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of New Year celebrations in Japan. In the similar way, the
examples of Buddhist influence in Japanese social life can
also be studied from the concept of Zeniarai Benten or coin-
washing Benten. Sarasvati is called Benten or Benzai-ten in
Japan. But in the concept of Coin-washing Benten there
has occured a fusion of Shintoism and Buddhism.
Due to the great distances between the two countries
and the immense difficulty of travelling thousands of miles
by sea and hostile lands the people of Japan did not have any
direct acquaintance with India or the Indians. But the
Japanese had a great desire of maintaining relationship with
their religious motherland, India. They tried their best to
come in contact with the Indians. It can also be referred in
this connection that the several Indian deities who were
little known or forgotton in China or India are still popular
in Japan. The images of shoden or sh艒-ten or Kangiten, or Ganesa,
Kichij艒-ten or Laksmi, Benten or Sarasvati and the Gods of
Fire Ka-ten or Agni etc. are the well known Buddhist deities
路 in Japan. Moreover, the great disciples of the Buddha, and
the great Buddhist scholar monks such as R膩hula, Ananda,
N膩g膩rjuna, Bodhisena, Amoghovajra, Vimalakirti, Bodhidharma
of India and many other monks of China and Japan have also
been deified and worshipped in Japan and the images of these
disciples were included in the broader section of the reli-
gious art of Japan.