Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle bein ...
, unlike the closely related
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
, is a minority religion in
Japan. At present, there are three Jain temples in Japan, with the
Kobe Jain temple being the most famous one. Jainism is growing in Japan, more than 5,000 ethnic Japanese families in Japan have converted to Jainism.
History
Forty Japanese students were sponsored by the Government of India in the early 1950s to live and study in India. Some of them studied Navinaya in Varanasi and Gujarat, which led to new interest in the study of Jainism in Japan. One of the accomplishments was the first Japanese book by
Minakata Kumagusu to simplify and translate the concepts of Jainism into Japanese for use by the common people in Japan.
See also
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Jainism in Canada
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Jainism in Europe
The credit for introducing Jainism to the West goes to a German scholar, Hermann Jacobi, who translated some Jain literature and published it in the series 'Sacred Books of East' in 1884.
In Europe, the largest Jain populations are in Britain ...
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Jainism in Hong Kong
There are about 500 Jain families in Hong Kong, who immigrated to Hong Kong later than most other Indian groups. They originate mostly from the Indian state of Rajasthan, Gujarat,and other parts of India. Some Jains belong to Hong Kong orig ...
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Jainism in Singapore
The Jain community celebrated a presence of 100 years in Singapore marking the occasion by rededicating the "Stanak" and consecrating the idol of Mahavira. This brings together the two main sects of Jains - Svetambara and Digambara. The Singap ...
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Jainism in the United States
Adherents of Jainism first arrived in the United States in the 20th century. Jain immigration began in earnest in the late 1960s and continues to the present day.
History
In 1893, Virachand Gandhi became the first Jain delegate to visit the ...
References
Citation
Source
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Further reading
* A Japanese take on Jainism (in English)
kamit.jp
{{Jainism topics
Japan
Religion in Japan
Jain communities
Japan