Hinduism in Japan

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Japanese Hindus
日本のヒンズー教徒
Om in Katakana(Japanese).png
The "Om" symbol in Katakana [lower-alpha 1]
Ganesha Japan.jpg
Statues of Benzaiten (Saraswati), Kangiten (Ganesh), and Bishamonten (Kubera) in the historic Daishō-in temple
Total population
Increase2.svg166,550 (0.1%) (2022)
Languages
Liturgical : Sanskrit, Old Tamil

Hinduism is a minority religion in Japan mainly followed by the Indian, Sri Lankan and Nepali expatriate residents of Japan, who number about 166,550 people as of 2022. It's also widely integrated into the native Shinto-Buddhist religion which has had a significant impact on Japanese culture; Buddhism being an Indian religion is largely related to Hinduism, and most of its cultural practices are similar to those found in Hinduism. [1]

Contents

History

Depiction of Hindu deity Krishna playing the flute in a temple constructed in 752 CE on the order of Emperor Shomu, Todai-ji Temple, Great Buddha Hall in Nara, Japan Krishna-in-Kyoto.jpg
Depiction of Hindu deity Krishna playing the flute in a temple constructed in 752 CE on the order of Emperor Shomu, Todai-ji Temple, Great Buddha Hall in Nara, Japan

Hinduism diffused throughout East Asia via trade routes, and also through the expansion of Buddhism in the sixth century. [2] There has also been significant transfer of Hindu-derived material native to China and South East Asia into Japan over the past two millennia. [3] [4] [5]

Diffusion of Hinduism in Japan

Hindu deities have been integrated into Japanese religious culture and several deities are worshiped for good luck. [6] In fact there are many deities that are still worshiped in Japan which have long been forgotten in India. [7]

Saraswati (Benzaiten) is arguably the most revered deity in Japan after the Buddha. [8] She forms as a part of the "Seven Gods of Fortune", of which four originated as Hindu deities: Benzaitensama (Sarasvati), Bishamon (Vaiśravaṇa or Kubera), Daikokuten (Mahākāla or Shiva), and Kichijōten (Lakshmi). The last, along with Benzaitennyo (Saraswati) and the female version of Daikokuten completes the nipponized Tridevi of Great Goddesses. [9]

Benzaiten shrine, Inokashira Park INOKASHIRA1.jpg
Benzaiten shrine, Inokashira Park

The Hindu god of death, Yama, is known in his Buddhist form as Enma. Garuda, the mount (vahana) of Vishnu, is known as the Karura (迦楼羅), an enormous, fire-breathing creature in Japan. It has the body of a human and the face or beak of an eagle. Tennin originated from the apsaras.[ citation needed ]

Ganesha (or Kangiten) is prayed to for health, success and good fortune. Many Japanese Buddhist deities (or Tenbu) have their roots in Hinduism and are still revered by many Japanese particularly in Shingon Buddhism.[ citation needed ]

Other examples of Hindu influence on Japan include the belief of "six schools" or "six doctrines" as well as use of yoga and pagodas.[ citation needed ]

People have written books on the worship of Hindu gods in Japan. [10] Even today, it is claimed Japan encourages a deeper study of Hindu Gods. [11]

List of Hindu gods in Japanese culture

Deities [12]
EnglishJapaneseThai-BrahmiDevanagari-Sanskrit
Agni 火天 พระอัคนี अग्नि
Ganesh 歓喜天 พระพิฆเนศวร गणेश
Garuda 迦楼羅 ครุฑ गरुड़
Lakshmi 吉祥天 พระลักษมี लक्ष्मी
Virupak 広目天 ท้าววิรูปักษ์ विरूपाक्ष
Prithvi 地天 พระปฤถวี पृथ्वी
Varuna 水天 พระพิรุณ वरुण
Viruthak増長天 ท้าววิรุฬหก विरूढक
Dakini 荼枳尼天 ฑากิณี डाकिणी
Mahakala 大黑天 มหากาฬ महाकाल
Apsara 天人 อัปสร अप्सरा
Sakr 帝釈天 ท้าวสักกะ शक्र
Surya 日天 พระอาทิตย์ सूर्य
Brahma 梵天 พระพรหม ब्रह्मा
Vaishravana 毘沙門天 ท้าวเวสวัณ वैश्रवण
Saraswati 弁才天 พระสุรัสวดี सरस्वती
Vayu 風天 พระพาย वायु
Rahu 羅睺 พระราหู राहु
Rakshassa 羅刹天 รากษส राक्षस
Ishana 伊舎那天 พระอีศาน ईशान
Skanda 韋駄天 พระเวทโพธิสัตว์ स्कन्द
Yama 閻魔天 พระยม यम

