Buddhism Introduced

With the introduction of Buddhism , religion in Japan was forever changed. Although it probably made contact earlier, Buddhism was officially introduced to the imperial court of Japan by the Korean king of Paekche in 552 (Kitagawa). Initially, this concerned emperor Kimmei and his court, because they feared the foreign, and thought that Buddhism would upset the kami (Hoffman).
The leaders of the budding Buddhist movement came from the immigrant Soga clan. When disease broke out, the court blamed the Soga for having perturbed the kami, and therefore having caused the epidemic. The Soga were attacked. Civil war began in 587, and the Soga were victorious (Hoffman). In 592, the regent Prince Shotuku proclaimed Buddhism the official court religion, but most people remained Shinto (Littleton).
Regardless of the official religion, both Buddhism and Shintoism remained strong in Japanese culture. Buddhist temples were built next to Shinto shrines, leading to a fusion of the faiths by the Heian era (794-1185), often called Ryobu Shinto. In Ryobu Shinto, Shinto kami and Buddhist bosatsu, enlightened beings, were combined and worshiped as one. As aspects of Shinto diffused into Buddhism, and aspects of Buddhism diffused into Shinto, the two became increasingly indistinguishable (Littleton). The side-by-side shrines and temples were so similar, that they were often called "jingi-ju" meaning "shrine-temples" (Prideaux), and the Buddhist teacher Kobo Daishi (774-835) even said, "Among the various ways/ to become a Buddha/ the most potent way is/ the way of the kami" (Hoffman).
For centuries, Buddhism and Shintoism coexisted with the same blurred distinctions. However, during a surge of nationalism in the Meiji Era (1868-1912), Shinto was reinstated as the official religion  of Japan, with a focus on ridding it of all Buddhist influences. Seen as anti-Japanese compared to their Shinto counterparts, many Buddhist artifacts were destroyed and Buddhist people persecuted (Prideaux). After World War II, "State Shinto" was revoked, and the two religions have returned to their natural state of balance. Many people of present day Japan consider themselves to be some combination of both Buddhist and Shinto (Littleton).