Buddhism in Japan Buddhism in Japan Buddhism in Japan has been practiced since its official introduction in 552 CE according to the "Nihon Shoki" from Baekje, Korea, by Buddhist monks. Buddhism has had a major influence on the development of Japanese society and remains an influential aspect of the culture to this day. In modern times, Japan's most popular schools of Buddhism are Pure Land Buddhism, Nichiren Buddhism, Shingon Buddhism and Zen. As of 2008, approximately 34% of the Japanese identify as Buddhists and the number has been growing since the 1980s, in terms of membership in organized religion. However, in terms of
Pure Land Buddhism Pure Land Buddhism as an independent sect in Japan known as Jōdo-shū. Today Pure Land is an important form of Buddhism in Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam. Pure Land schools make up almost 40 percent of Japanese Buddhism practitioners with the most temples, second to Chan schools. These schools were influenced by the thought that humans could no longer understand the dharma by themselves. Contemporary Pure Land traditions see Amitābha expounding the Dharma in his buddha-field (Skt. "buddhakṣetra"), or "pure land", a region offering respite from karmic transmigration. Amitābha's pure land of Sukhāvatī is described in the "Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra"