page_title: Religion in Japan
section_title: Hinduism
hierarchical_section_title: Religion in Japan / Minor religions / Hinduism
caption_attribution_description: English: Krishna in Todaji temple. Relief.
context_page_description: Buddhism and Shintoism are the two major religions in Japan. According to the annual statistical research on religion in 2018 by the Agency for Culture Affairs, Government of Japan, 69.0 percent of the population practices Shintoism, 66.7 percent Buddhism, 1.5 percent Christianity, and 6.2 percent other religions. Total adherents exceeds 100% because many Japanese people practice both Shintoism and Buddhism. However, other surveys such as the Japanese General Social Survey and the Japanese National Character Survey find that roughly 70% of the population report that they have no religious beliefs. Most of the Japanese pray and worship ancestors and gods at Shinto shrines or at private altars, while not identifying as "Shinto" or "Shintoist" in surveys. This is because these terms have little meaning for the majority of the Japanese, or because they define membership in Shinto organizations or sects. The term "religion" itself in Japanese culture defines only organized religions. People who identify as "non-religious" in surveys actually mean that they do not belong to any religious organization, even though they may take part in Shinto rituals and worship.
context_section_description: 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 India, Nepal, Bali. Nevertheless, Hindu themes have had a significant but indirect role in Japanese culture, through the spread of Buddhism. Four of the Japanese "Seven Gods of Fortune" originated as Hindu deities, including Benzaiten (Sarasvati), Bishamon (Vaiśravaṇa or Kubera), Daikoku (Mahakala/Shiva), and Kisshoutennyo (Laxmi). Various Hindu deities, including the aforementioned, are worshipped in Shingon Buddhism. This denomination, and all other forms of Tantric Buddhism, borrow heavily from Tantric Hinduism.
caption: Depiction of Hindu deity Krishna playing the flute in a temple constructed in 752 CE on the order of Emperor Shomu, Todai-ji Temple, Great Buddha Hall in Nara, Japan
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