Universality is our treasure

Daigoji Temple Inori

Inheritance in Modern Society

Kizuna & Enishi

The Japanese nation deeply values the bonds between people, a concept called "kizuna" in their mother tongue. Thanks to these human connections, they have been able to overcome many natural disasters and wars , including the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
In Buddhism teachings, the ancient term used was "enishi", considered to be one of the most fundamental and important precept of all.

Ancient Japan

Since ancient time in Japan, people have deep and strong connections with "relatives" and "communities", with the "family" transcending generations at its core.
These connections, representative of the concept conveyed by "kizuna" and "enishi", intertwined with each other while being linked to one’s past, present and future.

Modern Days

With the rapid economic growth after WWII, the standard of living and convenience have improved, but modern society have shifted to a more competitive approach and efficiency has become a vital criteria in our daily life. As a result, individualism and nuclear families have increased, and family-oriented connections across generations have gradually weakened and diminished.

Before COVID-19

The diluting of the vertical connection coincides with the increase of people who feel a deep sense of "solitude".
However, the recent and rapid development of social media tools around the world had seemingly filled this gap of "loneliness", resulting in the decrease in number of suicides since 2011. While communicating with each other has never been this easy and practical , it seems connecting more closely on a spiritual level with others became more difficult and challenging.

After COVID-19

Due to the corona crisis, the tendency to protect "individuals", such as oneself and close family members, became stronger. Meanwhile, the horizontal connections originating from "trends" and "appearances" conveyed by social medias were very easily disconnected. With the vertical and horizontal connections becoming weaker, people are beginning to experience a new feeling of "loneliness" and "anxiety".

Societal issues

Due to the spread of the new coronavirus that has plunged the world into a global pandemic, a new feeling of loneliness caused by stress, fear, and depression is creating great anxiety, regardless of nationalities or ethnics. In Japan as well, the effects of the COVID-19 are visible, with the increase of suicides since August 2020, mainly among the younger generations and especially the women.

Daigoji’s Inori

Recently, the concept "sustainability" is on everybody’s lips, but originally this word indicates the idea of "continuing to support beyond generations", exactly what the temple has been doing for its entire existence.
It is our strong belief there is a sustainable life balance, in which people support each other, as well as nature and all the lives in the world.

Daigoji’s Role

Even if the horizontal connections are thinned or even broken, thickening the vertical connections will enable one to be supported by its closest family members. The Daigoji wants to work towards the establishment and development of this "sustainable balance", transcending generations, cultures and countries. Know the past to fully live the present for a better future.

Daigoji’s Faith

On top of its rich and long history, the special feature of the Daigoji Temple is the large spectrum of Japanese faiths displayed, carefully handed down for over a thousand years.
Centered on the importance of life, surrounded by Nature, three main faiths are taught daily: "Kannon faith", portrayed by the Bodhisattva of Mercy Kannon; "Yakushi faith", portrayed by the Medicine Buddha Yakushi; and "Godairiki Faith", represented by the Five Great Wisdom Kings.

Daigoji Project

With the primary objective of passing down to the next generations its 1,000 years old history, as well as a fundamental part of Japanese culture, the temple is providing numerous meditations, services and ceremonies to its many visitors, regardless of their origin, ethnicity or language. In order to restore its position as a cultural crossroad, it is engaged in various activities and projects in the fields of cultural properties, education, environment, crafts and many more.