Editing Religion in Japan (section)

== Minor religions ==
===Christianity===
{{multiple image
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| image3            = 2018 St. Mary's Cathedral Tokyo 1.jpg
| caption3          = [[St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo|Saint Mary's Catholic Cathedral]] of [[Tokyo]]
| image4            = Tokyo Resurrection Cathedral March 2019.jpg
| caption4          = [[Holy Resurrection Cathedral]] in Tokyo, of the [[Japanese Orthodox Church]]
| image5            = St. Andrews Anglican Cathedral, Tokyo, December 2013.JPG
| caption5          = St. Andrew's Cathedral in Tokyo, of the [[Anglican Church in Japan|Japanese Anglican Church]]
| image6            = TOKYO ONCYO REFORMED CHURCH IN JAPAN 2010 Ebisu, Tokyo.JPG
| caption6          = Grace Church, a [[Calvinism|Reformed]] church in Tokyo
| image7            = Kashii Baptist Church 20190212.jpg
| caption7          = Kashii [[Baptists|Baptist]] Church in [[Fukuoka]] ([[Japan Baptist Convention]])
| image1            = 
}}

{{Main|Christianity in Japan}}
{{See also|Catholicism in Japan|Orthodoxy in Japan|Protestantism in Japan|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan}}

In 2019, there were 1.9 million<ref>{{cite book|title=宗教年鑑 令和元年版|trans-title=Religious Yearbook 2019|url=https://www.bunka.go.jp/tokei_hakusho_shuppan/hakusho_nenjihokokusho/shukyo_nenkan/pdf/r01nenkan.pdf#page=49|page=35|year=2019|language=ja|publisher=[[Agency for Cultural Affairs]], Government of Japan}}</ref> Christians in Japan,<ref name=US2022>[https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/japan US State Department 2022 Religious Freedom Report]</ref> most of them living in the western part of the country, where missionaries' activities were greatest during the 16th century.

[[Christianity]] (キリスト教 ''Kirisutokyō''), in the form of [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] (カトリック教 ''Katorikkukyō''), was introduced into Japan by [[Jesuit]] missions starting in 1549.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 1">Higashibaba, 2002. p. 1</ref> In that year, the three Jesuits [[Francis Xavier]], [[Cosme de Torres]] and [[Juan Fernández (missionary)|Juan Fernández]], landed in [[Kagoshima]], in [[Kyushu]], on 15 August.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 1"/> [[Portugal|Portuguese]] traders were active in Kagoshima since 1543,<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 1"/> welcomed by local ''[[daimyō]]s'' because they imported gunpowder. [[Anjirō]], a Japanese convert, helped the Jesuits understanding Japanese culture and translating the first Japanese catechism.<ref>Higashibaba, 2002. p. 5</ref>

These missionaries were successful in converting large numbers of people in Kyushu, including peasants, former Buddhist monks, and members of the warrior class.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 12">Higashibaba, 2002. p. 12</ref> In 1559, a mission to the capital, [[Kyoto]], was started.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 12"/> By the following year there were nine churches, and the Christian community grew steadily in the 1560s.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 12"/> By 1569 there were 30,000 Christians and 40 churches.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 12"/> Following the conversion of some lords in Kyushu, mass baptisms of the local populations occurred, and in the 1570s the number of Christians rose rapidly to 100,000.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 12"/>

Near the end of the 16th century, [[Franciscan]] missionaries arrived in Kyoto, despite a ban issued by [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]]. In 1597, Hideyoshi proclaimed a more serious edict and [[Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan|executed 26 Franciscans]] in [[Nagasaki]] as a warning. [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] and his successors enforced the prohibition of Christianity with several further edicts, especially after the [[Shimabara Rebellion]] in the 1630s. Many Christians [[Kakure Kirishitan|continued to practice in secret]]. However, more importantly, the discourses on Christianity became the property of the state during the Tokugawa period. The state leveraged its power over to declare Christians enemies of the state in order to create and maintain a legally enforceable identity for Japanese subjects. As such, Christian identities or icons became the exclusive property of the Japanese state.<ref>LeFebvre, 2021.</ref> Although often discussed as a "foreign" or "minority" religion, Christianity has played a key sociopolitical role in the lives of Japanese subjects and citizens for hundreds of years.<ref>LeFebvre, 2021. [https://brill.com/view/journals/jrj/aop/article-1163-22118349-20210001/article-1163-22118349-20210001.xml "The Oppressor's Dilemma: How Japanese State Policy toward Religion Paved the Way for Christian Weddings"]</ref>

