Title: Chapter 11: Japanese Religions
Course: World Religions, 2e

Q: To be born into the Pure Land, what need one do?
- enter a monastic community
- support a monastic community
- become a samurai
- faithfully keep the precepts of Buddhism
- call on the name of Amida at time of death
A: call on the name of Amida at time of death

Q: When is the beginning of the New Year on the modern Japanese calendar?
- first part of February
- after the autumn harvest
- at the beginning of spring
- at the beginning of summer
- first of January
A: first of January

Q: What is a matsuri?
- festival honoring the kami
- a season for monastic retreats in Japan
- a Zen master
- a Shinto temple
- a Shinto monk
A: festival honoring the kami

Q: What is the primary emphasis of Zen?
- celibacy
- yoga
- honor
- meditation
- loyalty
A: meditation

Q: Chan is to China as _________ is to Japan.
- Jodo
- Tendai
- Shingon
- Zen
- Jodo Shin
A: Zen

Q: In the latter half of the 1800s, what happened to Buddhism in Japan?
- promoted over Shinto
- fused with Shinto
- fused with Christianity
- suppressed in favor of Shinto
- adopted by the imperial family
A: suppressed in favor of Shinto

Q: When was Christianity introduced to Japan?
- 1500s CE
- 500 CE
- after World War II
- 1800s CE
- 100s CE
A: 1500s CE

Q: What is the largest religious group in Japan?
- Shingon
- Tendai
- Jodo
- Jodo Shin
- Zen
A: Jodo Shin

Q: With what group was Soto Zen most popular?
- samurai
- Shinto priests
- urban merchants
- Korean immigrants
- rural peasants
A: rural peasants

Q: Rinzai Zen was popular with what group?
- rural peasants
- samurai
- Shinto priests
- urban merchants
- immigrants
A: samurai

Q: What school emphasizes the constant recitation of Amida’s name?
- Rinzai
- Soto
- Jodo
- Nichiren
- Shingon
A: Jodo

Q: What featured group does Jizo’s aid favor?
- ancestors
- the aged
- monks
- travelers and children
- the sick
A: travelers and children

Q: What clan was most responsible for developing links with Korean Buddhism and culture?
- Mononobe
- Katatomi
- Yamato
- Soga
- Jodo
A: Soga

Q: What was the emperors’ attitude to Buddhism when it was first introduced into Japan?
- hostile
- unaware
- allowed it in rural areas but not in the palace
- allowed it only among the military class
- supportive
A: supportive

Q: Besides Buddhism, what other tradition did Prince Shotoku incorporate into his principles of state?
- Confucianism
- Daoism
- Christianity
- Hinduism
- Jainism
A: Confucianism

Q: When was Buddhism introduced to Japan?
- 1500s BCE
- 500 BCE
- 1000 CE
- 5000 BCE
- 500s CE
A: 500s CE

Q: What clan first captured power in Japan, going on to establish the imperial dynasty?
- Sogo
- Mononobe
- Katatomi
- Yamato
- Jodo
A: Yamato

Q: What are the major religious traditions of Japan?
- Shinto and Confucianism
- Shinto and Daoism
- Shinto and Buddhism
- Buddhism and Confucianism
- Confucianism and Daoism
A: Shinto and Buddhism

Q: The Amida Buddha is honored by what form of Buddhism?
- Pure Land
- Soto
- Vajrayana
- Shingon
- Rinzai
A: Pure Land

Q: Pure Land Buddhism is a school of which main branch of Buddhism?
- Theravada.
- Mahayana.
- Zen.
- Vajrayana.
- It is independent of all previous forms of Buddhism.
A: Mahayana.

Q: In Japan, which religious group generally is in charge of funerals?
- Shinto
- Christian
- Buddhist
- monks of Zen Buddhism
- none
A: Buddhist

Q: In early Shinto practice, who had a particularly prominent role?
- monks
- samurai
- boys
- women
- grandparents
A: women

Q: The earliest accounts of Shinto mythology were compiled in what era?
- 700s CE
- 500s BCE
- 100s CE
- 1200s CE
- 1500s BCE
A: 700s CE

Q: What is a miko?
- Buddhist monk
- female assistant at a Shinto shrine
- Buddhist nun
- a laughing Buddha figure
- the leader of a Pure Land school
A: female assistant at a Shinto shrine

Q: On retirement, many Japanese emperors and empresses have become:
- Shinto priests.
- guardians of the ancestor shrines.
- scribes.
- shaman.
- Buddhist monks and nuns.
A: Buddhist monks and nuns.

