News in Easy English: Young priests try to keep temples in Japan's countryside open

In the hills of Okayama Prefecture, young Buddhist priests face a significant challenge. Many temples have dwindling numbers of parishioners, a problem especially pronounced in rural areas. At Zenpukuji, a temple in Tsuyama, a summer Zen meditation class for children attracted only one participant in mid-August. The class is part of the "Terakatsu Project" (Temple activities project), initiated by 20 Tendai Buddhist temples in northern Okayama Prefecture in 2018.

Chief priest Jiyu Morisada, 37, and deputy chief priest Ensho Maniwa, 35, lead the project. Initially, the two priests planned a matchmaking event to help young people meet potential partners. However, the coronavirus pandemic made such gatherings difficult. Instead, the priests began offering classes for local children to encourage temple visits from a young age.

However, fewer children are attending these classes. Maniwa notes that Kannonji temple, which had 800 parishioner households about 30 years ago, now has about 500. A priest typically requires around 300 parishioner households to focus solely on temple duties and live with a family. Kannonji's parishioners have largely moved away, Maniwa explains, with about 100 households migrating last year.

Morisada's temple, too, has only around 80 parishioner households. He assists at another temple, Choanji in Misaki, Okayama Prefecture, where his father serves as chief priest. Morisada often travels to other temples to work and generate income. As a single individual, he worries that the traditional practice of passing temple leadership down from parent to child may not continue.

Maniwa, who is married with a 3-year-old son, considers the possibility that he may not entrust the temple to his child in 20 or 30 years. Instead, he proposes making temple buildings smaller and more affordable to maintain. While Morisada strives to keep people connected to the temple, he acknowledges that limited options exist to reverse this demographic trend.