Yugen Yasunaga: Reforming Tsukiji Hongwanji by Leveraging Business Experience

The Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, to which Tsukiji Hongwanji belongs, underwent a major organizational reform in 2012. At that time, the denomination and the head temple, Hongwanji, which had been operated as one, were separated. The denomination became like a holding company in a general corporation, handling education and holding the authority to appoint and dismiss chief priests. The head temple, Hongwanji (Nishi Hongwanji), became the center of faith as the largest temple. It was decided that the denomination would handle most administrative aspects.

At that time, Tsukiji Hongwanji, which had been called a 'Betsuin' (branch temple), was essentially upgraded. I am like the president with representative rights for that largest subsidiary. However, since I am an outsider after all, I am not a particularly high-ranking monk.

It seems to be a tradition of the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha to enjoy incorporating new things. During the Meiji era, the Monshu (head priest) at the time inspected Europe and the United States with the founding fathers of the Meiji government. When he learned that Christianity used music and grand ceremonies, he created many hymns similar to Christian hymns.

Regarding Tsukiji Hongwanji, the then-Monshu Kozui Otani said, 'From now on, we need a temple like a church where anyone can enter and sit in chairs.' He commissioned Chuta Ito, then a professor at the University of Tokyo, to design the reconstruction of the main hall, which had been damaged in the Great Kanto Earthquake. It was built in 1934, before the war.

Well, I was almost overwhelmed by the weight of tradition (laughs). Since about 98% of the people were originally monks, there were naturally some hardships. Personally, the hardest part was that as the head of a monk organization, I naturally had to preside over religious ceremonies as the officiating priest.

This was tough. I was desperate for the first year. I had to lead the chanting, go before the Buddha, and chant alone. There are quite a few sutras. I'm still not that good at it, but it's a world where you are only recognized as a monk once you can do that. Thanks to everyone's guidance, I'm managing somehow.

This is my third career. First I was a banker, second a management consultant, and third a monk. I thought I was relatively adaptable, but adapting to a major environmental change and pushing things forward is indeed a challenge.

The language of the business world and the religious world is completely different. Trying to bridge that gap creates a lot of conflict. Prepared to face resentment, I said that a religious corporation is a 'corporation' just like a joint-stock company. A joint-stock company has the role of distributing profits to shareholders, and since a public interest corporation has no shareholders, it should simply return those profits to the public.

However, to operate a corporation sustainably, you must generate income properly. So, I always say that while the purpose is different, the methods and management style are exactly the same as a company. I faced massive pushback saying, 'A temple is different from a company,' but it was a battle of endurance.

Yes. So, it is a high-level service industry. But saying 'service industry' creates more resentment. So, I ask, 'What is the origin of the word service?' In Christianity, masses and rituals are called 'services.' I tell them that 'morning service' isn't about service at a cafe, but refers to the ritual held in a church in the morning. I keep telling them that in that sense, they are the same.

Yes. In the Tokyo metropolitan area, where one-third of Japan's population is concentrated, how do we conduct missionary work and proselytizing? I am currently demonstrating through my own actions that by using these methods, we can form connections with new people, and those people will gradually grow into believers.

Three years ago, we created the Tsukiji Hongwanji Ginza Salon, which is essentially a culture center. Thanks to everyone, we reached 6,000 registered members in just under three years.

Also, since November of the year before last, we renovated the temple grounds and created the Tsukiji Hongwanji Joint Grave. It's a new type of grave. People apply while they are still alive, and there are no annual fees or maintenance costs. By providing peace of mind during one's lifetime, we have had about 5,000 people sign contracts in about a year and a half.

As I am now proving the process by which these people gradually become followers, it seems the staff have started to think, 'What the new Chief Executive Officer is saying might not be a lie after all' (laughs).

In the past, temples held a dominant position within the temple-parishioner system. They were the masters of the local community and, in some places, quite large landowners. The common people were tied to the temple-parishioner system to some extent and gave offerings to the temple. Temples were sustained by that.

However, after the war, along with high economic growth, families became nuclear, and now individualization has progressed further. With the disappearance of the temple-parishioner system, individuals are wandering alone. In the Tokyo metropolitan area, 60 to 70% of people say, 'I do not belong to a specific religion.' Yet, those individuals are surprisingly devout; they celebrate Christmas, visit shrines for New Year's, and believe in lucky and unlucky days. In a world full of faith in a sense, people without a sense of belonging are growing. This doesn't mean the religious spirit has disappeared, does it?

It's good that Jodo Shinshu is strict about doctrine, but I believe we have neglected the effort to modernize our use of language. Therefore, I believe it is absolutely necessary to re-translate and convey the words of Shinran Shonin to fit the modern age.

