It is only after the 13th century that one can speak with validity of a Shintō traditiion. But Shintō had no written tradition and no centralized doctrine until the emergence of Ise Shintō 伊勢神道, Ryōbu Shintō 両部神道 and Tendai Shintō 天台神道 in Japan's medieval period. First, Shintō existed centuries before the arrival of Buddhism to Japan in the form of shamanism, nature worship, and mountain cults. There are a number of reasons for the lack of a vigorous Shintō artistic tradition. Shintō artwork is most often found in the combinatory Kami-Buddha art of the Shugendō mountain cults, and in the scroll paintings and mandala of Tendai Shintō and Shingon Shintō. Shintō kami (deities) feature much less prominently than Buddhist deities in Japanese artwork and religious statuary. For a guide to the teachings of the Historical Buddha, click here. Sects from all three schools are still active in Japan, but Mahayana Buddhism remains the most popular form. Artwork belonging to the Theravada and Vajrayana (Esoteric) traditions is less prominent, but it is nonetheless plentiful. The Mahayana form in particular spread throughout the Japanese islands, thus the majority of surviving Buddhist sculpture in Japan today belongs to the Mahayana tradition. Buddhism in Asia arrived last in Japan, crossing the sea from Korea and China in the early 6th century AD (see Early Japanese Buddhism for details). Nearly all listed deities originated in India, where Buddhism was born around 500 BC. Most artwork featured at this site dates from the 8th to 14th century AD, but modern-day practices and sculpture are covered as well. This web site is devoted primarily to artwork of deities populating the top five levels. They are listed below in a fifth category called “Others.” In Buddhist circles, there are Ten Worlds or Ten Levels of Existence ( see list below). There are other deities and groupings that don’t fit easily into any category. Buddhist deities are traditionally classified by Japanese art scholars into four main categories, and the same scheme is used at this web site (see above chart).
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