Ryōbu Shintō

Ryōbu Shintō, in Japanese religion, the syncretic school that combined Shintō with the teachings of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. The school developed during the late Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1192–1333) periods. The basis of the school’s beliefs was the Japanese concept that Shintō deities (kami) were manifestations of Buddhist divinities. Most important was the identification of the sun goddess Amaterasu with the Buddha Mahāvairocana (Japanese name Dainichi Nyorai: “Great Sun Buddha”). The school’s theorists interpreted the Shingon belief in the two realms of Dainichi as corresponding to the two kami enshrined at the Ise Shrine: Amaterasu was considered to be the equivalent of taizō-kai (“womb world”), and Toyuke (or Toyouke) Ōkami, the kami of food, clothing, and shelter, was equated with kongō-kai (“diamond world”). Their shrines at Ise were identified with the two mandalas used to represent the dual nature of Dainichi.

Ryōbu Shintō was highly influential in the development of other syncretic schools, notably Sannō Ichijitsu Shintō (q.v.). The original school split into several branches, but these continued to flourish until the 18th century.