Temple or Shrine – What’s the difference? Man y visitors to Japan can’t tel l the difference between a shr ine and a temple and they oft en use the terms interchangeably. Using the terms temple and shrine interchangeably is the same as using the terms church and synagogue interchangeably. Two primary relig ions are pract iced in Japan , Shinto which is practice d at a shrine and Buddhism, which is practiced at a temple. Both religions date back thousands of years. The Shinto religion is a spiritual ideology that began back in the feudal days of Japan and is based on the belief that powerful deities calledkami(gods) inhabit both heaven and earth. Each clan identified with it’s own kamiand utilized a shaman or diviner to help them pray and often built shrines dedicated to theirchosen kami. The Shinto reli gion was unified in the 700′s when the mytho logy was documented for the first time to include the various kamiformerly worshipped by the individual clans. The Japanese refer to Shinto askami no michi(the way of the gods) but the pronunciation of the Chinese ideographs that for the words isshin tao or Shinto. Buddhism was introduced to Japan from China and Korea in the sixth century and gained wide acceptance in the following century when it was endorsed by the nobility. The Japan ese word for Buddhism isbukkyō which is a combination of two words: butsu meaning Buddha and kyō meaning doctrine. Most people in Japan practic e both faiths and there are no restrictions against doing so. Shinto tends to be viewed as the religion of earthly matters and shrines are often used to host weddings and are where one would go to pray forsucc ess in life or busin ess. On the other hand, Buddhis m is cons idered the religion of spiri tual matters and temples usually host funerals and are where you would go to pray for your ancestors. So what are the differences between a shrine and a temple? Signs that you are at a Shinto Shrine: • You always enter a Shinto shrine through a toriigate. • Shinto shrines use the suffix jingu, as in Meiji Jingu. • A pair of guardian dogs or lions, called shisa orkomainu, often sit on each side of the entrance to a Shinto Shrine