In 1873, following the [[Meiji Restoration]], the ban was rescinded, [[freedom of religion]] was promulgated, and [[Protestantism|Protestant]] missionaries (プロテスタント ''Purotesutanto'' or 新教 ''Shinkyō'', "renewed teaching") began to proselytise in Japan, intensifying their activities after [[World War II]], yet they were never as successful as in [[religion in South Korea|Korea]].

[[Nagasaki Prefecture]] had the highest percentage of Christians in 1996 (about 5.1%).<ref>[http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/honkawa/7770.html Religion in Japan by prefecture]. 1996 statistics.</ref> As of 2007 there were 32,036 Christian priests and pastors in Japan.<ref name="Bestor, Yamagata. 2011. p. 65"/> According to a poll conducted by the [[Gallup Organization]] in 2006, Christianity had increased significantly in [[Christianity in Japan|Japan]], particularly among youth, and a high number of teens were becoming Christians.<ref name="W. Robinson 2012 521">{{cite book|title=International Handbook of Protestant Education| first=David |last= W. Robinson|year= 2012| isbn=9789400723870| page =521 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|quote=A 2006 Gallup survey, however, is the largest to date and puts the number at 6%, which is much higher than its previous surveys. It notes a major increase among Japanese youth professing Christ.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mercatornet.com/after_fatalism_japan_opens_to_faith/6222|title=After fatalism, Japan opens to faith|website=mercatornet|date=17 October 2007|quote=The 2006 Gallup poll, however, disclosed that an astounding 12 per cent of Japanese who claim a religion are now Christian, making six per cent of the entire nation Christian.|access-date=8 February 2022|archive-date=20 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720225309/https://mercatornet.com/after_fatalism_japan_opens_to_faith/6222/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Handbook of Religion: A Christian Engagement with Traditions, Teachings, and Practices| first= Gerald |last= R. McDermott|year= 2014| isbn=9781441246004| page =|publisher=Baker Academic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ry_aBAAAQBAJ&q=christianity+in+japan+2006+galloup&pg=PT319}}</ref>

Throughout the latest century, some Western customs originally related to Christianity (including [[marriage in Japan|Western style weddings]], [[Valentine's Day]] and [[Christmas]]) have become popular among many of the Japanese. For example, 60–70% of weddings performed in Japan are Christian-style.<ref>LeFebvre, J. (2015). "Christian wedding ceremonies: 'Nonreligiousness' in contemporary Japan." ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies'', 42(2), 185–203.</ref> [[Christianity]] and [[Christian culture]] has a generally positive image in [[Japan]].<ref name="Heide Fehrenbach, Uta G. Poiger 2000 62">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RB2goIgxF68C&pg=PA62|title=Transactions, transgressions, transformations: American culture in Western Europe and Japan|page=62|publisher=Berghahn Books|year=2000|isbn=978-1-57181-108-0|quote=|author=Heide Fehrenbach, Uta G. Poiger}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kimura |first1=Junko |last2=Belk |first2=Russell |title=Christmas in Japan: Globalization Versus Localization |journal=Consumption Markets & Culture |date=September 2005 |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=325–338 |doi=10.1080/10253860500160361 |s2cid=144740841 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g00769/a-little-faith-christianity-and-the-japanese.html|title=A Little Faith: Christianity and the Japanese|date=22 November 2019|quote=Christian culture in general has a positive image.|publisher=Nippon.com: Your Doorway to Japan}}</ref>

