When Faith Is No Longer the Gate: Lay Buddhist Navigation of Care in Contemporary Japan

Abstract

This dissertation examines contemporary Japanese lay Buddhist engagement in social welfare through a case study of Kōdō Kyōdan, a Tendai-derived lay Buddhist organization founded in 1936. While a growing body of literature has explored Buddhism’s social contributions and its public role in Japan, gaps remain in understanding the relationship between lay Buddhism and established temple Buddhism, as well as the connections between Buddhist social engagement and civic participation. This study positions lay Buddhists as key nodes in the largely overlooked network of Buddhist and civic organizations by analyzing their evolving interactions with both religious and secular actors. Based on historical and ethnographic research within the theoretical framework of secularization, this dissertation argues that social welfare as a legally and publicly recognized secular sphere both enables and compels Kōdō Kyōdan members to navigate and reconstruct their Buddhist identities in efforts to rejuvenate their religious tradition and broader society. Structured into five main chapters, this study traces Kōdō Kyōdan’s doctrinal development, its postwar public image-building efforts, the dynamics of its eldercare and childcare programs with internal and external stakeholders in the nonprofit sector, and the current leadership’s strategies for sustaining the organization’s legacy and operations. By highlighting lay Buddhists’ negotiation of their distinctive roles in Buddhist and civic communities, this research contributes to broader discussions of religion’s public role in contemporary societies.