Seventeen distinguished experts on Japanese religion provide a fascinating overview of its history and development. Beginning with the origins of religion in primitive Japanese society, they chart the growth of each of Japan's major religious organizations and doctrinal systems. They follow Buddhism, Shintoism, Christianity, and popular religious belief through major periods of change to show how history and religion affected each other -- and discuss the interactions between the different religious traditions. A History of Japanese Religion closes with discussions of State Shintoism, Buddhism and modern society, and the growth of contemporary religious movements.