Shinto is the ancient religion that is native to Japan. If you take the word “Shinto” itself apart it comprises the two words “Shen” and “Tao” which mean “Gods” and “Way,” respectively. So, Shinto is the indigenous Japanese religion of “the Way of the gods.”

Buddhism originated in India around the 5th-4th Centuries BCE. It eventually spread into China, and when the Japanese began to interact with China, it got passed along to them as well. But you’re right, Eish, they do indeed co-exist very well. If you get away from doctrine and look at the way religion is practiced there, the lines between Shinto and Buddhism can often get very blurry.