Present situation

Hinduism is practiced mainly by the Nepali, Indian and Sri Lankan migrants, although there are others. As of 2022, there are 40,917 Sri Lankans, 40,752 Indians and 125,798 Nepalis in Japan. [13] [14]

The few Hindu temples in Japan are as follows:

The Association of Religion Data Archives estimated that 24,182 Hindus in Japan as of 2020. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yama in world religions</span>

Yama is the Hindu deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld. Belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities, Yama is said to have been the first mortal who died in the Vedas. By virtue of precedence, he became the ruler of the departed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saraswati</span> Principal Hindu goddess, goddess of knowledge, music, and speech

Saraswati, also spelled as Sarasvati, is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, flowing water, abundance and wealth, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. She is a pan-Indian deity, also revered in Jainism and Buddhism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinduism in Southeast Asia</span>

Hinduism in Southeast Asia had a profound impact on the region's cultural development and its history. As the Indic scripts were introduced from the Indian subcontinent, people of Southeast Asia entered the historical period by producing their earliest inscriptions around the 1st to 5th century CE. Today, Hindus in Southeast Asia are mainly Overseas Indians and Balinese. There are also Javanese and Balamon Cham minority in Cambodia and south central Vietnam who also practice Hinduism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benzaiten</span> Japanese Buddhist goddess who originated from the Hindu goddess Saraswati

Benzaiten is an East Asian Buddhist goddess who originated mainly from the Hindu Indian Saraswati, goddess of speech, the arts, and learning. Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during the sixth through eighth centuries, mainly via Classical Chinese translations of the Golden Light Sutra, which has a section devoted to her. Benzaiten was also adopted into Shinto religion, and there are several Shinto shrines dedicated to her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seven Lucky Gods</span> Japanese deities of good fortune

In Japanese mythology, the Seven Lucky gods or Seven gods of Fortune are believed to grant good luck and are often represented in netsuke and in artworks. One of the seven (Jurōjin) is said to be based on a historical figure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaktism</span> Goddess-centric sect of Hinduism

Shaktism is a major Hindu denomination in which the godhead or metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddhist deities</span> Divine beings

Buddhism includes a wide array of divine beings that are venerated in various ritual and popular contexts. Initially they included mainly Indian figures such as devas, asuras and yakshas, but later came to include other Asian spirits and local gods. They range from enlightened Buddhas to regional spirits adopted by Buddhists or practiced on the margins of the religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daikokuten</span> Japanese deity of fortune and wealth

Daikokuten is a syncretic Japanese deity of fortune and wealth. Daikokuten originated from Mahākāla, the Buddhist version of the Hindu deity Shiva, conflated with the native Shinto god Ōkuninushi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinduism in Myanmar</span>

Hinduism is the Fourth-largest religion in Myanmar, being practised by 1.7% of the population of Myanmar. Hinduism is practised by about 890,000 people in Myanmar, and has been influenced by elements of Buddhism, with many Hindu temples in Myanmar housing statues of the Buddha. There are also a large population of Hindus in which the Myanmar Tamils and minority Bengali Hindus having the biggest population share.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muktinath</span> Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage site in Mustang, Nepal

Muktinath is an ancient Vishnu temple located in Mustang, Nepal. The temple of Muktinath, known as 'the lord of liberation', is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists whom they worship as an abode of Hindu deity Vishnu and Buddhist deity Avalokiteśvara respectively. Located in the Muktinath valley at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass, it is one of the world's highest temples at an altitude of 3,800 meters. The temple is given a status of one of the 108 Divya Desams of Hinduism and the only Divya Desam located outside India. It is also one of the 51 Shakti Pitha, associated with the head of goddess Sati. The temple complex is known as Mukti Kshetra, which literally means "the place of liberation (moksha)" and is one of the Char Dham in Nepal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinduism in China</span>

Hinduism is currently practiced by a minority of residents of China. The religion itself has a very limited presence in modern mainland China, but archaeological evidence suggests a significant presence of Hinduism in different provinces of medieval China. Hindu influences were also absorbed in to Buddhism and got mixed with Chinese mythology over its history. Practices originating in the Vedic tradition of ancient India such as yoga and meditation are also popular in China.

