The difference between Japanese temples and shrines

The shrine belongs to Shinto and is dedicated to Japanese gods. There is a saying in the Japanese shrine called 8 million gods worship. Mountains, trees, strange stones, animals and ancestors can all be worshipped. In addition, the torii (a tall archway standing at the entrance of the shrine), bells, thousands of trees, fish trees and injection ropes (white zigzag paper tapes hanging on straw ropes) are all features of the shrine.

Temples are places to worship Buddha, to worship Buddha statues, and to promote Buddhism by monks. There are monks, nuns and abbots in the temple, and the Buddha statue as the deity is also enshrined. In addition, the bell, crocodile mouth (a kind of bell) and cemetery are all characteristics of the temple. There are differences between shrines and temples in sects and objects of worship. In addition, the shrine is considered to have originated in Japan, while the temple was imported from overseas, which is also the difference between the two.