Hitosaji: Establishing Priestly Faith through Charitable Activities

• In Event: Buddhism beyond Temple Walls: The Everyday Engagements of Japanese Buddhists

Abstract

In modern society, religious traditions have been forced to change in varying degrees, in order to adjust to contemporary society. Especially, in their attitudes toward social issues. In the presentation, I explore Buddhist responses to homelessness in Japan.
Homelessness emerged as a social problem in the late 1990s. In response a number of NPOs and faith-based organizations (FBOs) were established to provide assistance to this growing population. Historically, the majority of FBOs in Japan are based in the teachings of Christianity and many NPOs have roots in Christian churches and labor unions. However, recently Buddhist groups have also become active in providing assistance to the homeless.
In this presentation I focus on the Jōdo shū (Pure Land) affiliated group Hitosaji, which was established in 2009 by the denomination’s priests to support Tokyo’s homeless population. Hitosaji’s three main activities include: (1) funeral support: conducting funeral rituals and memorial service for homeless people who have passed away on the street; (2) material support: providing food and medicine; (3) promotion of rice donations: encouraging other temple priests to donate rice to Hitosaji’s charitable activities.
Interviews and participant reveal that in addition to serving a social purpose, priest’s faith in the denomination’s teachings are deepened through their volunteer activities with Hitosaji. In this paper I explore the specific and varied ways in which Buddhist priests are affected religiously through tackling social issues.

Author

• Akinori Takase, Taisho University