{
  "id": 9905440,
  "title": "Japan's 'Chanson Monk' uses song, sutras to spread message of peace",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/japans-chanson-monk-uses-song-sutras-to-spread-message-of-peace",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-26T04:00:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260925/p2g/00m/0na/015000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nagoya, Japan (Kyodo) -- French chanson and Buddhist chants may appear an unusual pairing, but for 87-year-old priest Miruo Nakano, they serve as a means to deliver a profound message about peace and the value of life. Dubbed the \"Chanson Monk,\" Nakano, hailing from Ichinomiya in central Japan's Aichi Prefecture, initially took up chanson as a pastime in his 60s, crafting a unique style that merges French songs with Buddhist chanting. He has even performed in Paris.\n\nNakano implores that \"a new prewar era is on the horizon,\" recalling the hardships of his childhood during World War II and the loss of his young son, which spurred him to warn people against taking peace for granted. At an event in Yatomi, Aichi Prefecture, on August 7, Nakano serenaded a gathering of over 50 attendees, including children and adults, with a song advocating for peace. Following his chanson performances, Nakano typically proceeds to chant Buddhist sutras, aiming to impart the straightforward message of appreciating one's life and employing it to aid others and society.\n\nBorn in Nagoya's Atsuta Ward, Nakano endured the horrors of the Pacific War, with an estimated 7,000 people perishing in the 63 air raids that struck Nagoya. As a sufferer of asthma, he spent most of the war at home. His family temple served as a makeshift morgue, receiving coffins post-bombing, and Nakano eventually grew accustomed to the presence of death. Yet, one image remains etched in his mind -- the bodies of a mother and her baby, who were swept away during a bombing while the mother was fleeing, leaving Nakano with a haunting recollection of war's brutality. Other memories remain vivid decades later, including the distinct whistling of incendiary bombs and the scent of burning fabric and flesh.\n\nThe war's end did not dampen Nakano's resolve to speak about the significance of life. In 1970, his eldest son tragically drowned after falling into a river. Determined to prevent others from enduring the same loss, Nakano urged the Ichinomiya city government to erect safety barriers along riverbanks. Today, 81 years after the conclusion of World War II, Nakano is apprehensive about the increasingly precarious global climate. \"We cannot predict when peace may be jeopardized,\" he stated. \"Do not view war as a relic of the past.\" Nonetheless, Nakano remains resolute in his belief that individual actions, even small ones like sighs, can collectively create a small voice, and multiple small voices can culminate in a powerful one.",
  "summary": "NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- French chanson and Buddhist sutras may seem an unlikely combination, but for 87-year-old priest Miruo Nakano, they have become a way",
  "key_points": [
    "French chanson monk Miruo Nakano spreads peace message",
    "87-year-old Nakano merges French songs with Buddhist chanting",
    "Nakano performed at Yatomi event on August 7, urged peace"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Mainichi",
        "title": "False claims alleging theft by foreigners in Japan spread on social media",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/false-claims-alleging-theft-by-foreigners-in-japan-spread-on-social",
        "published": "2026-09-26T02:13:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}