Shinbutsu
/ˈʃɪnˌbʊt.suː/noun
A Japanese term referring to kami and Buddhas together, especially in the historical fusion of Shinto and Buddhism.
Did you know?Before the Meiji government enforced separation, temples and shrines were often part of the same religious complexes, with kami interpreted as manifestations or protectors of Buddhas.
Etymological Timeline
5th Century BCE
Sanskrit
buddha
“Awakened or enlightened one; the title associated with Siddhartha Gautama.”
2nd–3rd Century CE
Chinese
佛陀 (Fótuó)
“A transcription of Sanskrit buddha, later shortened to 佛.”
6th Century CE
Middle Chinese
神 (shén)
“Deity, spirit, or numinous being; the source of Japanese shin.”
6th Century CE
Japanese
仏 (butsu)
“Buddha, adopted through the Sino-Japanese reading of the Chinese Buddhist character.”
8th–12th Centuries
Japanese
神仏 (shinbutsu)
“Kami and Buddhas considered together within Japan’s developing syncretic religious culture.”
Modern English
English
shinbutsu
“A scholarly loanword for the historical interaction or combined religious sphere of kami worship and Buddhism in Japan.”