Q: Who introduced Christianity into Japan?
- Augustine
- Koreans
- Francis Xavier
- Marco Polo
- American missionaries after World War II
A: Francis Xavier

Q: Who founded the Shingon school of Buddhism?
- Saicho
- Shotoku
- Shomu
- Hakuin
- Kukai
A: Kukai

Q: Who founded the Tendai school of Buddhism?
- Saicho
- Kukai
- Hakuin
- Shotoku
- Shomu
A: Saicho

Q: In order to lessen Buddhist influence on the imperial government, what did Emperor Kammu do?
- expelled Buddhist monks
- executed Buddhist monks
- moved capital to Kyoto
- moved monasteries to rural areas
- forced Buddhists to convert to Shinto practice
A: moved capital to Kyoto

Q: What was Motoori Norinaga’s primary contribution to Japanese religion?
- He revitalized Zen Buddhism.
- He reasserted Shinto principles as superior to Buddhist.
- He revitalized Pure Land Buddhism.
- He unified the Buddhist schools.
- He caused a schism in Pure Land Buddhism.
A: He reasserted Shinto principles as superior to Buddhist.

Q: What was Hakuin’s primary contribution to Japanese religion?
- He revitalized Pure Land Buddhism.
- He rejected all Buddhist practice.
- He unified all Buddhist groups.
- He revitalized Zen Buddhism.
- He caused a schism in Pure Land Buddhism.
A: He revitalized Zen Buddhism.

Q: What was Genshin’s primary contribution to Japanese religion?
- He promoted Zen Buddhism.
- He opposed all forms of Buddhism.
- He united all forms of Buddhism.
- He established State Shinto practice.
- He promoted Pure Land Buddhism.
A: He promoted Pure Land Buddhism.

Q: In the early 1600s, to where was the capital of Japan moved?
- Edo
- Nara
- Kyoto
- Kamakura
- Mt. Fuji
A: Edo

Q: Which is not true about ideas of purity in Shinto?
- bodily outflows, such as blood, can be polluting
- contact with death can be polluting
- promotes daily bathing in hot springs or waterfalls
- ritual impurity implies moral guilt or sin
- the sun-goddess was produced from a ritual bath
A: ritual impurity implies moral guilt or sin

Q: Buddhism was introduced to Japan from:
- China.
- Tibet.
- the Korean Peninsula.
- India.
- Sri Lanka.
A: the Korean Peninsula.

Q: When visiting a Shinto shrine, what parts of the body must one wash?
- feet
- hands
- top of the head
- hands and ears
- entire body
A: hands

Q: When do the Japanese young usually have their first visit to a kami shrine?
- at age 12
- at age 21
- in the month before marriage
- 30 days after birth
- on the first birthday
A: 30 days after birth

Q: How old are many of the prayers recited by Shinto priests?
- 1,000 years
- 2,500 years
- 500 years
- 100 years
- all prayers must be freshly crafted
A: 1,000 years

Q: In Japan, when might one expect to hear the chant “Good fortunes in; demons out”?
- Peach Blossom Festival
- Children’s Festival
- Obon Festival
- at a marriage
- Setsubun festival
A: Setsubun festival

Q: How does one get the attention of the kami?
- shouting
- clapping twice
- hitting a large gong
- lighting a fire
- knocking at the shrine gate
A: clapping twice

Q: Japanese religion features a memorial ceremony called mizuko kuyo. What does it commemorate?
- local god
- the parent
- the grandparent
- aborted fetuses and stillborn infants
- the emperor
A: aborted fetuses and stillborn infants

