Looking beyond
the temple walls

I was originally a head priest in a Buddhist temple. In recent years, working-age residents have been leaving our rural area for cities, and the local society continues to age rapidly. Will temples disappear as the population dwindles and local communities become unable to provide necessary support? A sense of crisis was already growing inside me when the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami struck. At first, I felt penetrating helplessness in the face of such colossal damage, but I also witnessed religious
workers dauntlessly trying to help the disaster recovery effort. This experience urged me to look beyond the temple walls and get involved in social welfare projects, which included providing care and support for medical patients and preventing social isolation and loneliness among older people.
I specialize in applied religious studies and sociology of religion. My historical study of social welfare aims to figure out how religion has contributed to the coexistence of various values and the formation of the public space in modern society. For my next research project, I plan to consider the part played by religion in binding local communities and the role of religious culture in the recovery efforts.