the "Way of the Gods," is a religious system rooted in the Japanese culture's traditional sense of intimacy with nature and in its reverence for the divine ancestry of the land and its rulers. Shinto deities, called kami, are envisaged as spirits embodied by forms ranging from rocks, mountains, and waterfalls to mirrors, icons, and other objects. Certain mythical and historical figures were also regarded as kami and were represented as ancient court nobility.

Shinto emerged in response to Buddhism, which had been practiced in India for nearly one thousand years before it first came to Japan in the mid-sixth century. Buddhism is based on the teaching that life is sorrowful, because all beings are bound to an endless cycle of reincarnations. To attain release, earthly passions must be overcome through meditation and rigorous moral conduct. Buddhism spread throughout Asia in two major traditions; Theravada, stressing the achievement of spiritual enlightenment through meditation, took hold mainly in South and Southeast Asia, while a later tradition called Mahayana prevailed in Central and East Asia. Mahayana emphasized faith in Buddha and a reliance on the compassionate intercession of bodhisattvas, enlightened beings who postponed their own entrances into nirvana in order to help others achieve Buddhahood.

In 552 A.D. an envoy from Korea introduced to the Japanese court this "doctrine amongst all doctrines most excellent, but hard to explain and comprehend." Although initially opposed by the hereditary clans in charge of the shamanistic rituals of the state, Buddhism is said to have finally taken root in Japan through the efforts of Prince Shotoku (573-621).

In the ninth century, Kukai (774-835) introduced Chinese Esoteric Buddhism, with its systematic icons and elaborate doctrines centered on the Supreme Buddha Dainich (Sanskrit: Mahavairochana). During the Heian period (794-1185), Esoteric Buddhism obtained the strong patronage of both the imperial court and influential aristocrats. During the late Heian period, the doctrine of compassion accelerated the development of Pure Land Buddhism.

By the eleventh century, an assimilation of native and foreign religions had taken place, and Shinto gods were regarded as manifestations of Buddhist deities. This integration characterized Japan's later religious history and profoundly affected its art. It was not until the restoration of the imperial rule under Emperor Meiji (1852-1912) in the mid-nineteenth century that Shinto was formally separated from Buddhism.

Butsudan (Home Shrine)

In Japanese homes they have Buddhist Shrines that are prayed at daily. It is usually situated in a place of significance in the home. The shrines range in sizes. The name Butsudan means "Buddha's house." It is not uncommon to have both Shinto shrines along side the Butsudan as they both exist along side each other in the many Temples and Shrines in Japan.

Money-Raker, Fan of 7 Gods

Traditional Japanese fans for good fortune. The 7 Gods are a blend of Buddhism and Shinto. They originated separately but were combined into a group of 7 virtues to be honored. They can be found throughout Japan.


Seven lucky Gods of Japan

Prayer Offerings

The wooden sticks in the foreground are Japanese prayer sticks. The petitioner stands in a line with other petitioners in front of a table with monks seated in their orange robes. The petitioner then tells the monk what prayer they want on the prayer stick and the monk inscribes the prayer offering onto the prayer stick. The sticks are accumulated and at the high point of the celebration of the holy day, they are offered up to heaven in the form of sacred flame. There are different ways of offering prayers and this is one of them.