<i>Devata</i> Hindu and Buddhist term for deity

Devata are smaller and more focused Devas (Deities) in Indian religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism. The term "devata" itself can also mean deva. They can be either male or female. Every human activity has its devata, its spiritual counterpart or aspect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gautama Buddha in Hinduism</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinduism in Mongolia</span> Ethnic group

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ganesha in world religions</span>

Ganesha is a prominent Hindu god. He is the god of beginnings, wisdom and luck and worshipped as the remover of obstacles. Ganesha is easily recognized from his elephant head. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists and beyond India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, Bangkok</span> Hindu temple in Bangkok, Thailand

Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, also known as Maha Uma Devi Temple (Thai: วัดพระศรีมหาอุมาเทวี; RTGS: Wat Phra Si Maha Umathewi and Wat Khaek in Thai, is a South Indian architecture style Hindu temple on Si Lom Road in Bangkok, Thailand. It was built in 1879 by Vaithi Padayatchi, a Tamil Hindu immigrant.

<i>Devi</i> Term for goddess in Hinduism

Devī is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is deva. Devi and deva mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism.

Indians in Japan consist of those with Japanese citizenship and those with foreign citizenship.

Hindu denominations, sampradayas, traditions, movements, and sects are traditions and sub-traditions within Hinduism centered on one or more gods or goddesses, such as Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and so on. The term sampradaya is used for branches with a particular founder-guru with a particular philosophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devaraja</span> Deified monarch in medieval Southeast Asia

Devaraja was a religious order of the "god-king," or deified monarch in medieval Southeast Asia. The devarāja order grew out of both Hinduism and separate local traditions depending on the area. It taught that the king was a divine universal ruler, a manifestation of Bhagavan. The concept viewed the monarch to possess transcendental quality, the king as the living god on earth. The concept is closely related to the Indian concept of Chakravarti. In politics, it is viewed as the divine justification of a king's rule. The concept was institutionalized and gained its elaborate manifestations in ancient Java and Cambodia, where monuments such as Prambanan and Angkor Wat were erected to celebrate the king's divine rule on earth.

References

  1. "Buddhism and Hinduism". obo. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  2. Acharya, Amitav. "Journey to the East: The Hindu-Buddhist Making of Southeast Asia". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  3. Pant, Don McLain Gill & Harsh V. (2023-11-21). "India and Japan Converge in Southeast Asia". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  4. "Southeast Asia: History and Culture – Japan society for Southeast Asian Studies" . Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  5. "Southeast Asia and Japan: Linked by Ties of Cultural Exchange". The Government of Japan - JapanGov -. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  6. "Japan's Hindu Linkages Still Alive". hwpi.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  7. "Hindu deities in Japan". Frontline. 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  8. "'Saraswati is the most revered deity in Japan, after the Buddha': Filmmaker Benoy Behl". The Indian Express. 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  9. "Butsuzōzui (Illustrated Compendium of Buddhist Images)" (in Japanese). Ehime University Library. 1796. p. (059.jpg). Archived from the original (digital photos) on 2018-10-10. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  10. Chaudhuri, Saroj Kumar. Hindu Gods and Goddesses in Japan. (New Delhi, 2003) ISBN   81-7936-009-1.
  11. Mohapatra, Satyen (2023-09-03). "Japan Wants to Encourage Studies of Hindu Gods". The Pluralism Project, Harvard University.
  12. "Hindu Contributions to Japanese Religion" (PDF). Hindu Education. Archived from the original on 2006-10-21. Retrieved May 14, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. Ministry of Justice Statistics
  14. "データセット一覧". e-stat (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  15. "Japan, Religion And Social Profile". thearda.com. Retrieved 2023-06-04.

Notes

  1. オーム (U+30AA & U+30FC & U+30E0)