"For many families, encounters with priests at Buddhist temples are confined only to funerals. But due to the coronavirus pandemic, funeral services became streamlined, exacerbating people's disengagement with temples. As the role of religion in Japan continues to fade, does this spell their demise?"
With the above lead-in, business weekly Shukan Tokyo Keizai (June 10) launches into a 32-page section of reports covering the crisis that organized religion now faces in Japan. Ultimately, it writes, Buddhism here is in the process of confronting what might be described as a life-or-death struggle.
The writing has been on the wall for some time already. Back in 2015, Kenji Ishii, professor of Shinto studies at Kokugakuin University, projected that more than one-third of the nation's shukyo hojin (incorporated religious bodies) will have ceased to exist by 2040.
Those under greatest threat belonged to the Jinja Honcho, headquarters of the Shinto religion, and two Buddhist sects: Koyazan Shingon-shu and Sotoshu, with all three looking at a decline of over 40%. Even the listed denomination with the lowest attrition, the Protestant-based United Church of Christ in Japan (with claimed membership of only 160,000), was still projected to lose over 20% of its organizations.
It was from 2005 that the number of annual deaths in Japan began surpassing that of live births. With deaths climbing to 1.58 million in 2022 and members of the huge postwar baby boom generation expected to shuffle off this mortal coil, deaths are projected to incrementally increase at least until 2040. It would appear therefore that religious groups, which obtain much of their revenues from funerals, burials and related activities, could expect a windfall in income.
That, however, is not necessarily the case. For one thing, while conventional practices call for a Buddhist otsuya (wake) followed by a funeral, the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated the adoption of "single ceremony" events.
Still another factor affecting costs is that according to a survey undertaken by one funeral service business, conventional family graves are only planned by 19.1% of individuals, with an overwhelming 71.8% opting for low- or no-maintenance graves: The two responses were broken down as 51.6% opting for arboricultural burials and 20.2% to be laid to rest in a columbarium.
Buddhist organizations in particular have often been the target of derision for basically operating as "funerary businesses." This is borne out by another survey conducted jointly by the Japan Buddhist Federation and Daiwa Securities, which shows how infrequently priests are called upon to cater to parishioners' spiritual needs.
Even for practicing Buddhists, opportunities for encounters between temple parishioners and priests at family temples tend to be few and far between. Only for funerals and memorial services did the figure exceeded 50%. Such occasions as the summer Obon (Festival of the Dead) was 26.8% and when visiting family graves, 25.8%. In contrast, consultations over personal or spiritual matters was a remarkably low 0.7%.
The coronavirus pandemic clearly exacerbated the downward spiral of funeral costs, with internet-based operators as Kamakura Shinsho (with annual revenue of ¥5 billion) and others grabbing larger shares from the temples. They've been joined by such groups as Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA); four private railway companies (Keikyu, Keio, Hankyu and Nankai); and three hotel groups (Imperial, Okura and New Otani).
As of 2020, the total number of firms operating funeral services is believed to have increased fivefold, to 2,544, making the business much more competitive. And as competition heats up, the quality of services cannot help but decline. As one veteran operator told the magazine, "If rates keep dropping like this, instead of funeral services, we'll wind up as no more than 'corpse processors.'"
Part 2 of Toyo Keizai's special section examines the decline of so-called "new religions," with separate articles devoted to the Buddhist lay organization Soka Gakkai, the Unification Church, the Jehovah's Witnesses and Happy Science.
Of current interest was Toyo Keizai's make on Happy Science, as its founder, Ryuho Okawa, passed away suddenly last March at the age of 66.
From its establishment in 1986, growth in membership had been steady and it has claimed as many as 11 million adherents.
Okawa, however, died without an heir apparent; his eldest son severed all ties with the group. Although the possibility of succession by Ryuho's second wife, the former Shio Kondo, has been raised, at the moment the organization is effectively leaderless.
A former Happy Science member was quoted as saying, "Shio lacks charisma and spiritual power. She might be the most likely successor to Okawa, but I don't think she's capable of exerting his kind of leadership."
With no viable successor to its absolute leader, the writer observes, Happy Science's momentum appears to have come to a screeching halt.
