The Separation
The Restoration government tried to make a clear distinction between Buddhism and Shinto with a series of edicts. This was done in several stages. A first order issued by the Jingijimuka on April 1868 ordered the defrocking of shasō and bettō (shrine monks performing Buddhist rites at Shinto shrines).
A few days later, the Daijōkan banned the application of Buddhist terminology such as gongen to Japanese kami and the veneration of Buddhist statues in shrines.
The third stage consisted of the prohibition against applying the Buddhist term Daibosatsu (Great Bodhisattva) to the syncretic kami Hachiman at the Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū and Usa Hachiman-gū shrines.
In the fourth and final stage, all the defrocked bettō and shasō were told to become "shrine priests" (kannushi) and return to their shrines. Also, monks of the Nichiren sect were told not to refer to some deities as kami.
Read more about this topic: Shinbutsu Bunri
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