Although Buddhism was a major influence on both Chinese and Japanese history, key political and social circumstances led to the rise and rapid decline of Buddhism in China, while it remained a dominant religion in Japan. There are many political and social reasons that help explain why the period of history in China between 500 and 1200 was not compatible with Buddhism influences on Japan. .
In China, the periods of the Sui and Tang dynasties allowed for the "Golden Age" of Buddhism to flourish, while the period of the Song Dynasty led to Buddhism's rapid fall. Buddhism was able to come to China because at that point of time in history during the Sui, China was not unified. "The new faith spread slowly at first, but then began to appeal more widely as the political order disintegrated and Chinese, with their traditional distaste for chaos, turned to Buddhism's otherworldly message and its doctrine that the real, observable world of human affairs was illusory and insignificant (Murphey, 76)." The people liked the idea of rebirth rather than one's next life being of lesser value. .
During the Tang Dynasty, popularity of Buddhism increased even greater due to the fact that a new leader was appointed the throne. This new leader was a woman named Empress Wu Zao. She rejected Confucianism because it showed inequality towards women, and adopted Buddhism because it was not bias towards woman. Socially, she was able to get people to follow her beliefs and was powerfully favored, so therefore, thought to be a reincarnation of the bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddhist Messiah. Buddhism was flourishing until the people started to dislike the fact that they had a woman empress and she was casted out. This was a major factor that led to the decline of Buddhism. Politically, the state also opposed Buddhism because it was taking money away from them due to the fact that the monasteries lived on tax-free land and were private-banks.
