This is a commisssion from Kometaro. Like my previous commission with him this follows his art style more than mine

The comic is a small play on Japan history of adopting Buddhism into their existing Shinto.
I often don't accept commissions with heavy religious tone, but this comic has a more education and historical direction, and it's a very helpful look into Touhou and Japan cultural context.

Also, I was raised both by Buddhism and Christianity (yeah, I have a weird family circumstance), so I came across very familiar context when making this comic. Of course, my knowledge about Shinto is more surface level, so Kometaro was a very great help for me.

And as always, I'll leave my shameless plugs here:
My instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buhbuhbored/
My reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/Buh-Buh-Bored/
My ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/buhbuhbored

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Source: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/137814712
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I’m Kometaro, the one who commissioned this project. I drew the storyboard and sent it to the artist, and he completed the manga perfectly—some parts were even more wonderful than I had imagined.

Now, everyone—have you ever looked into Japanese culture and wondered, “Why do Buddhism and Shinto coexist?” This manga focuses on that question.

The root of this coexistence lies in Shinbutsu-shūgō, the syncretism of kami and Buddhas that took place in ancient times. To explain it roughly, it was based on the idea that “if the kami become Buddhists, they can be practiced together.” This blended faith developed in a unique way throughout the medieval period and beyond, differing from forms of Buddhism outside Japan. Even though a separation policy between Shinto and Buddhism was enforced in the 19th century, both religions still function as foundations of Japanese spirituality.

Originally, Buddhism developed by incorporating Hindu deities (for example, Eiki’s Yama originates from an ancient Indian deity) and interacted with Daoism in China as well, so the model of deities from other religions converting to Buddhism is not unique to Japan. However, the particular way Buddhism was combined with Japan’s Shinto can be called a uniquely Japanese religion.

If you want to learn more, I recommend searching terms like “Shinbutsu-shūgō” or “Honji-suijaku.”

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Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/touhou/comments/1p4n1yk/comment/nqcy9i8/
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