Japanese religious history and religions in Japan today

Owing to the diversity of the field, Japanese religious history and religions in Japan today are an interesting and challenging field of religious studies research. The material culture of Japanese Buddhism, recent religious history (especially new religions), the current discourse around spirituality and the practices which have emerged from this as well as the transformation of zen in Japan and the so-called west are at the centre of the research interest at the Heidelberg Institute for Religious Studies.