Ise & Nara Shrines of Shinto and Buddha

The rulers in ancient and more recent times knew how to control people with religion. Japan is a prime example of that. Shinto was a worship of nature until Buddhism was introduced around AD500. Unlike much of Asia, it didn’t take over, but it merged with Shinto to create a unique Japanese version. The merger overcame the scepticism of locals by explaining that certain Buddhist characters were the same as Shinto ones.
That explains a little that the Shinto temples in Nara are full of Buddhas and Buddhist characters. I found the large one at Nara deer park to be particularly impressive, but Flo preferred the smaller and temple at Horyuji. Daniel helped us to understand the evolution and different forms of Buddhism. Some European feminist hippies might be disappointed to learn that one type of Buddhism believes [believed] that women can only reach niravana after they have a next life as a man.
In Nara the architecture is heavily influenced by Chinese styling, but in both Ise and Nara there is consistent use of the simple Japanese colours schemes of white, with either dark wood, or reddish brown painted pillars.
The day before in Ise, we had been to the Shinto temples there, which in themselves are striking, but even more so in the ancient woods in which they are placed. The surrounding hills also add to the beauty of the places.Read more