Q: Which is not connected to rites and rituals at a Shinto shrine?
- giving a coin or small offering before addressing the kami
- clapping twice to get the kami’s attention
- rinsing one hands and mouth before entering
- facing the direction of Tokyo and bowing five times
- attending on special festivals, such as New Year’s Day
A: rinsing one hands and mouth before entering

Q: Kannon is the Japanese equivalent to what Chinese god or goddess?
- Amida
- Amaterasu
- Guanyin
- Tian
- Budai
A: Guanyin

Q: What is another term for the Pure Land?
- Western Paradise
- Eastern Paradise
- the abode of the lotus
- Japan
- the abode of the kami
A: Western Paradise

Q: What is the term for the Japanese Buddhist belief that the present age is decayed and in decline?
- mikoshi
- matsuri
- milo
- mappo
- miyajima
A: mappo

Q: What does the term Rokudo identify in Japanese Buddhism?
- the five major Buddhist texts
- Pure Land Buddhism
- a Shinto shrine
- a Buddhist monastery
- the six levels of reincarnated existence
A: the six levels of reincarnated existence

Q: The Japanese term for gods and spirits is:
- kama.
- karma.
- jinn.
- kami.
- satori.
A: kami.

Q: With what is Inari, one of the most popular kami in Japan, associated?
- the sea god
- the rice god
- the mountain god
- the emperor
- the fish god
A: the rice god

Q: What are kami?
- Shinto priests
- Shinto prayers
- benevolent and malevolent spirits
- Buddhist chants
- Japanese Buddhist monks
A: benevolent and malevolent spirits

Q: What is the term for a phrase such as “The sound of one hand clapping”?
- koan
- mandala
- mantra
- mudra
- sutra
A: koan

Q: What is a koan?
- a Zen master
- a Zen monk
- a Zen meditative prayer
- a Zen meditative posture
- a Zen meditative puzzle
A: a Zen meditative puzzle

Q: What is a mikoshi?
- a costume of a Shinto priest
- the entrance to a Shinto temple
- a Zen garden
- portable Shinto shrine
- a Shinto priest
A: portable Shinto shrine

Q: What does the term zazen identify?
- a Zen temple
- a Zen meditative puzzle
- a seated Zen meditation
- a Zen master
- a Zen monk
A: a seated Zen meditation

Q: What does the term nembutsu identify?
- the celebration of ancestors
- an offering at a Shinto shrine
- a Japanese Buddhist monk
- a Shinto priest
- the recitation of the name of Amida
A: the recitation of the name of Amida

Q: One of the major symbols of Shinto is a torii. What does it represent?
- gate
- shrine
- river
- mountain
- the sun
A: gate

Q: Until the end of World War II, the Japanese imperial family had been viewed as descendent from what god or hero?
- Amaterasu
- Inari
- Izanami
- Miko
- the Buddha
A: Amaterasu

Q: What was the major deed of Izanagi and Izanami?
- the establishment of the samurai class
- creation of Japan and other kami
- the translation of Chinese Buddhist texts
- the creation of the hexagram symbols
- the establishment of the first Japanese monastery
A: creation of Japan and other kami

Q: Amaterasu, the preeminent deity of the Shinto kami, is called:
- moon-goddess.
- sun god.
- sky god.
- sun-goddess.
- moon god.
A: sun-goddess.

Q: What does the term Shinto mean?
- being of enlightenment
- propriety and righteousness
- civilization of human nature
- the way of the kami
- followers of Kannon
A: the way of the kami

Q: The Lotus Sutra promotes the idea of:
- monasticism.
- universal liberation.
- karma and universal justice.
- piety towards one’s ancestors.
- meditation.
A: monasticism.

Q: What is one of the featured activities of Boy’s/Children’s Day?
- climbing Mt. Fiji
- shaving the head
- dragon-boat races
- flying fish-shaped kites
- graduation from high school
A: flying fish-shaped kites

Q: Who or what is featured in the Japanese Peach Blossom Festival?
- boys
- girls
- the new year
- the end of harvest
- the aged
A: girls

Q: When did the ancient Japanese year begin?
- first of January
- at the beginning of summer
- early February
- at the end of summer
- after the autumn harvest
A: early February