Simply saying that chanting the Nembutsu is important doesn't resonate with ordinary people. In the modern era, I think we need to re-translate the salvation of Amida Buddha and the Nembutsu. Shinran Shonin also read the scriptures in that era and made very original interpretations. Today, among the four sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death, 'birth' and 'aging' have become less painful. Conveying faith in such an era is quite difficult. I don't think it will get through if we use the same methods as in the past.

But if we don't do it, I don't think the Japanese Buddhist world can survive. There are, of course, doctrines that transcend time and form the core of the philosophy. I believe we must adjust them to be conveyed in a way that fits the modern age.

On the contrary, I feel that young people are thirsting for faith. This is also reflected in various surveys; middle-aged and older people are very skeptical (laughs).

Currently, at a new place of learning called 'School Nalanda,' we gather young people for panel discussions and talk together, holding sessions to think about things like salvation and death in the modern age.

I once had the opportunity to speak at '21st Century jitsugaku (science)' held at Keio's Hiyoshi Campus. After it finished, students lined up in a long row, and it became like a life counseling session. One keyword that young people react to is 'failure.' Failure in life is nothing to be feared. When I talk about how I failed my entrance exams twice and spent two years as a 'ronin' student, everyone's eyes light up. I think young people are actually setting up their antennas to catch signals regarding religion.

If we in traditional Buddhism approach them with appropriate methods and convey faith and devotion, I am sure they will accept it with a sense of satisfaction.

The business world is built on a rational structure, right? But in reality, it's much messier; 1+1 doesn't always equal 2, and even in profit-oriented systems, there is compassion. I was at a bank, and I felt that banks haven't always operated in a pure, honest, and beautiful way.

The Sanwa Bank where I worked ultimately failed to handle bad debts and had to merge with Mitsubishi Bank. Looking back, we went too far beyond the limits. I had a sense that it was the price paid for running solely on rationality while ignoring the 'invisible hand of God.'

Even after leaving the bank and becoming a consultant, I had a feeling that I wanted to settle the score in some way for myself, and that's why I decided to study Buddhism.

I enrolled in a correspondence school to study Buddhism and chose the most difficult course that leads to becoming a monk. Schooling was held about twice a month at Tsukiji Hongwanji. I made friends there, we encouraged each other, and about 10 of us graduated and became monks together after three years.

During that time, a senior from Keio reached out to me, and I ended up helping at his temple. I became the vice-chief priest of Hotokuji Temple near Mita, where the senior's father, Professor Yuken Fujita of the Faculty of Letters (Chinese Literature), served as the chief priest. I did the practical work of a monk for about three years.

Through the practice of chanting sutras, giving sermons for the bereaved and parishioners, and listening to their stories, I gradually began to master what a monk should be.

In the end, I stepped down from that temple while still a vice-chief priest, and after Professor Fujita passed away, the senior who brought me in succeeded him as the chief priest. A while later, the reform of the denomination and the head temple I mentioned earlier took place, and at that time, I was asked to participate as an expert member of the denomination's executive committee and a councilor for Tsukiji Hongwanji.

When I spoke up strongly at those meetings, they said, 'If you have that much to say, then create a plan.' When I submitted a proposal, it seemed they were going to adopt it. Then they said, 'Since you created it, you do it,' and that's how I became the Chief Executive Officer.

Exactly. Incorporating different cultures to create a new culture is just as necessary as it is for a general company.

Temples have long been ridiculed as 'funeral Buddhism,' but originally, temples are for the living. I believe the true form of Buddhism and temples is for people to deepen their connection with the temple until they die and to deepen their understanding of faith and devotion. So, both weddings and funerals are opportunities to encounter the teachings. I see them as 'en' (connections).

When these are conducted with proper rituals and proper dharma talks, people think, 'Oh, I see.' A temple is a place to deepen such understanding of Buddha's teachings, and it's also a place where each individual can properly question their life.

The Buddha does not discriminate. He accepts everything at all times.

So, I want people to feel that whether it's failure or success, whether there are things left undone, or whether they fall ill, they will all be accepted.

That's right. That often happens when dreams don't come true as hoped, when you lose a loved one, when you get sick, or when you reach various turning points in life. If there is something that accepts you at that time, you can move forward, can't you? I believe that is the true role of traditional Buddhism.

There are about 10,300 temples in the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, but about half of them have an annual income of less than 3 million yen. The chief priests earn money elsewhere to maintain the temple. If there is no successor, that temple naturally cannot be maintained. I think this will progress rapidly in depopulated rural areas in the future.

Since various temples are under the umbrella corporation of Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, I think we can still survive if we quickly create guidelines and integrate temples. But if everyone insists on 'my temple,' we can't integrate. Donations and offerings are also decreasing, and if internal rationalization doesn't progress, we won't be able to keep going.

However, I absolutely believe that faith and religion are necessary for modern people. As a rational choice, I think living a religious life is very important. It's up to everyone to choose; it's not an era where we choose for them. People should engage with us at their own pace. Some people might need consultation every day, while others might only ask for help on special occasions.