© Japan Today
43 Comments
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falseflagsteve
Hope so, it’s a relic of past times when mankind knew much less about the world and also a way to profiteer and control people.
virusrex
In a way religions are being replaced by other kinds of organizations where faith is given to people that repeat what the believers want to hear, it can be political, philosophical, social issues but the main point is the same. The group must be right no matter what, and evidence or people that say anything different are treated like heresy. No amount of logic arguments or evidence can change the dogma they believe in.
TaiwanIsNotChina
I was shocked to learn that most Buddhist priests can marry in Japan. What kind of dedication is that if you are just like everybody else? Let's hope that people don't turn to cults, however, in making sense of how to get through life.
Peter Neil
Declining across the world. It’s all nonsense anyway.
falseflagsteve
In a way religions are being replaced by companies whose procedures are given to people that repeat what the media want them to hear.
No amount of logical arguments or evidence can change the dogma they believe in.
virusrex
The key to identifiy this is simple, you check the best tool humanity has to find out what is happening in reality, and if there is a consensus (as in all institutions saying the same thing) then that is what logical arguments and evidence says, those who just repeat the consensus must be wrong are in the other side of the problem.
browny1
As the article indicates - most Buddhist, Shinto and Christian priests have little or no connection with the wider community, especially in the realms of care, help, understanding, comfort, advice for those needing it.
Yes there are a few charitable exceptions, but for the majority if you're not a signed up contributing member, then you're not "one of us".
My dear friend of 3 decades - a lovely woman who is a pastor of her local chapel - says churches here, including her own head church in Tokyo, are like private clubs. She compared once to Golf Clubs which have stringent rules and protocol.
With all the social strife and financial worries facing a large portion of society, these institutions offer little.
Probably why cults have an attraction as they fulfill these basic needs.
Anonymous
These negative comments about religion are so refreshing and welcome. Miracles? Rubbish! A man declaring himself a woman and …WHOOSH… becomes one just like that? (Okay, a little cut and pasting involved…) A miracle? If it’s part of the ideology of a new religion then, yes, it is.
Old Sausage
This is the very natural development of anything, birth, growth, death. In ancient times and in a primitive society, the priest provided social services, like counseling, mediate in disputes, protection, etc. With the increase in the population, all these functions were taken by non Buddhist entities like police, social services, etc. The Buddhist priest was not necessary anymore, and to survive without alms and sponsors they resorted to funeral services that before were provided by them as one of their functions. 49 years ago the abbot of the Zuiganji told me ¨Do not look for satori here, go live in society and study in books by yourself, satori does not grow at the temples anymore.¨
NCIS Reruns
Over the years, I have been energetically proselytized by adherents of so-called new religions. In all cases (perhaps half a dozen) they were female. Without exception their efforts were for naught. I've become better at screening out such people, but feel the need to remain vigilant. I know of a few foreign males who wound up marrying such women but none that I know of ever converted.
Geeter Mckluskie
@virusrex
wrote: "The key to identifiy this is simple, you check the best tool humanity has to find out what is happening in reality, and if there is a consensus (as in all institutions saying the same thing) then that is what logical arguments and evidence says" However, the evidence could be inaccurate or misinterpreted as was the case with the "geocentric" universe consensus, until Copernicus came along and proved "scientific consensus" to be wrong. This is similar to what happened during the pandemic with those in authority making such claims as "the virus stops transmission"
Geeter Mckluskie
Edit of above: *the vaccine stops transmission
Peter Neil
Ah yes, the Devout Order of the No-Mask religion,
EvilBuddha
I was shocked to learn that most Buddhist priests can marry in Japan. What kind of dedication is that if you are just like everybody else?
Well Buddhism is meant for everyone regardless of background, race or culture.
There is no such restriction on marriage in Buddhist scriptures. The Buddhist teachings though have been interpreted in incorrect ways by various sects so many such sects did place such artificial restrictions in accordance with the social norms.
EvilBuddha
with separate articles devoted to the Buddhist lay organization Soka Gakkai
Soka Gakkai is still the largest religious organization in Japan, but it lost its way because it deviated from its original mandate of propagating Nichiren Buddhism and spread into various unrelated secular activities like politics, arts, education and other things.
wallace
Buddhism is about all aspects of everyday life. There is a long history of art and education in Buddhism. There is no separation between ordinary daily life and Buddhist teachings. Temple is correct and right can only provide a path to Buddhism. Buddhism can be studied and practiced without any connection to temples.
