9781422278857

This artwork depicts early Japanese leader Jimmu Tenno. He is believed to have been a real person, but in the centuries since, many myths have arisen to make him seem more than simply a human leader.

660 bce , Japan’s first emperor, Jimmu Tenno, came to power. He was said to be a descendant of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. Buddhism was first introduced to Japan in 538, when a Korean ruler gave the Japanese Emperor Kimmei a gift that included a picture of the Buddha and scrollswithBuddhist teachings. Because Japan already had a traditional religion, Shinto, the emperor was not sure how to react. Some four decades later, however, PrinceShotoku, a regent to theEmpressSuiko, declared Buddhism the official religion because he believed it would help Japan develop into a united and culturally superior country.

1 3