Daoism in Japan

The influence of Daoism traditions on Japanese religious culture is vast, longstanding and multifaceted. This book focuses on the multiple legacies of Daoism in Japan from antiquity to the present, providing an exploration of the particular pathways by which Daoist traditions entered Japan from continental East Asia. It addresses the basic issues in both Daoism Studies and the study of Japanese religions and demonstrates how Chinese influence on Japanese religious culture ironically proved to be crucial in establishing traditions that are usually seen as authentically, even quintessentially, Japanese.