Buddhism and, to a lesser degree, Shinto, Japan’s earliest belief system, were influences on Japanese art. Buddhism came from Korea in the 6th century, leading to the construction of religious sites and sculptures that adhered to Korean and Chinese prototypes. Its iconography also gave form to kami, Shinto’s hitherto amorphous deities. Other Buddhist models continued to influence Japanese culture, including Chinese Chan (Japanese: Zen), which occasioned Japan’s tea ceremony.
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