===Islam===

[[File:Tokyo Camii 2009.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Tokyo Mosque]], built in [[Ottoman architecture|Ottoman style]]]]
{{Main|Islam in Japan}}{{Update section|date=May 2025|reason=It uses prior to 2010 source}}
[[Islam]] (イスラム教 ''Isuramukyō'') in Japan is mostly represented by small immigrant communities from other parts of [[Asia]]. In 2008, Keiko Sakurai estimated that 80–90% of the Muslims in Japan were foreign-born migrants primarily from Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Iran.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nakhleh |first=Emile A. |last2=Keiko |first2=Sakurai |last3=Penn |first3=Michael |date=January 2008 |title=Islam in Japan: A Cause for Concern?", Asia Policy 5, |url=http://www.nbr.org/publications/asia_policy/Preview/AP5_IslamJapan_preview.pdf |access-date=2025-04-25 |language=en}}</ref> It has been estimated that the Muslim immigrant population amounts to 10,000–50,000 people, while the "estimated number of Japanese Muslims ranges from thousands to tens of thousands".<ref>[http://www.japanfocus.org/-kawakami-yasunori/2436#sthash.4FOVJMP9.dpuf Yasunori Kawakami, "Local Mosques and the Lives of Muslims in Japan", Japan Focus, May 2007]</ref>

===Bahá'í Faith===

{{Main|Bahá'í Faith in Japan}}
The [[Bahá'í Faith]] (バハーイー教 ''Bahāiikyō'') in Japan began after a few mentions of the country by [['Abdu'l-Bahá]] first in 1875.<ref>{{cite book|author='Abdu'l-Bahá|author-link='Abdu'l-Bahá|orig-year=1875|year=1990|title=The Secret of Divine Civilization|publisher=Bahá'í Publishing Trust|page= 111|location=Wilmette, Illinois|isbn=978-0-87743-008-7|url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SDC/sdc-6.html.iso8859-1#gr21}}</ref> The first Japanese convert was {{nihongo|[[Kanichi Yamamoto]]|山本寛一}}, who lived in [[Honolulu]], and accepted the faith in 1902; the second convert was {{nihongo|[[Saichiro Fujita]]|藤田左弌郎|}}. The first Bahá'í convert on Japanese soil was {{nihongo|Kikutaro Fukuta|福田菊太郎}} in 1915.<ref>{{cite book|last=Alexander|first=Agnes Baldwin|author-link=Agnes Alexander|editor=Sims, Barbara|title=History of the Baháʼí Faith in Japan 1914-1938|publisher=Japan Baháʼí Publishing Trust|year=1977|location=Osaka, Japan|pages=12–4, 21|url=http://bahai-library.com/alexander_history_bahai_japan}}</ref> Almost a century later, the [[Association of Religion Data Archives]] (relying on [[World Christian Encyclopedia]]) estimated some 15,700 Bahá'ís in 2005.<ref name="WCE-05">{{cite web |title=QuickLists: Most Baha'i Nations (2005) |work=[[Association of Religion Data Archives]] |year=2005 |url=http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_40c.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709101136/http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_40c.asp |archive-date=2009-07-09 |access-date=2009-07-04}}</ref>

===Judaism===

{{Main|History of the Jews in Japan|Jewish settlement in Imperial Japan}}
[[Judaism]] (ユダヤ教 ''Yudayakyō'') in Japan is practiced by about 2,000 [[Jews]] living in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ajcarchives.org/AJC_DATA/Files/889.pdf|last=Golub|first=Jennifer|title=Japanese Attitudes Toward Jews|publisher=Pacific Rim Institute of the American Jewish Committee|date=August 1992}}</ref> With the opening of Japan to the external world in 1853 and the end of Japan's ''[[sakoku]]'' [[foreign policy]], some Jews immigrated to Japan from abroad, with the first recorded Jewish settlers arriving at [[Yokohama]] in 1861. The Jewish population continued to grow into the 1950s, fueled by immigration from Europe and the Middle East, with [[Tokyo]] and [[Kobe]] forming the largest communities.

