Ryōbu Shintō, often translated as “Dual Shintō,” is characterized less by a single fixed liturgy than by a spectrum of hybrid rites in which kami and buddhas are approached together. At the heart of these practices stands dual worship: Shintō deities and Buddhist figures are venerated side by side, frequently understood as different manifestations of a shared sacred reality. This is expressed in shrine–temple complexes where Shintō and Buddhist spaces interpenetrate, and where offerings, bows, and prayers are directed to both without a sharp boundary. Seasonal festivals and other observances in such settings can draw on both Shintō and Buddhist calendars, creating a ritual rhythm that reflects the intertwining of the two traditions.

A distinctive feature of this syncretism is the adaptation of esoteric Buddhist ritual forms to the world of the kami. Mantras, mudrās, and visualization practices drawn from Shingon and related esoteric lineages are incorporated into shrine worship, so that the act of approaching a kami may also involve the disciplined inner work of esoteric Buddhism. Mandalas, especially those associated with the Womb and Diamond Realms, become not only doctrinal diagrams but ritual instruments, shaping how sacred space is imagined and enacted. In some rites, Buddhist ritual implements and altar arrangements stand alongside traditional Shintō offerings, signaling a shared ritual economy rather than a simple borrowing.

Purification, always central in Shintō, also takes on a dual character in this milieu. Traditional forms such as misogi are practiced in conversation with Buddhist modes of purification, so that cleansing is experienced as both a bodily and karmic process. Chanting of Buddhist sutras at shrines, and the use of Shintō prayers together with Buddhist texts, further exemplify this layered approach to purity and merit. In such settings, the line between “Shintō ceremony” and “Buddhist ceremony” becomes porous, and practitioners move between them as part of a single, continuous path.

The human roles and disciplines that sustain these practices likewise reflect the fusion. Buddhist monks may serve in priestly capacities at shrines, conducting rites that honor both kami and buddhas with equal seriousness. Mountain asceticism associated with shugendō offers a particularly vivid example of this blending, where training regimes combine Shintō spiritual sensibilities with Buddhist meditation and discipline. Through these intertwined rituals, spaces, and disciplines, Ryōbu Shintō embodies a vision in which different religious languages and forms are not rivals, but complementary ways of drawing near to the sacred.