Japanese Pop Culture and Religion Quiz

Kojiki written

712

Nara Period

710-794 (784?)

Kukai/Kobo Daishi lifespan

774-835

Four Main Islands of Japan

Hokkaido - northernmost island

Honshu - Biggest island

Shikoku - smallest island

Kyushu - southernmost island

Amaterasu

Sun goddess, big boss

imperial family links themselves to her (Kojiki)

Susanoo

God of the storm, sea, and fields

Izanami / Izanagi

Parent gods, chatting each other up and creating the world

Izanami dies giving birth to fire god, Izanagi goes to afterlife but not supposed to, Izanami gets mad and chases him away, divorcing him and taking world populations — reason for population control!

“Born Shinto, Die Buddhist” meaning

When you’re born, you get taken to local shinto shrine to be acknowledged by priest

Shinto does not handle death, but Buddhism does, so they handle funeral rites and rituals 

Calendar year also dies buddhist by burning amulets at end of year at Buddhist temples

Lotus Sutra

preaches universal enlightenment, shows it can happen fast with true understanding of the Sutra and practices

Dragon princess story shows women can be enlightened too (feminist)

Golden Light Sutra

teaches how to purify negative karma and achieve personal, national, and world peace. It contains teachings on compassion, enlightenment, and the interconnectedness of all beings, and it is said to bring happiness, good health, and protection from harm.

Kami

Gods

Ujigami

Local neighbourhood area Kami (like a village protector)

Daibutsu

Large Dianichi Buddha statue in Nara

Dainichi Buddha

Cosmic buddha, where Kukai gets the meaning “its all in the vowels” - Buddha is everywhere and everything

Esoteric Buddhism

Secret inner teachings considered beyond the understanding of ordinary people

Direct paths to enlightenment 

Three Mysteries

Mandala — Mystery of the mind (universe)

Mantra — Mystery of the mouth (sounds)

Mudra — mystery of the body (hand gestures)

Pure Land

There is a western pure land, pure land ≠ enlightenment

BUT going to the pure land means you will become enlightened, achieving rebirth in the pure land, superior place to achieve full Buddhahood

How karma affects us in this life, cannot happen in the pure land

Amida Buddha

Dharma Kara, wanted to do good for the world

Made 48 vows, does them in a pattern

17, 18, 19th are most important 

if all people do not become enlightened, he cannot achieve Buddhahood

if the vows do not work, he is the problem, not the other people

practice Nambutsu

Honji Suijaku

Shinto kami were seen as local "traces" (suijaku) of higher Buddhist beings (honji), like Buddhas or bodhisattvas.
This idea let Buddhism absorb Shinto by treating the kami as local forms of universal Buddhist deities.

Mappo

Teachings

lived realities

end of the Dharma, where Japan had environmental chaos, and people believed it was the end of the world

went back to teachings to realize they needed to connect more spiritually

Uzume

Short for Ame-No-Uzume, Goddess of joy, lures Amaterasu out of the cave by performing a provocative dance

Nembutsu

Practice of reciting the name of the Amida Buddha

Nihongi

720 AD

Heian Period

794-1185

Tokugawa (Edo) Period

1600-1868, Peace and isolation period, class system introduction

Manga

“Whimsical pictures”, originates from Toba Sojo’s 12th-century Choju Giga scrolls. Major pop culture storytelling medium

woodblock prints (Ukiyo-e)

Artistic prints from Edo period depicting the “floating world’, kabuki, city life, courtesans depicted, entertainment and mass culture

Ukiyo-e

“Pictures of the floating world”, pleasure and entertainment culture of Edo Japan, especially in theatre and red light districts

Tokugawa Society and Systems

1. Samurai

2. Farmers

3. Craftsmen

4. Merchants

5. Burakumin nad Hinin (Outcasts)

Structure reinforced social order

Francis Xavier

1506-1552)

Jesuit Missionary arrived in Japan in 1549, beginning of “Christian Century”. Introduced Christianity through Kyushu, bringing printing technology and western ideas

Christian Century

1549-1639, Period of Christian missionary activity and conversions, especially among Samurai and Daimyo. Ended with Shimabara Rebellion (1637) and Christian persecution under the Tokugawa, forcing believers underground (Kakure Christians)

Avatar

Means ‘descent.’ Manifestation of a deity in human or earthly form. In Buddhism, used to describe how Buddhas manifest as Kami to aid sentient beings

Honji Suijaku

“Original ground manifested traces”. Kami are local manifestations or Buddhas or Bodhisattvas. Explained co-existence of Buddhism and Shinto

Three Relationships between Buddhas and Kami

1. Kami as Manifestations of Buddhas (honji) – main honji suijaku model

2. Kami as independent but enlightened beings participating in Buddhist Salvation

3. Kami as deluded or unenlightened entities needing Buddhist salvation - showing a hierarchy and mutual influence

Gongen

“Manifestation” Kami seen as the avatar of a Buddha or Boddisattva. Hachiman was considered a Gongen (Avatar) of Amida Buddha

Tale of the Heike (Heike Monogatari)

Epic war tale about the rise and fall of the Taira clan in conflict with the Minamoto clan. 

Themes: Impermanence (Mujo), loyalty, and the Buddhist idea that all things must pass

Taira Clan (Heike)

Powerful warrior family rose during the late Heian period but was defeated by Minamoto at Battle of Dan-no-ura (1185). 

Themes: Arrogance, impermanence

Minamoto Clan

Rival warrior clan that defeated the Taira, founding Japan’s first military government (Kamakura shogunate) under Minamoto no Yorimoto

Shikoku Pilgrimage

Route of 88 temples associated with Kukai (Kobo Daishi) on island of Shikoku. Pilgrims wear white robes and visit temples for spiritual purification

Burakumin

“Hamlet people”. Socially discriminated group in Tokugawa Japan who worked “impure” professions. Still stigmatized historically

Hinin

“non-person”, a class of outcasts and beggars below Burakumin; considered socially impure or “untouchable”

Shukyo Asobi

“Religious play” referring to playful or performative engagement with religion – mixing pop culture with spiritual elements, using religious imagery in art, manga, festivals. Common in contemporary Japanese popular religion

Meiji Emperor

1868-1912, Oversaw Japan’s transition from a feudal society to modern, industrial nation during Meiji restoration.

Shōwa Emperor

1926-1989, Emperor of Japan during WWII and postwar era

New religions (Shinshūkyō)

Modern Japanese religious movements that emerged in the 19th-20th centuries, often blending shinto, buddhism and folk practice.

Soka Gakkai

A major lay buddhist new religion based on Nichiren Buddhism, emphasizing chanting the Lotus Sutra

Omoto

Shinto-based new religious movement focused on spiritual purification, divine communication, world renewal

Godzilla

Fictional Kaiju created in 1954 symbolizing nuclear destruction and Japan’s postwar fears.

Gyocha

Tea-based listening practice where the “listener” offers tea, calm presence, and emotional support to callers seeking help

3.11 (Triple Disaster)

Refers to March 11, 2011, Japan’s earthquake, tsunami and Fukishima nuclear meltdown

Funerary Buddhism

Buddhist practices centred on death rites, memorials and guiding the deceased into the afterlife