I asked my Japanese friends the same question, and here's what they had to say "It’s annoying." "They are scary." "I'm happy enough right now." ”Because of Aum, I have a bad image of religion.” "My parents were religious and I had a bad experience as a child." "Religion is for the weak-minded. I don't need to be religious."
Normally being religious is simply one believe and following the strict rules. But then comes the fanatics. Ofc it ruin the public opinion on religion.
@@TheZombie2415 there are no religious fanatics. there are people who strictly follow their religion and those who pick the convenient parts and act like the rest was just written as a prank collection.
yeah as another christian here I agree many people in power used christianity as a political tool like AH but using that as an argument against the real religion would be flawed from the beginning.
@@icrushchildrensdreams4556 I agree that the "Religion has been used for evil" is a weak argument against religion. Every ideal has at one time been used for nefarious purposes. Politics, nationality, etc. Even love is used for evil, people use love to manipulate and keep others in abusive relationships. Family ties are also used to control family members. Just because an idea is used maliciously doesn't mean that the idea itself is inherently malicious.
@@nadonado648 Colonization would have happened the same regardless of Christianity. Nations have been conquering and enslaving since the dawn of history (including those indigenous peoples).
In my own personal opinion, being raised in a Japanese household, I have the impression that there is a strong sense of superstition in Japan that was caused by natural disasters, shinto religion, invasions. These are factors that are clearly out of people's control, so that is why rituals were created. Doing a set of "controllable actions", or rituals, to fight the uncontrollable is what people do in New Year, going to temples, pray for the deceased, etc. By performing rituals we can have a bit of assurance that things will go well, or at least did what we could. Those rituals persist, but as Shogo said, they are more separate to religion.
Another thing is that Japan was closed off for a long time and was not colonized by any religious country and is quite far away. It has all these unique traits that made Japan to make its own religion instead. @hiroma logic is sound as well
Sounds like speculation on where the rituals came from. Do you have any research to about it? I honestly do not know the history of Shinto rituals. In my experience Rituals are used to teach religion in a way that transcends generations. Religion is something that is not just studied in books but acted out.
I actually had the opportunity to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Japan from 1995 to 1997. The sarin gas’s attack happened while I was studying Japanese in preparation for my mission. My experiences with Japanese people and their ideas about religion were very consistent with what you said here. I found it interesting common for Japanese people with no Christian beliefs still want to be married in a Christian church with a Christian ceremony. They just liked the ceremony and thought it was beautiful. I saw this idea of embracing ceremony but not really caring about doctrine was very common.
The idea of modern western wedding ceremonial customs can be attributed to Queen Victoria. The white wedding gown with a long train can be attributed to Princess Diana's wedding dress. The wedding diamond ring was promoted as a wedding staple by the diamond company De Beers. In short, the so-called "western wedding tradition" is quite modern with clever commercial marketing.
@@g76agi yes it does matter. Just like Christmas isn't a Christian Holiday, it's a Roman holiday and it used to last 12 days. Jesus wasn't born in December because they would have froze to death traveling during the winter.
Japanese people still doing religious events but not adhering to doctrine, is similar to how most atheists around the world still celebrate things like Christmas. Even if you don't believe in religious doctrine, they are nice events that are simply enjoyable to practice.
@@analien3831 Saturnalia is on the 23rd of December not 25th while Yule is on the 22nd. The reason why Christmas in on the 25th is because Christian tradition states that Christ died on the day he was conceived(March 25) add 9 months and u get his birth Edit: Saturnalia comes from the religion of Sol Invictus which sprung up in the levant/anatolia region
@@thatoneguyii5458 Yeah the bible says Jesus was born while sheep were in the fields grazing. That's typically in the Spring or Fall, not the dead of Winter. And where did you get that conception date from? Jesus died around Passover, which is always in the spring and chosen based on the lunar calender, so it moves around (not impossible but you'd have to do some incredible historical math to get it right). So it's more likely Jesus died on his BIRTHDAY than his conception date. (His conception in this math would be in July) Those two dates were chosen to coincide with pre-existing important festivals as a way to convert pagans. "Hey you can still have a party in late December! Just for our reason!" Heck, when I was still involved in Christianity my PASTOR even ADMITTED both of these! "The early church changed some things to attract followers"
When we were living in Japan we came to the conclusion that festivals, holidays , shine visits and even foreign derived holidays (like Valentines day) were so enthusiastically celebrated was because they were a chance to have unrestricted fun, to dress up, to share with kids, to visit places of nature (shrines) unique buildings, different locals (beaches, bays, bridges), have fun, share presents and take off your clothes and go a little wild. We loved it, because in Germany they do something similar, every province, every harvest, every brewery. In a very codified society this kind of release is necessary.
The same in Guatemala every town has its saints day time for a huge public party fireworks etc..there are 20.smañl towns all around memeach gets its own day !
I’m Japanese and my family is Buddhist (peaceful and inclusive kind) but we needed to keep it a secret to our peers. My grandparents and parents were completely shunned from the neighborhood after being found out. I understand that some Buddhists and Buddhist groups may not hold the same values as I do, but I’ve been taught amazing values from being a Buddhist and it saddens me that we are still so suppressed and many people make up and believe in horrible rumors. My grandparents were attacked for being Buddhist when I was a child. They weren’t hurt but the first thing they said to me after the attack was the person had a lot of pain in them and that they hope the person finds peace. I’m proud to be a Buddhist in Japan.
I didn't know that in Japan they are so fanatic to attack Budhist! I thought they mind their own business and Buddhism is tolerated. More Japanese shun religions like Christianity it may flourish! Persecution is a fertilizer of Christianity!
I didn’t know the dark side of Japanese oppression of Buddhist. I thought religion was accepted and included some Shinto philosophy. After their occupation by US and treaty they dare not oppress Christianity or Mormonism! And now Laban has lots of Pakistani muslims and dare not touch them. In a century Japan will get new religions ! Dark future!
"Religion used for political power, i.e. organized religion, is suspect. But religion as worship, rituals and holidays meet human psychological needs. " This is one way of describing it
You made a invalid conflation between organized religion, and am religion being used for political power, for one many things including culture itself can be misused for political gain, and an unorganized religion can be used for political power as well.
Some related points that might also help with contextual understanding. Japan has the saying, _"Born Shinto, Marry Christian, Die Buddhist"_ as a way of showing the link to common practices being to the rituals and not to the religion. This also shows that Japan is more focused on the syncretism of the underlying idea and particular ways to represent that, while it is often totally disconnected from the underlying religious belief. Daiko Matsuyama has a TEDxKyoto talk called _"A significant role of religions - A quest for world peace"_ that helps provide additional context around how Japan views rituals & religions differently than most other countries, and approaches it from a really positive direction of eschewing the negative aspects that Japan associates with religions in a really neat perspective.
@Kazuma Yoshikaze Ah, thanks for calling that out. I didn't notice that I had accidentally transposed the placements of Buddhism & Shinto those when typing it out. I edited the OP so that it's accurate now to the way it should have been!
Great video. I've lived in Japan for over 20 years. So many times, I've heard the stock answer, "We Japanese are not religious, but basically we're Buddhist." For Japanese, the word, "religion", is something negative and equates with "cult". It's an excellent observation that they seperate the idea of religious beliefs and celebrations. Religious activities in Japan are very pragmatic, pray for money, pass the test etc. Have a naming ceremony, or take off bad luck. They don't think about it deeply, but it's part of their daily lives. It's very different from how westerners view religion.
Although eastern religions aren't as organised as like Christianity, or atleast Roman Catholicism, fundamentally they are almost the same. No difference in lunacy. And with the rise of Protestantism, even Christianity started losing its organization but all other lunacy remained the same. It's in the times of renaissance when Europe started becoming sane through rise of rationalism.
Thank you. As a Christian, I have been curious why Japan has resisted the Christian church. You explained it in a way I can totally understand. I deeply appreciate your research and clear explanation.
However in 1587, in an era of European conquest and colonization, including in the Philippines near Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued an edict banning missionaries from the country due to the religion's political ambitions,
Japan was becoming christian extremely fast, with over a hundred thousand converts in but a few years. The only reason christianity didn’t take root was absolute horrid oppression by the Emperors, that saw it as a threat
I think Japan is very unique culturally, but the fact that Japanese people follow rituals even though they dislike religion in general is much like places in Western Europe, where many people feel mistrust to the church and no longer really care about religion. However they still celebrate holidays and other practices that come directly from traditional religion.
I’m actually a religious studies major that is working on a research paper about Shinto for my degree. Your opinion on Japanese not seeing religion and religious rites as the same thing is spot on. Some of that is due to Shinto being a ritual religion not a dogmatic religion. Plus the word Shinto itself is most likely misinterpreted. Kuroda Toshio had a few articles that talked specifically about that. It fundamentally changed Shinto academic studies. But that can also explain why rites and religion aren’t the same thing to Japanese people.
Very understandingly explained! But I believe, every nation perceives religion differently. Of course, it's true that some will try to take advantage of religion, in every religion.
Another reason why Christian was initially rejected by the Daimyos that are not mentioned: 1. The "Christian" that we are speaking about here is Roman Catholic, promoted by Portuguese & Spanish traders with missionaries tagging along. In this Christian denomination, the adherents need to share some authorities with the Pope and pay some money to Vatican. The Japanese rulers simply don't like the idea. 2. Protestanism were rising in Europe, while the Nobunaga clan has the Portuguese missionaries on their side, Tokugawa Ieyasu is being advised by Miura Anjin (William Adams), a British navigator who is Protestant - naturally he comes to revile the Roman Catholic faction. Tokugawa came out as the winner of the Sengoku Jidai conflict and of course, followed the Brit's advice. 3. The Portuguese & Spanish were caught trading Japanese people as slaves. There was a huge uproar in the south, where these traders are based. There were riots and angry mobs reacting to this. The daimyos simply used the event to suppress the religion more.
Feudal japan was a slave class…. Of course the Spanish and the Portuguese bought slaves… was common back then but the slave trade in japan wasn’t as huge as Africa
@@rachelgohlman3582 They did not need that because they went around and stole gold haha. lets be real and honest. they still have that gold now that they stole from the Americas.
I got my first inkling that Japan was suspicious of religion when I was still in high school and noticed slice-of-life manga featuring characters forced to deal with relatives who had joined cults.
A hard to answer question: is there faith in Shintoism? I mean, it's ingrained in Japan's culture, there are many videos here about Shinto ceremonies. But, does a young Japanese man as our host actually believe that actual deities live in the shrines? Do the average Japanese people actually believe in the actual existence of the deities, or is it a merely symbolic/cultural expression?
In a survey, about 80% of japanese peoplesaid they participate in shinto rituals, but only 3% faithfully believe that the divine forces of spirits/nature actually exist.
@Daren Fliflet Shintoism is the indigenous religion of Japan and pre-existed Buddhism by a wide margin, it's true that it had undergone a unification of sorts but that was more in response to Buddhism than trying to break away from Buddhism
I'm no expert in this but alot of the times when people practice Shinto it tends to be mostly done as a cultural tradition and the idea of things such as Kami/gods may not necessarily be taken seriously but naturally there is at least some who practice Shinto who do take such things more seriously.
