The development and evolution of different sects of Japanese Buddhism such as Zen Buddhism played an important role in the development of classical Japanese culture throughout the four great periods, as shown by how the Nara period, Heian era, Kamakura period, and Edo period were all shaped by the rise and decline of different Buddhist sects. It is these transitions that make Japanese history a myriad but fascinating web of interconnected events that manages to baffle even the most experienced historians. At first, Buddhism was just a hobby reserved for the elite landowners and daimyos, with no particular meaning for ordinary people. Above all, it was another way for the central government to acquire power and influence with the numerous local lords with whom it regularly had to deal. It should be noted, however, that most of these new converts to Buddhism did not abandon their previous religions, but rather mixed it with several aspects of Shintoism, the original indigenous religion of Japan ("Japanese Buddhism",1). This gave rise to several amalgamations of the two religions wherever and whenever they met (“Japanese Buddhism”,1). However, as Buddhism was introduced to the general population through a process of hierarchical diffusion, it quickly diversified and evolved from its original form as different sects that shaped the culture contemporary Japanese (Kasahara, 302). Buddhism was first introduced to Japan in Nara through trade. with Han China and, it seems, a few ambassadors from the Chinese imperial court appeared one day at the emperor's palace with, among other gifts, the finger bone of Buddha, to be presented as a sign of goodwill in order to be able to propagate their religion. .... middle of paper ......the most totalitarian discipline of the Mahayana Buddhist school and the spontaneity of the Tao. It also combines elements of neo-Confucianism which serve to make the school more rigid and inflexible in its methods ("Zen", 1). This is probably why the military loved him so much, because he was simple, but very disciplined, making it impossible to confuse or reject his requests. Because of this, Japanese society became slightly more orderly and rigid, particularly regarding the samurai class who fully embraced the philosophies of Zen Buddhism. In fact, this caused some conflict between the peasants and the samurai class because, as the peasants believed the samurai were being unfair in forcing them to follow such strict rules and guidelines, several riots broke out in the most remote provinces. rural areas of Japan. (“Japanese Buddhism”,1).