In today's increasingly interdependent world, it is vitally important that different nations and cultures understand one another. Many Westerners have acquired some understanding of Japan—through contact with visiting Japanese students, perhaps, or even through travel to Japan. Even so, Japan tends to be seen predominantly in its modern role, as a key player in the global economy; the nation's distinctive humanistic traditions are often overlooked. Japanese culture is a complex amalgam of old and new, and because Japan's various religions have been central to the development of this culture, they serve as windows to the Japanese people's sense of identity.

In the following pages I have adopted a chronological approach to the study of Japanese religions. I have placed religious events, experiences, and customs in a framework of Japanese history, which includes an account of Japan's interactions with the Western world. It is hoped that this small book will serve as a useful guide to the spiritual traditions of the Japanese people.

In the summer of 2000, I made extensive pilgrimages to sacred places in Japan in preparation for the writing of this book. I would like to thank Professor A. Mineshima, who kindly guided me through Zojoji in Tokyo, the head temple of the Pure Land sect. I would also like to thank Professor Z. Ilidaka, abbot of the Sanboin temple at Mt. Koya. Although I did not write about the religion of the Ainu people, I learned much about them from meeting with Dr. S. Kayano at the village of Nibutani, in Hokkaido.

Moreover, I am deeply indebted to the work of Japanese scholars such as Kanaoka Shuyu, Ishida Mizumaro, Miyasaki Yusho, Kino Kazuyoshi, Nakamura Hijime, Murakami Shigeyoshi, Tamura Encho, and many others.

My special thanks go to Professor Edward Kaplan, my colleague at Western Washington University, who read my earlier drafts and made expert editorial comments. My thanks go also to Melanie White, Richard Mason, Kate Tuckett, Eleanor Van Zandt, and Julia Ruxton, of Laurence King Publishing Ltd., whose tireless encouragement was essential for the completion of this book. I owe special thanks to Christine Davis, Project Editor, as well as to the reviewers whose comments were of invaluable assistance. I thank Western Washington University for its Faculty Development Grant.

I will never know what Professor Ninian Smart would have had to say about this book, but I hope that I would not have disappointed him. I dedicate this small but dear book to Ninian and his beloved wife, Libushka, with all my love.

Michiko Yusa
September 2001