For Americans it may be confusing that you can be having religious ceremonies while not believing in religions at all, but the thing is that religion in most parts of the world is a part of the traditional culture which makes it relevant on a cultural basis as well. Here in Europe is it more common to be an agnostic as well but we are members of the church and go there for weddings, funerals and so on. Just as the church buildings are considred to be temples as well and are often very old.
Not that confusing. Look at Christmas in America: It has historical roots in Christianity, but the modern festival is only loosely connected. There's a whole parallel mythos based around Santa, his workship, magic reindeer and elves. Traditional christmas stories. Festivities like decorating the tree and giving of presents. None of it at all Christian, but we all love the excuse to let the wine flow and have a party.
Honestly I don’t find it that unusual There are a lot of people who either aren’t Christian or don’t follow any sort of religion that celebrate religious holidays like Christmas
There are distinuisly two different things like beliefs and religion. One is personal and other structurised organisation meant to control and exploit gullible people for the people in power.
A notable footnote is that Japan has inherite apprehension towards organized religion, not various loose, folkloric cults and faiths or Minkan-shinkō [民間信仰] seen in small rural communities.
@@brucehur2051 That's what happens when you have conservative old people run anything. Happens in every country. America's so fucked up for the same reasons
When it comes to christianism in japan, I always remember the Shimabara Rebellion as it's depicted in several popular culture titles. Rurouni Kenshin had an arc based on it, Amakusa Shiro is a villain in Samurai Shodown and there was also Ninja Ressurection (Originally Makai Tenshou: Jigoku Hen).
Amakusa was a weird case... when I first heard about him while playing Samurai Shodown, David Koresh was still fresh in the news and came to mind with each bit of the character's monologue in the game. Many years later, when Samurai Champloo was on the air, I took a bit of time to read up about him when I was in my college's library... that whole thing just kept getting weirder and weirder.
I suspect that Makai Tenshou (the original 1967 novel), along with its adaptations (including Ninja Resurrection) made the perception towards Christianity even uglier than it already was after what people (or rather, the Tokugawa shogunate) think of the Shimabara rebellion and what the Meiji government did leading up to WWII.
This should be rather insightful, to those of Christian religions, or any religion for that matter. This story and history us synonymous throughout all of time.
What makes religion dangerous is that it can be used as a means of social control. If a non-religious institution implements that same degree of social control by other means, that's just as bad. Social control through ideological manipulation is the actual danger. Ruling authorities have a way of making this happen one way or another. If people aren't willing to question what they're told, the result ends up being the same.
I agree, but there's another thing that makes religion dangerous. The enforcement of the belief that things don't have to make sense or be logical to be true. Lots of people deny science and logic on the ground of having religious teachings saying the opposite. You can use logic all day if you want; they'll just say that what their religion teaches is true, even if it makes no sense at all.
Reading your comment, I realized "Cancel Culture", is a new, supremacist, authoritarian religious cult. Complete with witch hunts, and heretic executions.
@@solar0wind It is not only religion, which bears danger. A blind belief in goverment and corporations is as dangerous. Late science itself has been recently step by step been undermined by corporation owned studies, which are by large no longer truely scientific, but rather used to manipulate the viewpoints of the majority and push fort their agenda and business practices. Others have warned of these, but went largely unnoticed or being ignored. To you and all others, stay safe.
A minor nitpick: Although many of the catholic priests were Spanish, the major european force that traded with Japan in that time was Portugal, Spain came a bit later, along with the Dutch, English, etc.
Nice video... Just joined this channel recently. My view as to why Japanese people celebrate festivals is that Shintoism is like a way of life where they believe everything in nature has spirit and the rituals and festivals are a manner to express their gratitude towards nature or their ancestors. Similar to how early Norse and European people had festivals dedicated to nature and as how there are many festivals here in India dedicated to nature and every climatic phase (spring, etc ). All these mentioned faiths express closeness to nature related elements.
I heard that many Japanese distrust Christianity, especially the Catholic Church due to how centralized, hierarchical and strict it is in organization, practice and doctrine compared to the more decentralized, non-hierarchical and casual way they practice faiths like Shintoism. The opinion is that Christianity come off as too intense, oppressive and fanatical to them. I'm not sure how true that is, though.
We will never know because we don't have a time machine to be able to ask those people 🤔. These opinions are just speculations under an actual point of view
@@SR-mv2mf no, Catholic empires did, and Catholic priests fought and died for the rights of native people and the Catholic Church heavily criticized and even forbade mistreatment of natives
@@monkeymode7529 while there were individual priests who fought for better treatment of native peoples, the church as an institution was wholly supportive and complicit as it also profited greatly from colonisation
This explains so much. I always wondered why so many anime would have an episode dealing with a cult in the mountains. I just thought maybe Japan just had an abnormal amount of them that it was a common trope like how it was in the US during the 90s
@@crimsonitacilunarnebula Golden Time had one, Konosuba makes fun of Aqua's cult, The Lost Village, Future Diary, Bakemonogatari references one, Cowboy Bebop. I know there's others but that's off the top of my head
@@luciendolo6604 The Rising of the Shield Hero had the Church of the Three Heroes and Highschool DxD had a very... Interesting portrayal of the Abrahamic faiths.
Oh, so that explains why religious sects and leaders are portrayed as really creepy and self-centred in most Anime. I mean as a Christian, I can't blame them, they are people who are like that, just.... Less intense.
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Shogo san. When talking about religion, actually more and more Japanese people are interested in Islam. I would like to invite you to come and check out Islamic Da'wah centre runs by my fellow Malaysian, Zulkarnain san in Osaka at Sugimoto-cho station. Many Japanese people went there to learn about Islam from him. 😊
So, in a nutshell, Japan has a history of getting violent and political with religion. As a Christian, I would say that's a completely fair assessment. I mean, just look what happened to medieval Europe. I honestly think it's really sad how little chill people have when it comes to their beliefs. I myself always treat my Christian beliefs as more of a worldview or philosophy.
A few thoughts: The question is complicated because rituals and prayers are the principal part of any religion. Many of my professors held that religion *is* its rituals, and that teachings and theology add up to justifications for the way the faithful say their prayers. So the distinction you are stating is not so clear. As for 'control the population' most religions come with some notion as to how one is to relate to others. Confucianism says it is filial respect and harmony. Aum said violence and dominion was proper. The Roman Catholics say it is immoral to deny being a Christian even for one's own safety. There is also the issue that few people live up to their religions teachings about behavior. The Pope banned slavery and forced conversions as illegitimate and enjoined everyone to use 'preaching and the example of a holy life.' Alas, when money was to be made, the Pope was heeded about as much as he is now.
One can be a Catholic, but should refrain from coming to any churches that was directly under the command of bishop. Go to any church or chapel that was under poor & secluded Catholic orders. That's the closest place to heaven one can find.
The church also discouraged witch hunts but no one cares when it comes time to blame the church for them because religious justifications were used, and that's fair, at the end of the day it's what the faithful practice that matters, just important to remember that it was the societies at fault as much as the church.
Thank you for this. I have long been confused about the negative attitude towards religion, but what looked (to my eyes) like widespread religious practise. This explanation has really helped me to understand a little better.
One negative part of religion is that it's a refuge for criminals. A warmonger can kill large number of people. Then he can declare himself a believer, and all his sins are forgiven at minimal cost. This encourages more warmongers because they know they are guaranteed a safe way out for their conscience.
One remark that your analysis didn't mention, and I was a bit surprised - despite the fact that Francis Xavier was born in Spain, he traveled to the East through the Portuguese Crown's expeditions and is regarded that it was the Portuguese that introduced Christianity in Japan.
Spain and Portugal back then where unified under the Iberian Union What’s your point both kingdoms worked together…. Spain also had some trade with japan Cause of of them Philippines
@@jshsvsjejed6960 Actually, no. The Iberian Union started in 1580. The first treaty between Portugal and Japan (including religion) dates to 1543, so, no, we weren't in the Iberian Union. In fact, Luis Frois went to Japan on the same mission as Francis Xavier, and he started his 30 years in Japan in 1567 - 13 years before the Iberian Union.
@@jameswatson5807 Not exactly - the Galicians and the Portuguese share the same origin, yes, but Spain has 5 different kingdoms that were only joined centuries after the formation of Portugal, and during that time, the portuguese and the castillians and leonease viewed eachother with distrust, so we wouldn't mix. Still, we've had fairly amicable relations, most of the time, despite the fact that castille tried and failed to conquer Portugal for several times. Still, the Portuguese culture and the Spanish culture are quite different, so I wouldn't qualify us as 'the same people' the same way I wouldn't qualify British Viking descents as 'the same people' as the Danish. Just because the share the same colour of their skin and share ancestry that doesn't make them the same people.
I mean to be fair even as a Christian one of the biggest reasons to dislike it are some of the people. Well then again, that can literaly apply to any group of people with a common purpose/interest. Race, fandoms, political beliefs; there's always that small minority in the group that makes everyone else look bad.
@Teo Cicracchia yes, but their only point was, we can’t judge a faith or an idea by only looking at the people who used it for bad reasons, since most faiths and ideas have been used for bad reasons if we look at history. It’s true that some ideas are BOTH bad philosophically and bad in application. I don’t think OP was disagreeing with you there. They were just putting a spotlight on the fact that most people suck, so we can’t condemn an idea by saying ‘sucky people used this idea in a sucky way,’ cuz that’s just how most people are. The best form of analysis is to look at ideas philosophically AND to look at the history of how people used the idea. If we determine it is bad on both counts, philosophically and organizationally, then by all means it’s okay to say that, imho
@@colourful7070 You don't know anything. And I bet you also lump Islam into that. Leading atheists agree that out of all recorded wars, only 9-14% were religious in nature. The rest were fought on secular grounds alone.
The reason why they still do buddhist activities it's because it's part of the culture,tradition and celebration for having holidays of Japan while Christmas, for them this event is for gathering of family and giving. Buddhism is something like for reminding and honoring the culture and traditions of Japan. It's too important for them to honor and visit their dead love ones using the Buddhism practice. They need to add holidays from Buddhism and Christianity.
If you want to look at religious society, come to India. There is so much hatred, thuggery and suppression of freedom of speech going on. There are extremists of all religions here, so the situation is extremely chaotic.
@@akshitanand7374 first of all I am not an Indian,second try and understand difference organized and native religion,yeah you can say both rosgulla and cake are sweets,and you will be correct too.
Im a proud Sōtō buddhist from Brazil, and i think that becoming buddhist was one of the best things that happened in my life. My dream is to travel to Japan to visit temples and shrines, and maybe practice for a week or so in Eiheiji or Sojiji
@@edyaoki450 eu fiz um Rohatsu ano passado, mas foi em casa e autônomo, mas como eu faço Zazen com a Zentchu Sensei diariamente já sei como meditar e já sei a rotina dos retiros, acordar as 4, Banho, Zazen, Kinhin, Zazen, Prece de Graças, Café da Manhã, Cerimônia de Bênçãos, Zazen, Kinhin, Zazen, Samu, Prece de Graças, Almoço, Samu, Banho, Zazen, Kinhin, Zazen, Prece de Graças, Jantar, Cerimônia de Bênçãos, Zazen, Dormir as 10. Foi assim que eu pratiquei, me baseando na rotina do Templo Daihonzan Eiheiji. No ultimo dia do retiro, no Dia da Iluminação de Buda, eu li alguns sutras, decifrei alguns Kōans, doei algumas roupas, pratiquei a Cerimônia de Buda e festejei.