During [[World War II]], some European Jews fleeing [[the Holocaust]] found refuge in Japan. These mainly Polish Jews received a so-called Curaçao visa from the Dutch consul in Kaunas, [[Jan Zwartendijk]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa1072299| title = Jan Zwartendijk. - Collections Search - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum}}</ref> This allowed one Japanese diplomat, [[Chiune Sugihara]], the Japanese consul to [[Lithuania]], to issue Japanese transit visa. In doing so, both Zwartendijk and Sugihara disregarded orders and helped more than 6,000 Jews escape the Nazis. After World War II, a large portion of Japan's Jewish population emigrated, many going to what would become [[Israel]]. Some of those who remained married locals and were assimilated into Japanese society.

There are community centres serving Jews in Tokyo<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jccjapan.or.jp/|title=Jewish Community of Japan|access-date=2011-12-01|archive-date=2006-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060117013448/http://www.jccjapan.or.jp/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Kobe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jcckobe.org/|title=Jewish Community of Kansai}}</ref> The [[Chabad-Lubavitch]] organization has two centers in Tokyo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chabad.jp/|title=Chabad Japan|publisher=Chabad Jewish Center of Japan}}</ref>

In September 2015, Japan nominated a [[Chief Rabbi]] for the first time, the head of Tokyo's [[Chabad House]], Rabbi Binyamin Edrei.<ref>{{cite news|title=Japan Gets First-Ever Chief Rabbi|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/200785|date=September 17, 2015}}</ref>

===Hinduism===
{{Main|Hinduism in Japan}}
[[File:Krishna-in-Kyoto.jpg|thumb|upright|200px|Depiction of [[Hindu]] deity [[Krishna]] playing the flute in a temple constructed in 752{{nbsp}}CE on the order of Emperor Shomu, [[Tōdai-ji|Todai-ji Temple]], Great Buddha Hall in [[Nara, Nara|Nara]], [[Japan]]]]
[[Hinduism]] (ヒンドゥー教 ''Hindūkyō'' or 印度教 ''Indokyō'') in Japan is practiced by a small number of people, mostly migrants from [[China]], [[India]], [[Nepal]], and [[Bali]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}} Nevertheless, Hindu culture have had a significant but indirect role in Japanese culture, through the spread of Buddhism and the fascination of ancient world about Bharatvarsha. Four of the Japanese "[[Seven Gods of Fortune]]" originated as Hindu deities, including Benzaiten (Sarasvati), Bishamon (Vaiśravaṇa or Kubera), Daikoku (Mahakala/Shiva), and Kisshoutennyo (Lakshmi). Various Hindu deities, including the aforementioned, are worshipped in [[Shingon Buddhism]]. This denomination and all other forms of Tantric Buddhism have multiple sources in common with Tantric Hinduism.

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives, there were 25,597 Hindus in Japan in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Japan, Religion And Social Profile {{!}} National Profiles {{!}} International Data {{!}} TheARDA|url=https://www.thearda.com/internationaldata/countries/Country_117_2.asp|access-date=2023-06-04|website=www.thearda.com}}</ref>

===Sikhism===
{{Main|Sikhism in Japan}}
[[Sikhism]] (シク教 ''Sikukyō'') is presently a minority religion in [[Japan]] mainly followed by families migrated from India. Sikh communities formed in the 1920s, primarily in Kobe and later in Tokyo. The Sikh population, though small, established gurdwaras.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Wadhwa |first=Megha |date=24 August 2016 |title=Sikhs hope temple in Tokyo sets the stage for tolerance and understanding |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2016/08/24/issues/sikhs-hope-temple-tokyo-sets-stage-tolerance-understanding/ |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825015152/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2016/08/24/issues/sikhs-hope-temple-tokyo-sets-stage-tolerance-understanding/#.V75PQMHP3MI |archive-date=25 August 2016 |website=The Japan Times}}</ref> Notable figures include [[Jagatjit Singh|Maharaja Jagatjit Singh]] of [[Kapurthala]] who visited the country during 1903–1904.<ref name="Kamalakaran">{{Cite web |last=Kamalakaran |first=Ajay |date=29 June 2022 |title=The travelogue of an Indian maharaja who disliked China and loved Japan |url=https://scroll.in/magazine/1027142/the-impressions-of-an-indian-maharaja-who-disliked-china-and-loved-japan |access-date=2023-05-12 |website=Scroll.in |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Jainism===
{{Main|Jainism in Japan}}
[[Jainism]] (ジャイナ教 ''Jainakyō'') is a minority religion in [[Japan]]. {{As of|2009}}, there were three Jain temples in the country.<ref>{{cite conference|url=http://www.jaina.org/?page=Convention2009|title=2009 Jain Diaspora Conference|location=Los Angeles, USA|access-date=24 March 2012|publisher=JAINA: Federation of Jain Associations in North America}}</ref> [[Minakata Kumagusu]] published the first simplified Japanese translation of Jainist concepts for common people.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mehta |first1=Manish |title="Jain studies" |url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/jainastudies/newsletter/file25135.pdf |publisher=SOAS University of London.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613004726/https://www.soas.ac.uk/jainastudies/newsletter/file25135.pdf |archive-date=2022-06-13 }}</ref>

