Editing Burakumin (section)

== Religion ==
{{expand section|perspective and general expertise cleanup|date=June 2021}}

Historically, they were followers of their own folk religion, and even in modern times, a significant portion of the burakumin population practices their own folk religion and ancestor worship. Today, most burakumin share common religious practices with the majority of Japanese citizens, following a unique mixture of Shinto and Buddhism, known as [[Shinbutsu-shūgō]] (神仏習合). They perform Shinto rituals at the birth of newborns. Historically, their funeral rituals were based on their own folk rites, and they buried their dead, unlike Buddhists. Many of them have also adopted Buddhism to escape social discrimination, as it offered religious advantages.

[[Jōdo Shinshū|Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism]] originally patronized the lower castes{{Opinion|date=April 2023}}. In 1922, when the National Levelers' Association ({{transliteration|ja|Zenkoku-suiheisha}}) was initiated in Kyoto, Mankichi Saiko, a founder of the society and Jodo Shinshu priest, said, critiquing aggressive postures on the denouncement of acts of discrimination:

{{blockquote|We shouldn't disgrace our ancestors and violate humanity by our harsh words and terrible actions. We, who know how cold the human world is, and how to take care of humanity, can seek and rejoice from the bottom of our hearts in the warmth and light of human life.<ref>{{cite web |first=Toshinori |last=Kasahara |date=1996 |title=Shin Buddhism and the Buraku-min |archive-date=2005-05-03 |access-date=2005-07-26 |url=http://www.shindharmanet.com/writings/burakumin.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050503084212/http://www.shindharmanet.com/writings/burakumin.htm}}</ref>}}

After many petitions from the BLL, in 1969 the ''Honganji'' changed its opinion on the {{transliteration|ja|burakumin}} issue.{{Citation needed|date=September 2017}} {{transliteration|ja|Zenkairen}}, which disassociated from the BLL in 1968, regrets this decision.{{Citation needed|date=September 2017}}

Religious discrimination against the {{transliteration|ja|burakumin}} was not recognized until the BLL's criticism sessions became widespread. For example, in 1979 the Director-General of the [[Sōtō]] Sect of Buddhism made a speech at the "3rd [[Religions for Peace|World Conference on Religion and Peace]]" claiming that there was no discrimination against burakumin in Japan.