According to these statistics, the largest sects of Japanese Buddhism are the Jōdo Buddhists with 22 million believers, followed by the Nichiren Buddhists with 11 million believers.
Shinto is the largest religion in Japan, practiced by nearly 80% of the population.
NCIS Reruns
I have seen figures to the effect that the total number of believers of all religions in Japan, as claimed by the religions themselves (including Shinto) adds up to slightly more than double the population, i.e., there's a considerable discrepancy between membership claimed by the respective denominations and the actual number.
Take Shinto, which essentially claims that all Japanese are automatically Shinto by birthright. But there was a lawsuit some years ago in which relatives of Japanese christians who had died while serving in the military in WW2 took the Yasukuni Shrine to court to demand that their consecration there be invalidated. (I don't recall what the court ruled; maybe the suit is ongoing.)
If I visit a Shinto shrine and toss a coin in the collection box, does that make me Shinto too? Anyway it's wise to take the claimed numbers with a grain of salt.
NCIS Reruns
Just one example:
Japan Widow Loses Religious Rights Case
BY KARL SCHOENBERGER
JUNE 2, 1988 12 AM PT
TOKYO — In a major setback for advocates of stronger separation of religion and state in Japan, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday against a Christian woman who sued the government for violating her rights by enshrining her husband in a Shinto ceremony after he died on military duty.
The high court overturned two lower-court rulings that the “personal religious rights” of the widow, Yasuko Nakaya, 54, had been violated by Self-Defense Forces officials who helped in the enshrinement over her objections.
Full article here: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-02-mn-5840-story.html
albaleo
@Geeter
I remember being told the vaccines would reduce the spread of transmission and the severity of symptoms. The data I've seen suggest that was true.
On the other hand, I agree with your point about Copernicus. Science is a human activity, and is affected by the various faults we fleshy things are encumbered with. I'm still glad I was made to read Thomas Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" as a student.
On the religious points of the article, all I can say is one the great joys I experienced when living in Japan was the general lack of religious belief.
Mr Kipling
Hopefully yes. Though all it would take would be one, just one single piece of evidence that God, any God existed and I would happily sign up.
Hello Kitty 321
But Happy Science believes in 'Spiritual Messages' so surely Mr. Okawa continue to run things by messaging his followers from wherever he is now.
virusrex
So what? as long as it is the best available then it is still what should guide decisions, if it is wrong then the method is designed to correct this. What is irrational is to ignore the best available explanation just because it may be wrong and then arbitrarily believe something else just because you like it better.
Your misunderstanding is believing the scientific consensus is some kind of dogmatic ummovable thing that rules what should be accepted, in reality is just the scientific community agreeing in something that is proved by the evidence and that will change and improve when new and better evidence is obtained, even if that contradicts the old (and not so good) evidence.
Not at all, the misrepresentation you make is based on pretending the experts said something they never did, specifically that the vaccine (obviously not the virus) would absolutely and eternally prevent transmission no matter what variants could appear. In reality the experts predicted variants could make immunity against previous infections (both natural and from vaccines) much less effective, specially because variants that would replace the previous ones would need to be transmitted more easily. Nothing wrong with that prediction.
commanteer
People who think science and rationality can replace faith are rather sad. They live with a gaping void of things that make no sense and life that has little meaning or love because, inevitably, reason minus faith brings one to the eventual conclusion that life has no meaning one way or the other. Good luck living with that.
albaleo
I've had that point put to me many times in my life, but I don't see "meaning" as being essential for living. I think "good feelings" are a better route. Life is worth living if some things make you feel good. And those things can be quite varied, and not always rational - a view from a mountain, a girlfriend/boyfriend squeezing your hand on a date, a smile from a young child, solving a crossword puzzle, getting a par score on one hole at golf, your kids buying you a cool shirt for your birthday, fixing a bug in some computer code, drinking with friends, etc.
I still struggle over the question of the cause of existence, and I'm fairly sure I still won't know the answer when I die. But it doesn't stop me looking forward to good experiences.