===Other religions of East Asia===
[[Happy Science]] was founded in 1986 by Ryuho Okawa. This Japanese religion has been very active in its political ventures to re-militarize Japan.

====Ryukyuan religion====
[[File:Miyako harimizu utaki.jpg|thumb|150px|''Harimizu [[utaki]]'' (Harimizu Shrine), a Ryukyuan shrine in [[Miyakojima, Okinawa|Miyakojima]], [[Okinawa Prefecture]]]]
{{Main|Ryukyuan religion}}
The Ryukyuan religion is the indigenous belief system of the people of [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] and the other [[Ryukyu Islands]]. While specific legends and traditions may vary slightly from place to place and island to island, the Ryukyuan religion is generally characterized by [[ancestor worship]] (more accurately termed "ancestor respect") and the respecting of relationships between the living, the dead, and the gods and spirits of the natural world. Some of its beliefs, such as those concerning ''[[genius loci]]'' spirits and many other beings classified between gods and humans, are indicative of its ancient [[animism|animistic]] roots, as is its concern with {{nihongo3||まぶい|mabui}}, or life essence.

One of its most ancient features is the belief {{nihongo||おなり神|[[onarigami]]}}, the spiritual superiority of women derived from the goddess [[Amamikyu]], which allowed for the development of a class of ''[[noro (priestess)|noro]]'' (priestesses) cult and ''yuta'' (female [[Mediumship|media]]). This differs from Japanese Shinto, where men are seen as the embodiment of purity. Ryukyuan religion has been influenced by Japanese Shinto and Buddhism, and various Chinese religions. It includes sects and reformed movements such as [[Ijun]] or Ijunism ([[Ryukyuan languages|Ryukyuan]]: いじゅん ''Ijun''; Japanese: 違順教 ''Ijunkyō''), founded in the 1970s.

====Ainu folk religion====
{{Main|Ainu religion}}
The Ainu religion {{nihongo||アイヌの宗教|Ainu no shūkyō}} is the indigenous belief system of the [[Ainu people]] of [[Hokkaido]] and [[Ainu in Russia|parts of Far Eastern Russia]]. It is an [[Animism|animistic]] religion centered around the belief that ''[[Kamuy]]'' (spirits or gods) live in everything.

====Chinese folk religion====
{{Main|Chinese folk religion}}
[[File:Yamashitacho, Naka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture 231-0023, Japan - panoramio - jetsun (5).jpg|thumb|150px|Temple of [[Guan Yu|Guandi]] (關帝廟; Japanese: ''Kanteibyō'', Chinese: ''Guāndìmiào'') in [[Yokohama]]]]
Most [[Chinese people in Japan]] practice the Chinese folk religion ({{cjkv|j=中国の民俗宗教|r=Chūgoku no minzoku shūkyō|c=中国民间宗教 or 中国民间信仰|p=Zhōngguó mínjiān zōngjiào or Zhōngguó mínjiān xìnyǎng}}), also known as Shenism ({{cjkv|c=神教|r=Shinkyō|p=Shénjiào}}), that is very similar to Japanese Shinto.