@@raphaelcarvalhobezerra6913 Obrigado pela resposta. E quanta disciplina se faz do praticante! Nada mais libertador quando se conhece pela primeira vez, Buddha e a história de Sidharta, e fico curioso como fica uma pessoa quando se aprofunda mais ainda na vida budista e o que aprendeu. Sua experiência deve ter sido boa mesmo. Desejo boa sorte, tomara que consiga ir para o Japão!
Taking Christianity out of the mix, the history of Religion in Japanese culture is far more clear and I can see better how that lead the culture to where it is today. Thanks.
@@7F0X7 Please see my response to Bryce. Your statement was a strawman and with respect ✊🏿 it was not relevant to what I was doing. I could go into the flaw with your augment but to be clear this is a community for trying to understand the culture of Japan and to enjoy and appreciate it as part of our human heritage. I like to stay on that topic - it is complicated enough when I don’t know Japanese to begin with.
Hello Shogo-san. Thank you for sharing this important background on the subject matter of religion in Japan. As someone in the United States, I was raised Catholic, but ultimately ran into the same kinds of issues with the belief system as well. However, I opted to look into a more prosocial option in converting to Wicca. These days, I actually stepped back from formal religious gatherings and simply opted to live life peacefully as more of a solo Wiccan practitioner for the most part while also talking to interested/involved friends on the topic and to help others in daily life when viable. It is important to remember that oppressive and controlling religious actions are abound in the public eye, but not everyone is like that when it comes to matters of religion.
let me correct you on one thing, the ones that brought Christianity and the guns were the Portuguese not the Spanish and one of the reasons they banned it was because the Portuguese were using Japanese as slaves.
Shogo I think your videos have been some of the most informative about Japanese people and culture I've come across. Personally I believe it's because a lot of it seems to come from your personal experience and understanding of whatever the topic is. It carries a human connection that makes the topic more approachable.
I wish you could've talk more about the monks. As far as I'm concerned, Warrior monks are only "monks" because they live in the temple, and they are very different to ordinary monks because of that. However, I understand why because this video is a summary. I also feel that the Japanese strict and cautious approach does preserve its own culture. When people go to Japan, they want to feel they're in Japan.
One of the most interesting Japanese religious figures to me was Fr Paul Sawabe, a warrior and Shinto priest who showed up to the home of (St) Fr Nikolai Kasatkin, intending to kill him. Fr Nikolai encouraged Sawabe-san to listen to him first and then decide if he wanted to kill him. Several hours later Sawabe-san decided he would become and Orthodox Christian, and was later ordained as the first native Japanese Orthodox priest. St Nikolai also spent several years learning about Japanese culture and religion before preaching, and genuinely loved his new home.
I converted to Orthodoxy in Japan and wrote my M.Div. thesis on St.Nicholas. St.Nicholas believed that the Japanese are innately religious. Shogo disagree.
@@johnbartholomew7969 I haven't read St. Nicholas, but based on your statement I would agree with St. Nicholas' assessment. It seems to me that Japanese spiritual and/or superstitious beliefs are ingrained into their culture at a much deeper and different level than most (arguably though even secular western culture still has very strong Christian roots and undertones) and that the Japanese are as a result, in fact some of the most religious people, particularly from a Christian understanding of faith/religion than a secular one.
@@gnak6525 A book about St.Nicholas is probably coming out in 2022. You might find it interesting. If I have get any news about I will try to let you know.I don't quite know how to do this, but I have have a lot of information about St.Nicholas and the church in Japan. If you are interested, let me know and I can send you something.
Great topic Shogo! With my experiences with my Japanese friends and living in the country, I got the feeling that religion was treated neutrally by most. Japanese people in my age group basically let people believe what they wanted to believe if it was not harmful. When I lived in Gunma, my homestay mother and I were invited to a Gospel concert, very similar presentation to a Baptist church by the Japanese host. My homestay mother seemed more interested in the theatrics and the music rather than the content. I've never heard a Japanese person say, "Kami-sama" so much in my life. When I stayed with a friend in Tokyo, a conversation about philosophy and religion I will never forget is that he said, "philosophy brings people together, where religion separates them." I feel in my experience that still holds true.
I remember the Sarin attacks in Tokyo. My family had just moved to Okinawa from Kanagawa. We used to ride the Tokyo metro all the time and my honorary Japanese Grandparents live in Tokyo. It was crazy and scary to think about then and even now. Also seeing the WWII monuments for myself I really see how they portray that this was done out of a sense of honor and duty, and how when driven to this extreme the major losses and hurt on both side that happened.
Very fascinating to see how the history of religion has been in Japan and how complex it is in regards as to how it is. Definitely offers a lot of things to think about.
there are different aspects of any religions; 1. The iconographies & symbolism; the rituals and ceremonies, the way religions brand and present themself, (what images they projects, what perceptions it creates about themself). 2. The social aspects; the cultures & heritages influences from where it's originated or developes; how it's customs, and how the entwined relationship between monastic, scholars, and layman deeply integrated into society and everyday activities; and how -historically, many individuals, institutions, and nations have been manipulating the teaching interpretations and using religions throughout it's existences for political purposes has alter it's essence. 3. Religions as an institutions; the structure of organizations; the heirarchy of religious leaders, their power and influences; whether people within organizations are non-profit workers which work for humanity, or rather rather using religions to earn living or to achieve materialistic goals; it's worldly goals to spread it's teachings; the way the organizations raises and handles funds; the way it uses the funds (and for what purposes); whether or not the organizations or religious leaders have authorities to alter, manipulate the teachings and interpretations for organization's worldly goals.. etc. 4. The essences of the teaching; scriptures studies; the point of views from which the religion see the whole universe; the psychological view according to the teachings; the cosmology; the moral guidance & spiritual practices, -the goals to develop one spiritual qualities according to the teachings. ...ones should be able to distinguised the essences, -the importances and significances out of the less; to choose the real ones among the fakes ones; and focus only to gain spiritual benefit from religion and develop oneself. being religious doesn't guaranteed beeing a better person, or contribute goodness for society, it depends on the individuals. in a nutshell, be a better person and not be a cancer of the world.
Absence of any of the middle east religions has definitely benefited Japan in preserving their indigenous cultures & traditions. Thankfully even the introduction of Buddhism didn't lead to Shinto traditions being replaced, although Buddhism isn't a religion in the same way as Abrahamic religions are so believing in any other gods or goddesses isn't frowned upon by any of the Dharmik cultures, same for Shinto which obviously isn't exactly a religion. These days any philosophy or ideology can turn into religion with religiously fanatical followers who try to impose their ideas on others.
I think the Tokugawa shogunate was justified in banishing the Portuguese and Spanish. They would’ve just invited more European colonial influence plus they were enslaving Japanese people. But the heavy persecution of Japanese Catholics that resulted in that was terrible and unjustified. Unfortunately Japan just hasn’t had the best relationship with religion in it’s history. It’s sad, really.
It's for this reason why I support the separation of church and state. While I am Christian, I don't judge people of different faiths, and feel trying to force the issue will just lead to more people rejecting the message each belief is trying to say. In short, follow what you believe, not what someone else tries to force you to believe.
Greetings from the Land of Falling Waters. I agree with your opinion on why the Japanese people still have the religious events. I would like to add that the Japanese people seem to be very traditional and by having and attending the events they are holding onto their heritage.
i like how you tell use to adjust the playspeed but im gonna be honest, i actually like the normal speed, im so used to people talking fast its very calming to hear you speak at a serene speed
As someone who grew up in a traditional Catholic family but not being too religious myself, I understand the part of being part of ceremonial religious activities, just for tradition and family gathering than for the doctrinal reasons behind it.
Dude, if Vatican has always been right, then Father Martin Luther wouldn’t need to risk his health and career to hammer 95 theses on the door of Wettenberg All Saints Church!😂 And that’s also why I chose Protestant way when I start to follow Him!😂 Oh, and that’s day is right around the corner, normies and heathens (😂) call it “Halloween”!
@@khoanguyen-wc8qzLuther was excommunicated, so from a Catholic perspective he did not remain Catholic. But Luther was an Augustinian by training, and he continued to practice many of the core tenets of that version of Catholicism for the rest of his life. He even received the official last rites from an Augustinian when he was on his death bed. Of course he didn't keep up with all of the practices. He violated his vows to celibacy and was married to a dynamite woman he called “my lord Katie;” it was her idea to get married and apparently she usually got her way
Even if many Japanese might sometimes practice what is considered to be religion, religion even while it might be practiced in Japan tends not to be looked at in the same way as it is in the west.
Japan is more tolerant of religion than the UK is, these days. A Christian church sang worship songs outside of Shinjuku station when I was there. In the UK , this would have invited much trouble by police..... ( Unless Christmas carols at Christmas) I also think there is greater freedom of speech in Japan. Like how people can proclaim political views in megaphones in main cities. People seem fairly relaxed about individuals holding their own views and expressing them.
@@FBIKinGTaP when it doesn't affect the group and if it is away from colleagues/ classmates and families. Viewpoints are expressed in a vacuum on the streets where nobody can feel personally affected.
I'm in the introduction part of the video, and I just thought of something. I forget where exactly I heard it, but someone was talking about why church-like organizations end up being bad guys in a lot of fantasy video games developed in Japan. And the reason given was that the Japanese people were averse to organized religious groups specifically, not religious beliefs themselves. So I'm looking forward to learning the context behind that statement.
Not just animes, it's the same in the games as well. Final fantasy, Shin megami tensei, Asura's wrath and even fate grand order has shown many gods and divine beings as evil entities. In fact not finding gods as evil by the end like in Your name or Higurashi series for example actually surprises me these days.
A common complaint is that that is the way religion is treated in popular movies. There really are big chunks of our culture which are the same all over the world. The US exporting of woke culture is particularly obvious.
This was one of the most well prepared youtube videos I have seen in a while. I applaud your respect for the viewers and constientiousness in preparing the video. Selam from Türkiye
I knew a lot of this, but the Kokka Shinto info was new to me. Your videos do help understand the manga I read & anime I watch. I'm a bit too disabled to ever travel there. I try to go in my mind instead.
I love the idea of shintoism, the rest of the world needs it too - respect towards nature and animals, love for your surroundings and greenery, not littering and not destroying natural habitats
I am a Buddhist myself in Brazil. For long years now, I 've been facing some resistence of my family, but I have no regrets about it. I really did not know about this aspect of the japanese culture. I do not think we had something like this in here, maybe because our country is a recent one, considering our independence in 1822. I am going to read more about this, for sure. LIKE!
I have visited Japan and always been interested in Japanese culture. Your explanation about religious attitudes and practices in Japan is enlightening and informative. I have always wondered why Christianity has a very small following in Japan despite the great sacrifices made by missionaries and Japanese converts. Your video answered my questions.
