Japanese Shinto: the Cult of Hachiman
Shinto is a generalized term describing the various indigenous beliefs in Japan, an attempt to distinguish those beliefs from the imported ideology of Buddhism. The success of such efforts, however, was only partial, leading to the evolution of the Honji-Suijaki principle of coexistence. One of the more popular Shinto deities was Hachiman, the kami of war, whose development and growth was a secondary feature resulting from its political manipulation by Buddhist priest and feudal warlords. The origin of Hachiman is corrupted by incoherencies in the…