Peter Neil
The Church of Scientology and the Mormons tell you everything you need to know about the quackery of religion and the people who start them. Two convicted con men.
theFu
Buddhism can be practiced as a religion or as a life philosophy, not a religion.
In your opinion. We who don't believe in a sky-man think that religion is a mental illness and people trying to gain converts are shysters peddling lies. Love has nothing at all to do with the sky-man. Many holy text talk about the sky-man killing millions and individuals. In some parts of my country, the Bible has been removed from elementary school libraries due to the violence and adult stories it contains.
Being happy or unhappy is a choice for most people in wealthy countries. I choose to be happy, most of the time. Once you realize that, and don't let the little things bother you, you can find balance and happiness. Finding meaning in your life isn't hard. No sky-man is needed.
Moonraker
Buddhism is potentially revolutionary. Zazen itself is a revolutionary act because it demands there is more to life than petty consumption and production and Buddhism itself attempts to provoke a supra-national consciousness. But Buddhism was co-opted by the Tokugawa shogunate and served its purpose of surveillance and control. It never really recovered. And, in fact, it has been made sure it never should. The people should primarily be in the service of the nation and its economic demands.
kohakuebisu
I like spiritualty, the idea that there is more to life than material things, especially money and possessions, but not the channeling of spirituality through organized religions.
What organized religions can offer and do quite well is community, maybe not so much in Japan, but certainly in other countries. If the decline of religion means a decline in people getting together as communities to be replaced with nothing, i.e., further atomization, I don't think it is to be celebrated. Atomization of older people in particular is bad.
commanteer
I agree the little things need to be appreciated. But life can be cruel and tragic - and can seem to make no sense. Some people live charmed lives, but many must deal with inexplicable setbacks. A belief system provides a way to go on living when everything appears bleak. It's not the meaning of life anyone should be looking for - that's impossible to know. It's the meaning of our own life that sustains us when times are bad. And that usually requires some sort of faith.
albaleo
Thanks, commanteer. You got me thinking. But is the "faith" you describe not faith in oneself. And when things get bad and that's not enough, is it not social support that is needed? That social support can come from family, friends, neighbors, and other groups. For some, those groups would include religious congregations. (I see kohakuebisu made a similar comment above.) For others, it might just involve joining the local old folks badminton club.
Yuuju
The dedication can still be there. priests in my country (Orthodox Christianity) can marry as well. that doesn't make them less dedicated. they work hard everyday and their life is a proof itself of their sincerity and dedication.
Yuuju
I see you have never been through something that left you one on one with your problems with no understanding or help from family, friends, others.
when worst comes to worst, im telling ya, everything will go against the normal. it's a strange that in this day and age some people live like Polyannas.
factchecker
Organised religion is a curse on society, leeches on the poor and vulnerable. The sooner it's gone the better.
La vie douce
Some refreshing comments from kohakuebisu, comanteer, albaleo...thanks.
Paustovsky
Is there a country in the world with a thorough education system where religion is not in decline ?
Eastman
in this country is just one and only real religion.
o ka ne
others are tax non payers businesses.
Yuuju
Greece, Italy, Spain, Israel, Turkey, Ireland, Ukraine :) and many others
Kniknaknokkaer
Good, man invented religion and it's a COS. People should think and care more about what really affects life and death........the earth and natures cycles, which is all right there in front of us. Most people have become so detached from nature that we are destined to destroy ourselves.
Beardo
@Yuuju I'm not going to do all the research for you, but Spain and Ireland are becoming less religious. Maybe look into it.
Yuuju
Beardo
i dont need you to do research for me, but you may need to do research for yourself :D
Still, Spain and Ireland are quite religious among many other countries that proves your point wrong. Ciao! ;)
Anonymous
So? If this is a bad thing, why? What do religions contribute to societies?
Yuuju
Anonymous
a bad worker blames a tool :)
opheliajadefeldt
Our family is German and my parents belonged to Soka Gakkai very briefly. They and I still believe in the tenets of Buddhism, but quite frankly, they did not like the other people in our group, so they left it. They said too many of them were very selfish and quite un-Buddhist like. Plus, they hated the messages being put out by the leadership, a lot of which had nothing to do with Buddhism.