I wish it was the same for most countries as well. many problems could be avoided.I think we are going in that direction already at least in Europe, people in general don't take religion very seriously. it doesn't have the power it used to
My degree is in Religions and Cultures. I'm fascinated by Shinto as it seems a unique expression of animist and folklore belief upheld in a modern context. As a 1st World nation Japan has managed to reject organized religious structures in favour of its own understanding of the relationship between humanity and the natural world. Most religions, even Neo-Pagan and Reconstructionist religions, tend to worship gods that control or rule nature as opposed to being the indwelling spirit of nature or of a natural force. Even as we Westerners try to reject dominant, monotheistic structures, we can't help ourselves from seeing everything in terms of dominion vs co-existance, Colonization vs cohabitation.
I was a minority as a gaijin, but felt like I was in the majority of non-religious people. Now back in my home country, I feel uncomfortable with the majority that are religious here.
Very concise and enjoyable :) One element I think you did not touch on is the culture difference from many western countries, where the identity of the individual is all, whereas Japan has a strong sense of community or "group" identity. This is important to note, since things like religion become almost taboo once they become a fringe element of a community. In stark contrast, these small cult pockets are all but celebrated in the US, Canada and the UK. This is not a cause per se (IMO), but I do think it is why fall of politicized religious institutions (like Catholicism vs. Protestantism) has not weakened religion overall, but the events in Japan have led so many Japanese shun religious organizations and dogma.
Now a days 'Religious holidays' such as Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, … are used by corporations to promote sales, and mass media, schools, and governments are helping the corporations to advertise.
I would love to learn more about the relationship between Japan and Catholicism. Would appreciate recommendations. I know Maximilian Kolbe founded Franciscan Monasteries in Japan. I also know many of the Catholics died in WW2 due to the dropping of the bombs. That's about it.
I love this channel. I really just discovered it, but it feels so insightful and meaningful, and really thought out. I hope u guys keep making such well made works of art for every to see and learn from.
Religion is a Deep Topic, so i recommend to this comment-section wholeheartedly: Check out many Atheist-TH-camr. They all have valid Things to say and more importantly: valid things to ask.
I feel as though Japan was caught between an era of rapidly-increasing political power, and the wave of certain religions spreading like wildfire. It makes me wonder if Christianity was introduced in a far earlier era, would Japan have accepted the change differently?
Depends on who their first contact was with. Christianity during the 1500s was not at it's most critic friendly, nor at it's most tolerant, but it was a step up from previous centuries, and especially from some of the Church fathers and some of the saints.
@@msaoichan I'd actually prefer medieval Christianity to have been introduced to the Japanese. They didn't believe in witch-burnings the way that some sects of Christendom did in the 1500s, and some parts of Medieval Christendom had open religious toleration and women in important positions of power.
This was really interesting and you just answered a lots of questions I have had for along time but could not find answers to. I really appreciate the time you take to inform people that really find this information useful to understand other people of this incredible planet. ✌🏽
@@johneeeemarry34 Are you aware of the cult that has infested the current western countries government? Where they reduced prossecutions of crimes and now persecute opposing thought. Endorse unnatural mutilation of children. Force chemicals into people under threats of jobless and imprisonment. This cult is called the progressive left. All religions start as cults.
I always found the Japanese superstitious, but wary of organized faith. Urban legends, hauntings, UMA? Plenty believe in them somewhat and they avoid places associated with them unless they are thrill seeking. But practicing a religion to the point of changing your lifestyle? Too much for them.
Such is life, I try to restrict my belief in things without firm evidence solely to my religious beliefs because I know that way I can't be convinced to harm anyone or otherwise be led astray whilst still having a spiritual life, if it works the opposite for them, just as well.
Most enlightening. Thank you. I find that I'm mostly in agreement with Japanese attitudes to religions, but I was quite shocked by the activities of the early Buddhists which was so massively different to my understanding of Buddhism today.
@@dog_curry very well, if u insist on an explanation. the requirement for someone to be in a religion is to believe and accept all of its teachings. there is no cherry picking where u choose to believe in some part of that religion while u reject another part of it. if u are in a particular religion and question its teachings, u will b seen and thought of as a person that does not believe or have faith in that religion. you have no option but to follow without questioning if u want to continue to be part of that religious community.
@@benzpinto for some religions, others do allow cherry picking and others are universalist. I’m Catholic and while there are many dogma we must accept to be Catholic, we aren’t told to blindly believe it and have a whole process to teach why we believe what we believe.
@@benzpinto And in bout 100+ words,you've just described Islam in its entirety. Albeit there are still certain more extreme part of it on which weren't mentioned
you clarified so many paradoxes I've noticed about Japan as a Westerner, having visited and taken interest in the intersection of religion and society. thank you!
The contradictory of disliking religion but continuing on traditions like going to shrines is just the soul of humans being humans. Disliking something but liking a part of something because it makes them happy or it’s fun to do.
Agreed but alo ther are a lot of harmful practices, not everyone ho i religiou is harmful, can b helpful too and people really need to accept it not that easy.
I love hearing you talk about Japanese culture and society. It has always fascinated me and I love the language, although am unable to speak or understand. It’s impressive to have a society that seems so respectful and balanced without religions influence.
It's also astonishing how many Japanese people adhere to many originally religious rituals/customs but can't explain the differences between Shinto and Buddhist, and what their meanings are. Not that it is a bad thing to practice customs without being religious, but the fear has translated into a lack of discussion and education in that area too, which I personally find disturbing. Just to clarify, I myself am very much Japanese in the way I PRACTICE religious customs, aka my mother's family is strictly Buddhist, but I have been baptized as my father's family is Catholic, but I mostly enjoy the Shinto traditions and beliefs myself, and let's be honest, I will probably have a church wedding.... So I am not criticizing the way this is. Just the aspect of knowledge and awareness is what bugs me.
It seems that humans everywhere cannot resist using religious beliefs to achieve political power and wealth at the expense of the believers. Maybe having a healthy dose of skepticism is the right way to go for the rest of the world.
I always figured Japan was religious. In that they observe Shinto, but that it's so integral to their lives, they don't explicitly refer to it as a Religion, but rather the way things are for them.
This video could also be titled “Why organized religions are always the bad guys in JRPGs”
I am a superior half-elf!!!
Jrpgs are the best.
Yeah, they even used sacred names from holy books casually, whis is if happen in other country will cost your head 😂
And animes
I appreciate that about them.
I asked my Japanese friends the same question, and here's what they had to say
"It’s annoying."
"They are scary."
"I'm happy enough right now."
”Because of Aum, I have a bad image of religion.”
"My parents were religious and I had a bad experience as a child."
"Religion is for the weak-minded. I don't need to be religious."
Like America right now.
Normally being religious is simply one believe and following the strict rules.
But then comes the fanatics.
Ofc it ruin the public opinion on religion.
@@TheZombie2415 there are no religious fanatics. there are people who strictly follow their religion and those who pick the convenient parts and act like the rest was just written as a prank collection.
As a former Christian I usually use Bible quotes to tell people why I don't belive.
@@TheZombie2415 If you're not a "fanatic" then you're not really following your religion properly :P
As a Christian myself, I can't deny that people have and continue to use religion as a tool of suppression. Great vid. It's quite informative.
yeah as another christian here I agree many people in power used christianity as a political tool like AH but using that as an argument against the real religion would be flawed from the beginning.
@@icrushchildrensdreams4556 I agree that the "Religion has been used for evil" is a weak argument against religion. Every ideal has at one time been used for nefarious purposes. Politics, nationality, etc. Even love is used for evil, people use love to manipulate and keep others in abusive relationships. Family ties are also used to control family members.
Just because an idea is used maliciously doesn't mean that the idea itself is inherently malicious.
Christian here and I agree
Christian here too, and don’t forget they used Christianity to colonize indigenous people 😭😭😭
@@nadonado648 Colonization would have happened the same regardless of Christianity. Nations have been conquering and enslaving since the dawn of history (including those indigenous peoples).
In my own personal opinion, being raised in a Japanese household, I have the impression that there is a strong sense of superstition in Japan that was caused by natural disasters, shinto religion, invasions. These are factors that are clearly out of people's control, so that is why rituals were created. Doing a set of "controllable actions", or rituals, to fight the uncontrollable is what people do in New Year, going to temples, pray for the deceased, etc. By performing rituals we can have a bit of assurance that things will go well, or at least did what we could. Those rituals persist, but as Shogo said, they are more separate to religion.
Another thing is that Japan was closed off for a long time and was not colonized by any religious country and is quite far away. It has all these unique traits that made Japan to make its own religion instead.
@hiroma logic is sound as well
Pagans for short
@@stepgo95
Yupp. Shintoism is basically a pagan nature religion.
@@stepgo95 u mad?
Sounds like speculation on where the rituals came from. Do you have any research to about it? I honestly do not know the history of Shinto rituals.
In my experience Rituals are used to teach religion in a way that transcends generations. Religion is something that is not just studied in books but acted out.
I actually had the opportunity to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Japan from 1995 to 1997. The sarin gas’s attack happened while I was studying Japanese in preparation for my mission. My experiences with Japanese people and their ideas about religion were very consistent with what you said here. I found it interesting common for Japanese people with no Christian beliefs still want to be married in a Christian church with a Christian ceremony. They just liked the ceremony and thought it was beautiful. I saw this idea of embracing ceremony but not really caring about doctrine was very common.
The idea of modern western wedding ceremonial customs can be attributed to Queen Victoria. The white wedding gown with a long train can be attributed to Princess Diana's wedding dress. The wedding diamond ring was promoted as a wedding staple by the diamond company De Beers. In short, the so-called "western wedding tradition" is quite modern with clever commercial marketing.
Not only the japanese I was baptised but my parents aren't even religious, it's just for the ceremony
@@ultracapitalistutopia3550 yeah but its basically a tradition at this point no? does it matter how it started
@@g76agi yes it does matter. Just like Christmas isn't a Christian Holiday, it's a Roman holiday and it used to last 12 days. Jesus wasn't born in December because they would have froze to death traveling during the winter.
@@evos469 I mean, it's the Middle East. I doubt freezing to death has ever been a big problem there.
Japanese people still doing religious events but not adhering to doctrine, is similar to how most atheists around the world still celebrate things like Christmas. Even if you don't believe in religious doctrine, they are nice events that are simply enjoyable to practice.
