Young Buddhist monks who served as editor-in-chief of the free magazine are seen in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto.
7:00 JST, November 16, 2024
KYOTO – An interdenominational free magazine published by young Buddhist priests has celebrated its 15th year of publication in Kyoto.
The magazine “Freestyle-na Soryo-tachi” (Freestyle Priests) was launched in 2009 to provide priests with a venue for free discussions with members of the younger generation and to explore how Buddhism works in modern times.
The magazine’s circulation was initially approximately 1,500 copies, but has now grown to more than 10,000. It is now being distributed at places such as temples and restaurants in 700 locations across the country.
Last month, an event to look back on the magazine’s history was held at Ryuganji Temple in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto. Some young priests who served as editor-in-chief of the magazine discussed relevant issues.
Ryuho Ikeguchi, 44, head priest at Ryuganji and the magazine’s first editor-in-chief, said it was taboo to collaborate across ecclesiastical barriers at the time of the magazine’s launch.
Old issues of the magazine
“It became possible for anyone to freely express their feelings in the 2000s when the Internet began to spread. At a time when temples were also forced to change, I wanted to create an opportunity for priests to express a new form of Buddhism in a ‘freestyle’ way,” said Ikeguchi.
Current editor-in-chief Masaaki Hata, 30, a priest at Seitokuji Temple in Sapporo, said: “I want to ensure that the magazine addresses people’s concerns and problems in modern times. I want to make the magazine something that readers can identify with.”
It is said that there are few opportunities for priests of different denominations to dialogue with each other. “We all want to get to the same place. We just have different ways to get there,” said Shunyu Kaga, 38, head priest of Osaka’s Mitsutera Temple and the magazine’s third editor-in-chief.
