Know the differences between shrines and temples

photo by ゆう三月

You might visit shrines and temples on the special occasions such as the New Year’s Day and Shichigosan (a gala day for kids of three, five and seven years old). Many foreign tourists also visit shrines and temples for sightseeing. But do you really know the differences between “shrines” and “temples”? Is there any subtle variation between them which Japanese people, let alone foreign tourists, do not know well? Let’s explore the detail in this article.

1. Differences in religions

The fundamental differences are the religions: shrines are for Shinto, while temples are for Buddhism.

Shintoism – Traditional religion in Japan

The history of Shintoism, or Shinto, traces back to about 2,300 years ago in Jomon era. It worships gods in all life and objects. Unlike Christianity or Buddhism, Shinto does not have a charismatic originator like Jesus Christ or Gautama Buddha; it is considered that the faith naturally arose from the life and customs in the natural environment in Japan. Shinto, in other words, is a sort of shamanism like the faith of Inuit and Native Americans. In Shinto, the nature itself is considered to be divine: therefore, the divine gods are both the ones who bring the harvest of grace and the ones who cause natural disasters. Shamans, like the Queen Himiko in 3c. AD, maintained the connection between the gods and the humans. They represented the word of gods to predict the future of the tribes that are formed based on geographical and blood relationships. Shinto, therefore, has played an important role in uniting people in local communities.

Buddhism – The religion from India

Buddhism was started by Gautama Buddha in current India and was imported to Japan about 1,500 years ago. The two fundamental concepts of Buddhism are ‘transmigration’ and ‘emancipation’. Transmigration can be simply described like this: a life repeats itself and is passed onto another life. Your good deed in this life will be rewarded in your next life, while your bad deed will bring misfortunes in your next life. So, be good and refrain from doing bad. This idea is quite similar to that of Hinduism. The difference is that Buddha added the concept of emancipation, or a path to be free from never-ending cycle of transmigration. It brought an answer to people’s question: how to fully live this life. Since Buddhism was imported, it has been one of the core elements of moral of Japanese people.

2. Differences in the objects of worship

Shinto – myriads of gods and deities

The practice of Shinto is animism which finds myriads of gods in every single life and object in the nature. From epic objects like the sun and the moon, to minor everyday objects like rice and toilet, everything has a divine spirit. These gods and deities are called Yaoyorozu no kami, which literally means ‘eight millions of gods’, or myriads of gods and deities. Another characteristic of Shinto is that influential people and figures can be deemed equivalent to gods after their death and enshrined to be worshipped.

Buddhism – Buddha

The ultimate aim of Buddhism is emancipation. The idea of idolatry was not originally a part of Buddhist practice. However, as the time passes, they started to iconize Gautama Buddha, the originator of the religion, and other important figures.

3. Differences in facilities

Shinto – Shinto shrines

As Shinto worships the nature itself, natural landscape such as mountains and waterfalls used to be worshipped as sacred spots. Shinto shrines today have permanent structures which house the myriads of gods. The objects of worship enshrined in Shinto shrines are a sacred staff, a mirror, or even an empty space.

Visual characteristics of Shinto shrines

‘Torii’, or an archway to a shrine
‘Sando’, or a path of the gods
‘Chozu-ya’, or a washbasin where you purify your hands and mouth
‘Honden’, or the main building where the gods are enshrined

Buddhism – Buddhist temples

Buddhist temples are primarily a place of training for priests who work towards emancipation, and a place for missionary where they spread the teaching of Buddha. During the development of Buddhism, the originator of the religion has become an icon. This prompted the creation of Buddha statues and Buddhist sanctums as we see today. Nowadays, a temple has two areas, Sobo (the priests’ cell) and Garan (the Buddhist temple). The former is dedicated for training, while latter is a place of worship.

Visual characteristics of Buddhist temples

‘San-mon’, or a gate to the temple
‘Shoro’, or a belfry
‘Doutou’ which represents Buddha
‘Hondo’, a place where the objects of worship are enshrined

4. Differences in priests

Shinto – ‘Shinshoku’ and ‘Miko’

The priests in Shinto shrines are called ‘shinshoku’. It is the official term, although they are commonly known as ‘kan-nushi’. They serve the gods in shrines, performing seasonal ceremonies. Since Shinto does not have teaching unlike Buddihsm, shinshoku do not give a lecture to the visitors. ‘Miko’ used to perform a role of shaman, offering a prayer and fortune telling, calling the spirits and delivering the prophecies. However, miko has become an assistant for shinshoku after the Meiji restoration.

Buddhism – ‘So (male priest)’ and ‘Niso (female priest)’

The priests in Buddhist temples are called ‘so’, which is more commonly known as ‘obo-san’. They continue their training while giving a lecture to the visitors, chanting the Buddhist scriptures, and administrating the temple and its cemetery. ‘Niso’ is a term for female priests who also give lectures and perform ceremonies like male priests.

Summary

Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples may have similar atmospheres, but they carry completely different meanings. As a Japanese person, I came to realize that both Buddhism and Shinto have a deep influence to Japanese moral and ethical ideas as I wrote this article. The lessons we learn from our parents and from the society in everyday lives are based on the teaching of Buddhism and Shinto, although we are not particularly aware of it. On your next visit to either shrines or temple, do think about what you would like to wish for and what kind of deity you are visiting – it may make your visit extra fulfilling!