Yeah, but Christmas originally wasn't christian, it was the celebration of rome
@@angel-stories2547 No it wasn't
@@thatoneguyii5458 it has ties to the norse/Germanic holiday of yule and the Roman holiday of saturnalia so um yeah not really a Christian holiday
@@analien3831 Saturnalia is on the 23rd of December not 25th while Yule is on the 22nd. The reason why Christmas in on the 25th is because Christian tradition states that Christ died on the day he was conceived(March 25) add 9 months and u get his birth
Edit: Saturnalia comes from the religion of Sol Invictus which sprung up in the levant/anatolia region
@@thatoneguyii5458 Yeah the bible says Jesus was born while sheep were in the fields grazing. That's typically in the Spring or Fall, not the dead of Winter. And where did you get that conception date from? Jesus died around Passover, which is always in the spring and chosen based on the lunar calender, so it moves around (not impossible but you'd have to do some incredible historical math to get it right). So it's more likely Jesus died on his BIRTHDAY than his conception date. (His conception in this math would be in July)
Those two dates were chosen to coincide with pre-existing important festivals as a way to convert pagans. "Hey you can still have a party in late December! Just for our reason!" Heck, when I was still involved in Christianity my PASTOR even ADMITTED both of these! "The early church changed some things to attract followers"
When we were living in Japan we came to the conclusion that festivals, holidays , shine visits and even foreign derived holidays (like Valentines day) were so enthusiastically celebrated was because they were a chance to have unrestricted fun, to dress up, to share with kids, to visit places of nature (shrines) unique buildings, different locals (beaches, bays, bridges), have fun, share presents and take off your clothes and go a little wild. We loved it, because in Germany they do something similar, every province, every harvest, every brewery. In a very codified society this kind of release is necessary.
the daily cog in the machine suicidal-driven routine is the true japanese religion ;)
Wow that was very insightful
in the united states we are encouraged to spend money. we are encouraged to conflate money and love
The same in Guatemala every town has its saints day time for a huge public party fireworks etc..there are 20.smañl towns all around memeach gets its own day !
I see you are also military. Hello!
I’m Japanese and my family is Buddhist (peaceful and inclusive kind) but we needed to keep it a secret to our peers. My grandparents and parents were completely shunned from the neighborhood after being found out. I understand that some Buddhists and Buddhist groups may not hold the same values as I do, but I’ve been taught amazing values from being a Buddhist and it saddens me that we are still so suppressed and many people make up and believe in horrible rumors. My grandparents were attacked for being Buddhist when I was a child. They weren’t hurt but the first thing they said to me after the attack was the person had a lot of pain in them and that they hope the person finds peace. I’m proud to be a Buddhist in Japan.
I didn't know that in Japan they are so fanatic to attack Budhist! I thought they mind their own business and Buddhism is tolerated. More Japanese shun religions like Christianity it may flourish! Persecution is a fertilizer of Christianity!
That's EXACTLY how I feel by being Catholic where I live (in a mostly christian country, might I tell ya)
I didn’t know the dark side of Japanese oppression of Buddhist. I thought religion was accepted and included some Shinto philosophy. After their occupation by US and treaty they dare not oppress Christianity or Mormonism! And now Laban has lots of Pakistani muslims and dare not touch them. In a century Japan will get new religions ! Dark future!
If your intentions were to keep it secret then you broke it by posting this comment.🤐
Its interesting how their disliking of religion caused them to act, is it possible that polititians also use athiesm to motivate?
"Religion used for political power, i.e. organized religion, is suspect. But religion as worship, rituals and holidays meet human psychological needs. " This is one way of describing it
uP
I think what they mean is They only perform it as part of tradition, they Don't "think" with it.
You made a invalid conflation between organized religion, and am religion being used for political power, for one many things including culture itself can be misused for political gain, and an unorganized religion can be used for political power as well.
@Tzuchini Tzatziki You just described a whole host of things, besides you speak of religion as if it’s a conscious being which is weird btw.
Afg noises 😂😂😂
Some related points that might also help with contextual understanding. Japan has the saying, _"Born Shinto, Marry Christian, Die Buddhist"_ as a way of showing the link to common practices being to the rituals and not to the religion. This also shows that Japan is more focused on the syncretism of the underlying idea and particular ways to represent that, while it is often totally disconnected from the underlying religious belief.
Daiko Matsuyama has a TEDxKyoto talk called _"A significant role of religions - A quest for world peace"_ that helps provide additional context around how Japan views rituals & religions differently than most other countries, and approaches it from a really positive direction of eschewing the negative aspects that Japan associates with religions in a really neat perspective.
@Kazuma Yoshikaze Ah, thanks for calling that out. I didn't notice that I had accidentally transposed the placements of Buddhism & Shinto those when typing it out.
I edited the OP so that it's accurate now to the way it should have been!
That's one of my favorite parts about Japan's culture. That and they respect animation more than the US.
I heard that one a few years ago...
@@Gr3nadgr3gory Just say you're a weeb man
@@comradekenobi6908 I don't deny that at all.
Great video. I've lived in Japan for over 20 years. So many times, I've heard the stock answer, "We Japanese are not religious, but basically we're Buddhist." For Japanese, the word, "religion", is something negative and equates with "cult". It's an excellent observation that they seperate the idea of religious beliefs and celebrations. Religious activities in Japan are very pragmatic, pray for money, pass the test etc. Have a naming ceremony, or take off bad luck. They don't think about it deeply, but it's part of their daily lives. It's very different from how westerners view religion.
Although eastern religions aren't as organised as like Christianity, or atleast Roman Catholicism, fundamentally they are almost the same. No difference in lunacy. And with the rise of Protestantism, even Christianity started losing its organization but all other lunacy remained the same. It's in the times of renaissance when Europe started becoming sane through rise of rationalism.
Europe was very religious all the way to the 1960's
Thank you. As a Christian, I have been curious why Japan has resisted the Christian church. You explained it in a way I can totally understand. I deeply appreciate your research and clear explanation.
However in 1587, in an era of European conquest and colonization, including in the Philippines near Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued an edict banning missionaries from the country due to the religion's political ambitions,
Go to Dr Dan McClellan if you want the truth from an actual scholar.
Japan was becoming christian extremely fast, with over a hundred thousand converts in but a few years. The only reason christianity didn’t take root was absolute horrid oppression by the Emperors, that saw it as a threat
@@juanlulourido548 it is a threat
@@juanlulourido548 Why do you talk as if it's true, even though it didn't actually happen?
I think Japan is very unique culturally, but the fact that Japanese people follow rituals even though they dislike religion in general is much like places in Western Europe, where many people feel mistrust to the church and no longer really care about religion. However they still celebrate holidays and other practices that come directly from traditional religion.
Kinda whacky
@@vincentawauh6160 Wacky is relative
But that's a new thing. Japan has suppressed religion for thousand of years.
As a Christian, I love this video. It was very informative. Thank you for sharing.
I’m actually a religious studies major that is working on a research paper about Shinto for my degree. Your opinion on Japanese not seeing religion and religious rites as the same thing is spot on. Some of that is due to Shinto being a ritual religion not a dogmatic religion. Plus the word Shinto itself is most likely misinterpreted. Kuroda Toshio had a few articles that talked specifically about that. It fundamentally changed Shinto academic studies. But that can also explain why rites and religion aren’t the same thing to Japanese people.
Very understandingly explained! But I believe, every nation perceives religion differently. Of course, it's true that some will try to take advantage of religion, in every religion.
Another reason why Christian was initially rejected by the Daimyos that are not mentioned:
1. The "Christian" that we are speaking about here is Roman Catholic, promoted by Portuguese & Spanish traders with missionaries tagging along. In this Christian denomination, the adherents need to share some authorities with the Pope and pay some money to Vatican. The Japanese rulers simply don't like the idea.
2. Protestanism were rising in Europe, while the Nobunaga clan has the Portuguese missionaries on their side, Tokugawa Ieyasu is being advised by Miura Anjin (William Adams), a British navigator who is Protestant - naturally he comes to revile the Roman Catholic faction. Tokugawa came out as the winner of the Sengoku Jidai conflict and of course, followed the Brit's advice.
3. The Portuguese & Spanish were caught trading Japanese people as slaves. There was a huge uproar in the south, where these traders are based. There were riots and angry mobs reacting to this. The daimyos simply used the event to suppress the religion more.
Ahhh. This brings so much more clarity.
Feudal japan was a slave class….
Of course the Spanish and the Portuguese bought slaves… was common back then but the slave trade in japan wasn’t as huge as Africa
Yeah, you summed it up perfectly.
Small correction. Roman Catholicism does not practice tithing and does not require its adherents to pay money to the pope or Vatican.
@@rachelgohlman3582 They did not need that because they went around and stole gold haha. lets be real and honest. they still have that gold now that they stole from the Americas.
I got my first inkling that Japan was suspicious of religion when I was still in high school and noticed slice-of-life manga featuring characters forced to deal with relatives who had joined cults.
I’ve only heard bits and pieces of Japan’s history with religion so this has been very informative.
Thank you for the video
A hard to answer question: is there faith in Shintoism? I mean, it's ingrained in Japan's culture, there are many videos here about Shinto ceremonies. But, does a young Japanese man as our host actually believe that actual deities live in the shrines? Do the average Japanese people actually believe in the actual existence of the deities, or is it a merely symbolic/cultural expression?
@Daren Fliflet Whoa.
In a survey, about 80% of japanese peoplesaid they participate in shinto rituals, but only 3% faithfully believe that the divine forces of spirits/nature actually exist.
@Daren Fliflet Shintoism is the indigenous religion of Japan and pre-existed Buddhism by a wide margin, it's true that it had undergone a unification of sorts but that was more in response to Buddhism than trying to break away from Buddhism
One japanese person I know personally from volunteering in japanese countryside once told me "We don't believe in Gods, but we believe in spirits".
I'm no expert in this but alot of the times when people practice Shinto it tends to be mostly done as a cultural tradition and the idea of things such as Kami/gods may not necessarily be taken seriously but naturally there is at least some who practice Shinto who do take such things more seriously.
For Americans it may be confusing that you can be having religious ceremonies while not believing in religions at all, but the thing is that religion in most parts of the world is a part of the traditional culture which makes it relevant on a cultural basis as well. Here in Europe is it more common to be an agnostic as well but we are members of the church and go there for weddings, funerals and so on. Just as the church buildings are considred to be temples as well and are often very old.
Americans again
Not that confusing. Look at Christmas in America: It has historical roots in Christianity, but the modern festival is only loosely connected. There's a whole parallel mythos based around Santa, his workship, magic reindeer and elves. Traditional christmas stories. Festivities like decorating the tree and giving of presents. None of it at all Christian, but we all love the excuse to let the wine flow and have a party.
@Tigs Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Quebec and Latin America are very similiar when it comes to Catholicism.
Honestly I don’t find it that unusual
There are a lot of people who either aren’t Christian or don’t follow any sort of religion that celebrate religious holidays like Christmas
There are distinuisly two different things like beliefs and religion. One is personal and other structurised organisation meant to control and exploit gullible people for the people in power.
A notable footnote is that Japan has inherite apprehension towards organized religion, not various loose, folkloric cults and faiths or Minkan-shinkō [民間信仰] seen in small rural communities.
How religion should be!
And that's fine I have no problem with spirituality.
JAPAN is evil country! JAPANESE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS STILL VISITS SHRINE FOR THE WW2 DEAD SOLDIERS ANNUALLY!
@@brucehur2051 That's what happens when you have conservative old people run anything. Happens in every country. America's so fucked up for the same reasons
So they treat organised religions as cults and actual cults as being perfectly fine? 🤔
When it comes to christianism in japan, I always remember the Shimabara Rebellion as it's depicted in several popular culture titles. Rurouni Kenshin had an arc based on it, Amakusa Shiro is a villain in Samurai Shodown and there was also Ninja Ressurection (Originally Makai Tenshou: Jigoku Hen).
