Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Nihon Shoki gives the date of 552 CE for the official introduction of Buddhism to Japan, when King Seong of Baekje sent a mission to Emperor Kinmei that included an image of the Buddha Shakyamuni, ritual banners, and sutras. Other sources give the date of 538, and both dates are considered unreliable by scholars, but it is generally accepted that Buddhism arrived through official diplomatic channels in the middle of the sixth century.
According to 2023 statistics from Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, Pure Land Buddhism is the largest sect with 22 million believers, followed by Nichiren Buddhism with 10 million, Shingon Buddhism with 5.4 million, and Zen Buddhism with approximately 5.2 million. The six old schools established in the Nara period have only around 700,000 believers.
Haibutsu kishaku, meaning roughly "abolish Buddhism and destroy Shakyamuni," was a popular and often violent movement triggered by the Meiji government's 1868 Kami and Buddhas Separation Order. It is estimated that 40,000 Buddhist temples were destroyed, with some regions losing 80% of their temples. The most violent phase lasted from 1869 to 1871, during which monks were forced into lay life, and Buddhist books and artifacts were confiscated or destroyed.
The Soga clan was the key early patron of Buddhism in Japan. When the emperor asked his court whether to worship the Buddha, Soga no Iname, who lived from 506 to 570, supported adoption while rival clans opposed it. After a period of testing, armed conflict broke out; the Soga side, led by Soga no Umako and Prince Shotoku, emerged victorious. Their support also funded Japan's first Buddhist temple, Hoko-ji, also known as Asukadera.
Kamakura Buddhism, which developed from 1185 to 1333, produced entirely new schools founded by ex-Tendai monks who broke from the established tradition. Figures like Honen, Shinran, Dogen, and Nichiren each developed distinct paths including Pure Land chanting, Soto Zen meditation, and exclusive Lotus Sutra practice. Unlike the older Nara schools, which functioned primarily as state-sponsored study groups, the Kamakura schools directed their teachings at wider social groups, including the poor and marginalized.
Soshiki bukkyō, or funerary Buddhism, is a term coined by scholar Tamamuro Taijo in 1963 to describe the narrowing of many Japanese Buddhist temples to primarily funeral and burial services in the post-war era. It reflects a broader decline in traditional temple Buddhism, with roughly 100 Buddhist organizations disappearing each year. Despite this, around 90% of Japanese funerals are still conducted according to Buddhist rites.