RELG 253 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Soga Clan, Kofun Period, Buddhism In Japan

• School: McGill University
• Department: Religious Studies
• Course: RELG 253
• Professor: Lisa M.Blake, Jingjing Li

Document Summary

Shinto > amatarasu > indigenous religion of japan. Go back to the age of the gods. Magi period, thought empires are decedents of kami (pure indigenous diodeeds) If look at 2 court histories, compiled in the 8th century (nara period) shinto wasn"t as pure and uncorrupted as people in the modern period thought. Shinto origin myth separation of heaven and earth. Begins with dippinga long pole into the water and the droplets off the pole forms the island of japan. Wind god won a fight against his sister, amaratasu and celebrate by flinging poop to her. Amaratasu found it insulting and then hurts herself, and decided to hid herself in the cave and left the world in darkness. The other gods then planned a party with dances to get amaratasu out of the cave because of curiosity and then the world became bright again. Using silk in the tomb period (kofun period 3rd of 6 centuries)