Syncretism

Syncretism can be described as the reconciliation of different beliefs and the practice of various philosophies. It is usually associated with the merging of several traditions with disparate origins, especially in religion in order to find a common factor or base belief.

In Japan, this is the best word to describe the state of religion today. So many centuries and so many waves of religious belief have rocketed through the country’s culture that an eventual amalgamation was inevitable. Many religious Japanese may study Confucian teachings, attend a Buddhist temple, but proclaim Taoist leanings without being contradictory.

In fact, Shinto is also woven into almost every aspect of the Japanese version of each of those religions, despite the fact that many of its tenets are polar opposite to them. Syncretism describes a variety of incarnations of Japanese religious thought today, all of which are accepted by large numbers within the population.