Amakusa was a weird case... when I first heard about him while playing Samurai Shodown, David Koresh was still fresh in the news and came to mind with each bit of the character's monologue in the game. Many years later, when Samurai Champloo was on the air, I took a bit of time to read up about him when I was in my college's library... that whole thing just kept getting weirder and weirder.
I suspect that Makai Tenshou (the original 1967 novel), along with its adaptations (including Ninja Resurrection) made the perception towards Christianity even uglier than it already was after what people (or rather, the Tokugawa shogunate) think of the Shimabara rebellion and what the Meiji government did leading up to WWII.
This should be rather insightful, to those of Christian religions, or any religion for that matter. This story and history us synonymous throughout all of time.
What makes religion dangerous is that it can be used as a means of social control. If a non-religious institution implements that same degree of social control by other means, that's just as bad. Social control through ideological manipulation is the actual danger. Ruling authorities have a way of making this happen one way or another. If people aren't willing to question what they're told, the result ends up being the same.
I agree, but there's another thing that makes religion dangerous. The enforcement of the belief that things don't have to make sense or be logical to be true. Lots of people deny science and logic on the ground of having religious teachings saying the opposite. You can use logic all day if you want; they'll just say that what their religion teaches is true, even if it makes no sense at all.
Reading your comment, I realized "Cancel Culture", is a new, supremacist, authoritarian religious cult. Complete with witch hunts, and heretic executions.
@@solar0wind It is not only religion, which bears danger. A blind belief in goverment and corporations is as dangerous.
Late science itself has been recently step by step been undermined by corporation owned studies, which are by large no longer truely scientific, but rather used to manipulate the viewpoints of the majority and push fort their agenda and business practices.
Others have warned of these, but went largely unnoticed or being ignored.
To you and all others, stay safe.
@@rintintinman9223 i agree!
Social control is a huge issue in Japan without religion. Imagine it WITH religion..
A minor nitpick: Although many of the catholic priests were Spanish, the major european force that traded with Japan in that time was Portugal, Spain came a bit later, along with the Dutch, English, etc.
I believe that's where they get their word for bread from; pan (パン)
Tempura
But they already had their own version of this idiocy which used to being called Shintoism or Buddhism.
@@vidyanandbapat8032 Op wasn’t even talking about that
Nice video... Just joined this channel recently.
My view as to why Japanese people celebrate festivals is that Shintoism is like a way of life where they believe everything in nature has spirit and the rituals and festivals are a manner to express their gratitude towards nature or their ancestors. Similar to how early Norse and European people had festivals dedicated to nature and as how there are many festivals here in India dedicated to nature and every climatic phase (spring, etc ).
All these mentioned faiths express closeness to nature related elements.
I heard that many Japanese distrust Christianity, especially the Catholic Church due to how centralized, hierarchical and strict it is in organization, practice and doctrine compared to the more decentralized, non-hierarchical and casual way they practice faiths like Shintoism. The opinion is that Christianity come off as too intense, oppressive and fanatical to them. I'm not sure how true that is, though.
We will never know because we don't have a time machine to be able to ask those people 🤔. These opinions are just speculations under an actual point of view
The Catholic Church sanctioned colonization and subjugation of native people and their culture. So yes, Japan is spot on to distrust evil
@@SR-mv2mf no, Catholic empires did, and Catholic priests fought and died for the rights of native people and the Catholic Church heavily criticized and even forbade mistreatment of natives
@@monkeymode7529 yeah, no.
@@monkeymode7529 while there were individual priests who fought for better treatment of native peoples, the church as an institution was wholly supportive and complicit as it also profited greatly from colonisation
This explains so much. I always wondered why so many anime would have an episode dealing with a cult in the mountains. I just thought maybe Japan just had an abnormal amount of them that it was a common trope like how it was in the US during the 90s
? which animes mountain cults?
@@crimsonitacilunarnebula Golden Time had one, Konosuba makes fun of Aqua's cult, The Lost Village, Future Diary, Bakemonogatari references one, Cowboy Bebop. I know there's others but that's off the top of my head
@@luciendolo6604 The Rising of the Shield Hero had the Church of the Three Heroes and Highschool DxD had a very... Interesting portrayal of the Abrahamic faiths.
@@arandomcanadian4179 Abrahamic faiths
@@arandomcanadian4179 Evangelion could perhaps be considered one too.
Oh, so that explains why religious sects and leaders are portrayed as really creepy and self-centred in most Anime. I mean as a Christian, I can't blame them, they are people who are like that, just.... Less intense.
*more....?
It's only recently after WW2 and US influence in Japan.
This is a brilliant video explaining Japan's attitude towards religion. Videos like this you're gonna reach 2 million subscribers within 12 months
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Shogo san. When talking about religion, actually more and more Japanese people are interested in Islam. I would like to invite you to come and check out Islamic Da'wah centre runs by my fellow Malaysian, Zulkarnain san in Osaka at Sugimoto-cho station. Many Japanese people went there to learn about Islam from him. 😊
So, in a nutshell, Japan has a history of getting violent and political with religion.
As a Christian, I would say that's a completely fair assessment. I mean, just look what happened to medieval Europe. I honestly think it's really sad how little chill people have when it comes to their beliefs.
I myself always treat my Christian beliefs as more of a worldview or philosophy.
Great approach to have imo
So you're more spiritual?
@@jturner2577 No, I'm an Apache Attack Helicopter. What do you think?
@@someoneelse7351 More people should watch Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, then.
That is its main message.
@@bismuth7398 Love that anime
You are a kind of Ambassador for Japan ..you draw the world closer with your clear and graceful explanations.
A few thoughts: The question is complicated because rituals and prayers are the principal part of any religion. Many of my professors held that religion *is* its rituals, and that teachings and theology add up to justifications for the way the faithful say their prayers. So the distinction you are stating is not so clear. As for 'control the population' most religions come with some notion as to how one is to relate to others. Confucianism says it is filial respect and harmony. Aum said violence and dominion was proper. The Roman Catholics say it is immoral to deny being a Christian even for one's own safety. There is also the issue that few people live up to their religions teachings about behavior. The Pope banned slavery and forced conversions as illegitimate and enjoined everyone to use 'preaching and the example of a holy life.' Alas, when money was to be made, the Pope was heeded about as much as he is now.
One can be a Catholic, but should refrain from coming to any churches that was directly under the command of bishop. Go to any church or chapel that was under poor & secluded Catholic orders. That's the closest place to heaven one can find.
The church also discouraged witch hunts but no one cares when it comes time to blame the church for them because religious justifications were used, and that's fair, at the end of the day it's what the faithful practice that matters, just important to remember that it was the societies at fault as much as the church.
I am 76 and it seems like I am wanting more and more education the older I get. Thanks. Keep it up.
Thank you for this. I have long been confused about the negative attitude towards religion, but what looked (to my eyes) like widespread religious practise. This explanation has really helped me to understand a little better.
One negative part of religion is that it's a refuge for criminals. A warmonger can kill large number of people. Then he can declare himself a believer, and all his sins are forgiven at minimal cost. This encourages more warmongers because they know they are guaranteed a safe way out for their conscience.
@@fungames24 his sins may be forgiven but he has to bear the burden of his crimes, no avoiding out of jail if he accepts to acknowledge his crimes.
One remark that your analysis didn't mention, and I was a bit surprised - despite the fact that Francis Xavier was born in Spain, he traveled to the East through the Portuguese Crown's expeditions and is regarded that it was the Portuguese that introduced Christianity in Japan.
Exactly
Spain and Portugal back then where unified under the Iberian Union
What’s your point both kingdoms worked together….
Spain also had some trade with japan
Cause of of them Philippines
@@jshsvsjejed6960 Actually, no. The Iberian Union started in 1580. The first treaty between Portugal and Japan (including religion) dates to 1543, so, no, we weren't in the Iberian Union. In fact, Luis Frois went to Japan on the same mission as Francis Xavier, and he started his 30 years in Japan in 1567 - 13 years before the Iberian Union.
@@ruialmeida818 it don't matter they are the same people, Spanish and Portuguese.
@@jameswatson5807 Not exactly - the Galicians and the Portuguese share the same origin, yes, but Spain has 5 different kingdoms that were only joined centuries after the formation of Portugal, and during that time, the portuguese and the castillians and leonease viewed eachother with distrust, so we wouldn't mix. Still, we've had fairly amicable relations, most of the time, despite the fact that castille tried and failed to conquer Portugal for several times.
Still, the Portuguese culture and the Spanish culture are quite different, so I wouldn't qualify us as 'the same people' the same way I wouldn't qualify British Viking descents as 'the same people' as the Danish. Just because the share the same colour of their skin and share ancestry that doesn't make them the same people.
As a devout Christian, with hopes to one day visit Japan (To see the sites of course), I really appreciate this video.
I mean to be fair even as a Christian one of the biggest reasons to dislike it are some of the people. Well then again, that can literaly apply to any group of people with a common purpose/interest. Race, fandoms, political beliefs; there's always that small minority in the group that makes everyone else look bad.
@Teo Cicracchia yes, but their only point was, we can’t judge a faith or an idea by only looking at the people who used it for bad reasons, since most faiths and ideas have been used for bad reasons if we look at history. It’s true that some ideas are BOTH bad philosophically and bad in application. I don’t think OP was disagreeing with you there. They were just putting a spotlight on the fact that most people suck, so we can’t condemn an idea by saying ‘sucky people used this idea in a sucky way,’ cuz that’s just how most people are. The best form of analysis is to look at ideas philosophically AND to look at the history of how people used the idea. If we determine it is bad on both counts, philosophically and organizationally, then by all means it’s okay to say that, imho
No some faiths are just harmful and we need to address it instead of making excuses for them cough cough abrahamic religions
@@colourful7070 I agree . As someone raised in a Christian household let's just say I'm tired of the excuses.
@@colourful7070 You don't know anything. And I bet you also lump Islam into that. Leading atheists agree that out of all recorded wars, only 9-14% were religious in nature. The rest were fought on secular grounds alone.
@@colourful7070 Look up the 20th century and get back to us on the culprits, cough, cough.
The reason why they still do buddhist activities it's because it's part of the culture,tradition and celebration for having holidays of Japan while Christmas, for them this event is for gathering of family and giving.
Buddhism is something like for reminding and honoring the culture and traditions of Japan.
It's too important for them to honor and visit their dead love ones using the Buddhism practice.
They need to add holidays from Buddhism and Christianity.
JAPAN is evil country! JAPANESE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS STILL VISITS SHRINE FOR THE WW2 DEAD SOLDIERS ANNUALLY!
If you want to look at religious society, come to India. There is so much hatred, thuggery and suppression of freedom of speech going on. There are extremists of all religions here, so the situation is extremely chaotic.
it's about identity, not really religion
people always find a way to descriminate be it religion, skin color, gender or cultural preferences
I don't even know why are you living in india mate,when there is secular atheistic heaven like Pakistan and Afghanistan In neighborhood.
@@bikashjha6280 Again the same BS from fellow Indians. Do you really want India to be compared with the likes of terrorist states?
Also religious society in Indonesia
@@akshitanand7374 first of all I am not an Indian,second try and understand difference organized and native religion,yeah you can say both rosgulla and cake are sweets,and you will be correct too.
Im a proud Sōtō buddhist from Brazil, and i think that becoming buddhist was one of the best things that happened in my life. My dream is to travel to Japan to visit temples and shrines, and maybe practice for a week or so in Eiheiji or Sojiji
Curioso. Já fez retiro? Como foi?
@@edyaoki450 eu fiz um Rohatsu ano passado, mas foi em casa e autônomo, mas como eu faço Zazen com a Zentchu Sensei diariamente já sei como meditar e já sei a rotina dos retiros, acordar as 4, Banho, Zazen, Kinhin, Zazen, Prece de Graças, Café da Manhã, Cerimônia de Bênçãos, Zazen, Kinhin, Zazen, Samu, Prece de Graças, Almoço, Samu, Banho, Zazen, Kinhin, Zazen, Prece de Graças, Jantar, Cerimônia de Bênçãos, Zazen, Dormir as 10. Foi assim que eu pratiquei, me baseando na rotina do Templo Daihonzan Eiheiji. No ultimo dia do retiro, no Dia da Iluminação de Buda, eu li alguns sutras, decifrei alguns Kōans, doei algumas roupas, pratiquei a Cerimônia de Buda e festejei.
@@raphaelcarvalhobezerra6913 Obrigado pela resposta. E quanta disciplina se faz do praticante! Nada mais libertador quando se conhece pela primeira vez, Buddha e a história de Sidharta, e fico curioso como fica uma pessoa quando se aprofunda mais ainda na vida budista e o que aprendeu. Sua experiência deve ter sido boa mesmo. Desejo boa sorte, tomara que consiga ir para o Japão!
@@edyaoki450 Gasshō!
Taking Christianity out of the mix, the history of Religion in Japanese culture is far more clear and I can see better how that lead the culture to where it is today. Thanks.
@Bryce Knape Because he knows the inherent problem with societies that reject Christ, and he wants to avoid thinking about it.
@@7F0X7 wuttt
@@_Tizoc_ nice argument
@@7F0X7 I agree
@@7F0X7 Please see my response to Bryce. Your statement was a strawman and with respect ✊🏿 it was not relevant to what I was doing. I could go into the flaw with your augment but to be clear this is a community for trying to understand the culture of Japan and to enjoy and appreciate it as part of our human heritage. I like to stay on that topic - it is complicated enough when I don’t know Japanese to begin with.
Hello Shogo-san. Thank you for sharing this important background on the subject matter of religion in Japan. As someone in the United States, I was raised Catholic, but ultimately ran into the same kinds of issues with the belief system as well. However, I opted to look into a more prosocial option in converting to Wicca. These days, I actually stepped back from formal religious gatherings and simply opted to live life peacefully as more of a solo Wiccan practitioner for the most part while also talking to interested/involved friends on the topic and to help others in daily life when viable. It is important to remember that oppressive and controlling religious actions are abound in the public eye, but not everyone is like that when it comes to matters of religion.
How do you go from a catholic to a tree hugger?
Can you elaborate your issues with the Church?
A very comprehensive video
Ideologies
Any ideology can be manipulated.
It's a matter of seeing things for what they are.
let me correct you on one thing, the ones that brought Christianity and the guns were the Portuguese not the Spanish and one of the reasons they banned it was because the Portuguese were using Japanese as slaves.
Japanese slave trade was largely just a convenient excuse.
Japanese society already had its own social categories of slaves known as burakumin. I clearly don't believe in the Christian slave trade in Japan.
Shogo I think your videos have been some of the most informative about Japanese people and culture I've come across. Personally I believe it's because a lot of it seems to come from your personal experience and understanding of whatever the topic is. It carries a human connection that makes the topic more approachable.
I wish you could've talk more about the monks. As far as I'm concerned, Warrior monks are only "monks" because they live in the temple, and they are very different to ordinary monks because of that. However, I understand why because this video is a summary.
I also feel that the Japanese strict and cautious approach does preserve its own culture. When people go to Japan, they want to feel they're in Japan.
One of the most interesting Japanese religious figures to me was Fr Paul Sawabe, a warrior and Shinto priest who showed up to the home of (St) Fr Nikolai Kasatkin, intending to kill him. Fr Nikolai encouraged Sawabe-san to listen to him first and then decide if he wanted to kill him. Several hours later Sawabe-san decided he would become and Orthodox Christian, and was later ordained as the first native Japanese Orthodox priest.
St Nikolai also spent several years learning about Japanese culture and religion before preaching, and genuinely loved his new home.
Okey...I am confused, tell me more
I converted to Orthodoxy in Japan and wrote my M.Div. thesis on St.Nicholas. St.Nicholas believed that the Japanese are innately religious. Shogo disagree.
@@johnbartholomew7969 I haven't read St. Nicholas, but based on your statement I would agree with St. Nicholas' assessment. It seems to me that Japanese spiritual and/or superstitious beliefs are ingrained into their culture at a much deeper and different level than most (arguably though even secular western culture still has very strong Christian roots and undertones) and that the Japanese are as a result, in fact some of the most religious people, particularly from a Christian understanding of faith/religion than a secular one.
@@gnak6525 A book about St.Nicholas is probably coming out in 2022. You might find it interesting. If I have get any news about I will try to let you know.I don't quite know how to do this, but I have have a lot of information about St.Nicholas and the church in Japan. If you are interested, let me know and I can send you something.
@@johnbartholomew7969 i would be very interested in this book as well
Religion
"Something that causes wars and something that brainwashed believers." As a Christian, not gonna argue with this.
There were no wars prior to religion, I suppose
Brainwashed - 'I don't think that word means what you think it means.' Also, 'Prepare to die' (just kidding).
@@odilsonbraz2239 It’s all of those crusades
@@MustacheDLuffy what about them crusades?
Yeah there was, religion just made it worse.
oh wow a new intro! I love it. And ofcourse I love your videos. I've got to learn so much about Japanese culture from you, I can't thank you enough.
Great topic Shogo! With my experiences with my Japanese friends and living in the country, I got the feeling that religion was treated neutrally by most. Japanese people in my age group basically let people believe what they wanted to believe if it was not harmful.
When I lived in Gunma, my homestay mother and I were invited to a Gospel concert, very similar presentation to a Baptist church by the Japanese host. My homestay mother seemed more interested in the theatrics and the music rather than the content. I've never heard a Japanese person say, "Kami-sama" so much in my life.
When I stayed with a friend in Tokyo, a conversation about philosophy and religion I will never forget is that he said, "philosophy brings people together, where religion separates them." I feel in my experience that still holds true.
Your friend is right.
You and your friend have no idea then about how philosophical disagreements work
I remember the Sarin attacks in Tokyo. My family had just moved to Okinawa from Kanagawa. We used to ride the Tokyo metro all the time and my honorary Japanese Grandparents live in Tokyo. It was crazy and scary to think about then and even now. Also seeing the WWII monuments for myself I really see how they portray that this was done out of a sense of honor and duty, and how when driven to this extreme the major losses and hurt on both side that happened.
Very fascinating to see how the history of religion has been in Japan and how complex it is in regards as to how it is. Definitely offers a lot of things to think about.
there are different aspects of any religions;
1. The iconographies & symbolism; the rituals and ceremonies, the way religions brand and present themself, (what images they projects, what perceptions it creates about themself).
2. The social aspects; the cultures & heritages influences from where it's originated or developes; how it's customs, and how the entwined relationship between monastic, scholars, and layman deeply integrated into society and everyday activities; and how -historically, many individuals, institutions, and nations have been manipulating the teaching interpretations and using religions throughout it's existences for political purposes has alter it's essence.
3. Religions as an institutions; the structure of organizations; the heirarchy of religious leaders, their power and influences; whether people within organizations are non-profit workers which work for humanity, or rather rather using religions to earn living or to achieve materialistic goals; it's worldly goals to spread it's teachings; the way the organizations raises and handles funds; the way it uses the funds (and for what purposes); whether or not the organizations or religious leaders have authorities to alter, manipulate the teachings and interpretations for organization's worldly goals.. etc.
4. The essences of the teaching; scriptures studies; the point of views from which the religion see the whole universe; the psychological view according to the teachings; the cosmology; the moral guidance & spiritual practices, -the goals to develop one spiritual qualities according to the teachings.
...ones should be able to distinguised the essences, -the importances and significances out of the less; to choose the real ones among the fakes ones; and focus only to gain spiritual benefit from religion and develop oneself.
being religious doesn't guaranteed beeing a better person, or contribute goodness for society, it depends on the individuals.
in a nutshell, be a better person and not be a cancer of the world.
Absence of any of the middle east religions has definitely benefited Japan in preserving their indigenous cultures & traditions. Thankfully even the introduction of Buddhism didn't lead to Shinto traditions being replaced, although Buddhism isn't a religion in the same way as Abrahamic religions are so believing in any other gods or goddesses isn't frowned upon by any of the Dharmik cultures, same for Shinto which obviously isn't exactly a religion. These days any philosophy or ideology can turn into religion with religiously fanatical followers who try to impose their ideas on others.
I think the Tokugawa shogunate was justified in banishing the Portuguese and Spanish. They would’ve just invited more European colonial influence plus they were enslaving Japanese people. But the heavy persecution of Japanese Catholics that resulted in that was terrible and unjustified. Unfortunately Japan just hasn’t had the best relationship with religion in it’s history. It’s sad, really.
It's for this reason why I support the separation of church and state. While I am Christian, I don't judge people of different faiths, and feel trying to force the issue will just lead to more people rejecting the message each belief is trying to say. In short, follow what you believe, not what someone else tries to force you to believe.
@@ramell4 based
although missionaries always aboard with traders but their mission is to spread religion not to enslave
@@yoelsilitonga9245 unfortunately many of their intents is to spread religion and replace indigenous religions with theirs.
@@Corgipon yes that's the main mission, but... were they did it by conquering japan and forcing people?
Greetings from the Land of Falling Waters.
I agree with your opinion on why the Japanese people still have the religious events. I would like to add that the Japanese people seem to be very traditional and by having and attending the events they are holding onto their heritage.
i like how you tell use to adjust the playspeed but im gonna be honest, i actually like the normal speed, im so used to people talking fast its very calming to hear you speak at a serene speed
As someone who grew up in a traditional Catholic family but not being too religious myself, I understand the part of being part of ceremonial religious activities, just for tradition and family gathering than for the doctrinal reasons behind it.
Dude, if Vatican has always been right, then Father Martin Luther wouldn’t need to risk his health and career to hammer 95 theses on the door of Wettenberg All Saints Church!😂
And that’s also why I chose Protestant way when I start to follow Him!😂
Oh, and that’s day is right around the corner, normies and heathens (😂) call it “Halloween”!
I'm sorry but you're just a coward.
@@khoanguyen-wc8qzLuther was excommunicated, so from a Catholic perspective he did not remain Catholic. But Luther was an Augustinian by training, and he continued to practice many of the core tenets of that version of Catholicism for the rest of his life. He even received the official last rites from an Augustinian when he was on his death bed.