The Chinese folk religion consists in the worship of the ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors, ''[[shen (Chinese religion)|shen]]'' (神 "[[deity|gods]]", "spirits", "awarenesses", "consciousnesses", "[[archetype]]s"; literally "expressions", the energies that generate things and make them thrive), which can be [[nature god|nature deities]], city deities or [[tutelary deity|tutelary deities]] of other human agglomerations, [[national god|national deities]], [[cultural hero|cultural]] [[hero]]es and demigods, [[ancestor]]s and [[progenitor]]s of kinships. [[Mythology|Holy narratives]] regarding some of these gods are codified into the body of [[Chinese mythology]].

====Taoism====
[[File:Sakado Xientengong Tenmon 20110203 1.jpg|thumb|150px|''Seitenkyū'' (聖天宮; Chinese: ''Shèngtiāngōng'', "Temple of the Holy Heaven"), a [[Taoist temple]] in [[Sakado, Saitama]]]]
{{Main|Taoism in Japan}}
[[Taoism]] (道教 ''Dōkyō'') was introduced from China between the 7th and 8th centuries, and influenced in varying degrees the Japanese indigenous spirituality. Taoist practices were absorbed into Shinto, and Taoism was the source of the esoteric and mystical religions of [[Onmyōdō]], [[Shugendō]] and [[Kōshin]].

Taoism, being an [[indigenous religion]] in China, shares some roots with Shinto, although Taoism is more hermetic while Shinto is more shamanic. Taoism's influence in Japan has been less profound than that of Japanese Neo-Confucianism. Today, institutional Chinese Taoism is present in the country in the form of some temples; the ''[[Seitenkyū]]'' was founded in 1995.

====Confucianism====
[[File:Ashikaga Gakko Koshibyo.JPG|thumb|150px|''Kōshibyō'' (孔子廟, "Temple of Confucius") of the [[Ashikaga Gakko]], the oldest Confucian school in Japan]]
{{Main|Edo Neo-Confucianism}}
[[Confucianism]] (儒教 ''Jukyō'') was introduced from Korea during the [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)]],<ref>{{citation |author=Kim Ha-tai |title=The Transmission of Neo-Confucianism to Japan by Kang Hang, a Prisoner of War |journal=Transactions of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |number=37 |date=April 1961 |pages=83–103}}</ref> and developed into an elite religion, yet having a profound influence on the fabric of Japanese society overall during the [[Edo period]]. The Confucian philosophy can be characterized as humanistic and rationalistic, with the belief that the universe could be understood through human reason, corresponding to the universal reason (''[[li (Neo-Confucianism)|li]]''), and thus it is up to man to create a harmonious relationship between the universe (天 ''[[Tian|Ten]]'') and the individual.<ref name="craig">{{Harvnb|Craig|1998|p=552}}.</ref> The rationalism of Neo-Confucianism was in contrast to the mysticism of Zen Buddhism in Japan. Unlike the Buddhists, the Neo-Confucians believed that reality existed, and could be understood by mankind, even if the interpretations of reality were slightly different depending on the school of Neo-Confucianism.<ref name="craig"/>

The social aspects of the philosophy are hierarchical with a focus on [[filial piety]]. This created a Confucian [[social stratification]] in Edo society that previously had not existed, dividing Japanese society into four main classes: [[samurai]], farmers, [[artisan]]s and merchants.<ref name="craig2">{{Harvnb|Craig|1998|p=553}}.</ref> The samurai were especially avid readers and teachers of Confucian thought in Japan, establishing many Confucian academies.

Neo-Confucianism also introduced elements of [[ethnocentrism]] into Japan. As the Chinese and Korean Neo-Confucians had regarded their own culture as the center of the world, the Japanese Neo-Confucians developed a similar national pride.<ref name="craig"/> This national pride would later evolve into the philosophical school of [[Kokugaku]], which would later challenge Neo-Confucianism, and its perceived foreign Chinese and Korean origins, as the dominant philosophy of Japan.