A Cultural History of Japanese Buddhism offers a comprehensive, nuanced, and chronological account of the evolution of Buddhist religion in Japan from the sixth century to the present day. Traces each period of Japanese history to reveal the complex and often controversial histories of Japanese Buddhists and their unfolding narrativesExamines relevant social, political, and transcultural contexts, and places an emphasis on Japanese Buddhist discourses and material cultureAddresses the increasing competition between Buddhist, Shinto, and Neo-Confucian world-views through to the mid-nineteenth centuryInformed by the most recent research, including the latest Japanese and Western scholarshipIllustrates the richness and complexity of Japanese Buddhism as a lived religion, offering readers a glimpse into the development of this complex and often misunderstood tradition