Of course he didn't keep up with all of the practices. He violated his vows to celibacy and was married to a dynamite woman he called “my lord Katie;” it was her idea to get married and apparently she usually got her way
Even if many Japanese might sometimes practice what is considered to be religion, religion even while it might be practiced in Japan tends not to be looked at in the same way as it is in the west.
Japanese mindset does not think of religion as a set of beliefs… more like an organisation.
As an Atheist myself I don’t blame any Japanese people who feel that way
They're too intelligent to get seriously involved in a religion.
@@Rose_Ou fax
@@Rose_Ou Yet they also believe in ghosts and many can be quite superstitious. Kind of hypocritical to me.
@@hysterical5408 Do ghosts and superstitions ever create wars?
@@iROChakri Yes, they do. Cause religion and Ghosts and Superstition are quite literally in the same ballpark.
Japan is more tolerant of religion than the UK is, these days. A Christian church sang worship songs outside of Shinjuku station when I was there. In the UK , this would have invited much trouble by police..... ( Unless Christmas carols at Christmas) I also think there is greater freedom of speech in Japan. Like how people can proclaim political views in megaphones in main cities. People seem fairly relaxed about individuals holding their own views and expressing them.
Yeah about the individual i think i disagree
@@FBIKinGTaP when it doesn't affect the group and if it is away from colleagues/ classmates and families. Viewpoints are expressed in a vacuum on the streets where nobody can feel personally affected.
I'm in the introduction part of the video, and I just thought of something. I forget where exactly I heard it, but someone was talking about why church-like organizations end up being bad guys in a lot of fantasy video games developed in Japan. And the reason given was that the Japanese people were averse to organized religious groups specifically, not religious beliefs themselves. So I'm looking forward to learning the context behind that statement.
Not just animes, it's the same in the games as well. Final fantasy, Shin megami tensei, Asura's wrath and even fate grand order has shown many gods and divine beings as evil entities. In fact not finding gods as evil by the end like in Your name or Higurashi series for example actually surprises me these days.
@@uselesshero.official I said video games. XP
@@DragonxFlutter yeah, I guess I didn't notice 😅
A common complaint is that that is the way religion is treated in popular movies. There really are big chunks of our culture which are the same all over the world. The US exporting of woke culture is particularly obvious.
This was one of the most well prepared youtube videos I have seen in a while. I applaud your respect for the viewers and constientiousness in preparing the video. Selam from Türkiye
Thank you for video, I actually didn't know that other religions are restricted in Japan.
Japanese people see religion for what it is.
I knew a lot of this, but the Kokka Shinto info was new to me. Your videos do help understand the manga I read & anime I watch. I'm a bit too disabled to ever travel there. I try to go in my mind instead.
I love the idea of shintoism, the rest of the world needs it too - respect towards nature and animals, love for your surroundings and greenery, not littering and not destroying natural habitats
I am a Buddhist myself in Brazil. For long years now, I 've been facing some resistence of my family, but I have no regrets about it. I really did not know about this aspect of the japanese culture. I do not think we had something like this in here, maybe because our country is a recent one, considering our independence in 1822. I am going to read more about this, for sure.
LIKE!
I have visited Japan and always been interested in Japanese culture. Your explanation about religious attitudes and practices in Japan is enlightening and informative. I have always wondered why Christianity has a very small following in Japan despite the great sacrifices made by missionaries and Japanese converts. Your video answered my questions.
I wish it was the same for most countries as well. many problems could be avoided.I think we are going in that direction already at least in Europe, people in general don't take religion very seriously. it doesn't have the power it used to
The new religion in Europe has plenty of power… Especially in Scotland!
Your channel is greatly informative and easy to understand specially for those who don’t know much about Japan like myself
Japanese people are honest people and nice people.
yes. they don't need religion to be honest
You must have escaped the death marches in the 1940s… nice.
My degree is in Religions and Cultures. I'm fascinated by Shinto as it seems a unique expression of animist and folklore belief upheld in a modern context. As a 1st World nation Japan has managed to reject organized religious structures in favour of its own understanding of the relationship between humanity and the natural world.
Most religions, even Neo-Pagan and Reconstructionist religions, tend to worship gods that control or rule nature as opposed to being the indwelling spirit of nature or of a natural force. Even as we Westerners try to reject dominant, monotheistic structures, we can't help ourselves from seeing everything in terms of dominion vs co-existance, Colonization vs cohabitation.
Hello Shogo, may I asking about history of Shamisen? The how I ask this because sound of Shamisen is really relaxing
I was a minority as a gaijin, but felt like I was in the majority of non-religious people. Now back in my home country, I feel uncomfortable with the majority that are religious here.
I've never lived in Japan before but I'd feel the same way as an atheist
Tell that to the Muslims… Not the posh, smug, ‘social change’ Kyoto boy.
Very concise and enjoyable :) One element I think you did not touch on is the culture difference from many western countries, where the identity of the individual is all, whereas Japan has a strong sense of community or "group" identity. This is important to note, since things like religion become almost taboo once they become a fringe element of a community. In stark contrast, these small cult pockets are all but celebrated in the US, Canada and the UK. This is not a cause per se (IMO), but I do think it is why fall of politicized religious institutions (like Catholicism vs. Protestantism) has not weakened religion overall, but the events in Japan have led so many Japanese shun religious organizations and dogma.
Now a days 'Religious holidays' such as Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, … are used by corporations to promote sales, and mass media, schools, and governments are helping the corporations to advertise.
True
Only one of those are religious
I find it interesting that Buddhism was introduced for exactly the same reason that Christianity was adopted in Europe, as a tool of governance.
@Skelley Gonna need a citation from you first.
I think your analysis of this topic is very thoughtful and makes sense.
I would love to learn more about the relationship between Japan and Catholicism. Would appreciate recommendations. I know Maximilian Kolbe founded Franciscan Monasteries in Japan. I also know many of the Catholics died in WW2 due to the dropping of the bombs. That's about it.
I love this channel. I really just discovered it, but it feels so insightful and meaningful, and really thought out. I hope u guys keep making such well made works of art for every to see and learn from.
Religion is a Deep Topic,
so i recommend to this comment-section wholeheartedly:
Check out many Atheist-TH-camr. They all have valid Things to say
and more importantly: valid things to ask.
@@nenmaster5218 You cannot be Atheist if you watch Ghosts of Carmel Maine on TH-cam unless on purpose.
@@Featheryfaith7 ????
@@nenmaster5218 Demons are real. Proven.
Interesting. Thank you for summarizing this controversial subject.
I feel as though Japan was caught between an era of rapidly-increasing political power, and the wave of certain religions spreading like wildfire. It makes me wonder if Christianity was introduced in a far earlier era, would Japan have accepted the change differently?
Depends on who their first contact was with.
Christianity during the 1500s was not at it's most critic friendly, nor at it's most tolerant, but it was a step up from previous centuries, and especially from some of the Church fathers and some of the saints.
@@msaoichan I'd actually prefer medieval Christianity to have been introduced to the Japanese. They didn't believe in witch-burnings the way that some sects of Christendom did in the 1500s, and some parts of Medieval Christendom had open religious toleration and women in important positions of power.
This was really interesting and you just answered a lots of questions I have had for along time but could not find answers to. I really appreciate the time you take to inform people that really find this information useful to understand other people of this incredible planet. ✌🏽
The thought of a religion free country, sounds wonderful!!!
In the absence of monarchies and government, religion will always rise as a power. More often then not, an authoritarian power.
It appears to be the other way round in the west.. Please be more aware of your surroundings before posting comments on the internet.
@@johneeeemarry34
Are you aware of the cult that has infested the current western countries government?
Where they reduced prossecutions of crimes and now persecute opposing thought.
Endorse unnatural mutilation of children.
Force chemicals into people under threats of jobless and imprisonment.
This cult is called the progressive left.
All religions start as cults.
I always found the Japanese superstitious, but wary of organized faith. Urban legends, hauntings, UMA? Plenty believe in them somewhat and they avoid places associated with them unless they are thrill seeking.
But practicing a religion to the point of changing your lifestyle? Too much for them.
Such is life, I try to restrict my belief in things without firm evidence solely to my religious beliefs because I know that way I can't be convinced to harm anyone or otherwise be led astray whilst still having a spiritual life, if it works the opposite for them, just as well.
It’s blind Hypocrisy
Most enlightening. Thank you. I find that I'm mostly in agreement with Japanese attitudes to religions, but I was quite shocked by the activities of the early Buddhists which was so massively different to my understanding of Buddhism today.
indeed, religion will always be used by politicians because religion is about obeying without questioning. the perfect tool for control.
Show me a verse in a religious text that says that you can't question it
even catechism is about to questioning and learn more about religion, how it was about obeying?
@@dog_curry very well, if u insist on an explanation. the requirement for someone to be in a religion is to believe and accept all of its teachings. there is no cherry picking where u choose to believe in some part of that religion while u reject another part of it. if u are in a particular religion and question its teachings, u will b seen and thought of as a person that does not believe or have faith in that religion. you have no option but to follow without questioning if u want to continue to be part of that religious community.
@@benzpinto for some religions, others do allow cherry picking and others are universalist. I’m Catholic and while there are many dogma we must accept to be Catholic, we aren’t told to blindly believe it and have a whole process to teach why we believe what we believe.
@@benzpinto And in bout 100+ words,you've just described Islam in its entirety. Albeit there are still certain more extreme part of it on which weren't mentioned
This explains a lot of JRPGs
you clarified so many paradoxes I've noticed about Japan as a Westerner, having visited and taken interest in the intersection of religion and society. thank you!
The contradictory of disliking religion but continuing on traditions like going to shrines is just the soul of humans being humans. Disliking something but liking a part of something because it makes them happy or it’s fun to do.
Religions are sometimes misunderstood and a lot of people judge others by their religion, which is bad :(
Agreed but alo ther are a lot of harmful practices, not everyone ho i religiou is harmful, can b helpful too and people really need to accept it not that easy.
Pretty much
I love hearing you talk about Japanese culture and society. It has always fascinated me and I love the language, although am unable to speak or understand.
It’s impressive to have a society that seems so respectful and balanced without religions influence.
It's also astonishing how many Japanese people adhere to many originally religious rituals/customs but can't explain the differences between Shinto and Buddhist, and what their meanings are. Not that it is a bad thing to practice customs without being religious, but the fear has translated into a lack of discussion and education in that area too, which I personally find disturbing.
Just to clarify, I myself am very much Japanese in the way I PRACTICE religious customs, aka my mother's family is strictly Buddhist, but I have been baptized as my father's family is Catholic, but I mostly enjoy the Shinto traditions and beliefs myself, and let's be honest, I will probably have a church wedding.... So I am not criticizing the way this is.
Just the aspect of knowledge and awareness is what bugs me.
It seems that humans everywhere cannot resist using religious beliefs to achieve political power and wealth at the expense of the believers. Maybe having a healthy dose of skepticism is the right way to go for the rest of the world.
That was pretty much the reason it was made
A lot of atheist Jews still celebrate Jewish holidays as a testament to their heritage.
I always figured Japan was religious.
In that they observe Shinto, but that it's so integral to their lives, they don't explicitly refer to it as a Religion, but rather the way things are for them.