Haibutsu kishaku

Haibutsu kishaku (Japanese廃 仏 毁 釈, literally " abolish Buddhism and destroy Shakyamuni " ) is a term that describes a recurring trend in the history of Japan, which aimed to ban Buddhism from Japan. A particular significance of this term in relation to what happened during the Meiji Restoration, which resulted in many Buddhist temples, statues and documents were destroyed. In the course of these events, many Buddhist clerics were forced into a secular life.