CHRONOLOGY FOR 1961
(April—June)
Apr.1 H'gashi Honganji temple concerning the right of its mem in Kyoto dedicated a hall (capaci bers to inter the ashes of their dead ty 1，C00) for the use of its women’s in family temple burial grounds organization which has nearly without interference by the temples 200.000 members. concerned. Apr. 2 —Reiyu Kai Kyodan ob Apr. 7 —Several leading Christians, served the 36th anniversary of its including Mrs. Tamaki Uemura and founding with a convention of some Prof. Hidenobu Kuwata of Tokyo 27.000 youths. Union Theological Seminary issued Apr. 4 —The annual three-day con a statement opposing the enact ference of United Church of Christ- ment of a lese majesty law. related missionaries opened at Apr. 9 —The Association of Shin Sanmai-so; Hakone, with some 300 to Shrines (Jinja Honcho) an ni;£sionaries attending. nounced a second five-year plan —The Rissho KSsei Kai member which will include publication of ship fee was raised from 10 to 100 a manual for Shinto priests, and yen a month. The new fee will activities promoting ( 1 ) the enact include a subscription to some of ment of a lese majesty law, and the society’s publications. (2) designation of February 11th —'Nishi Honganji temple in Kyoto as National Foundation Day CKigoi- opened the second period (April 4 sclsiQ. —16) of its 700 th anniversary —Seicho no le announced its ap (Dai Onki) commemorating the proval of a lese majesty law. death of its founder, Shinran (1173 —Repair of the severe damage to —1262). the Grand Shrine of Ise caused by Apr. 6 —Soka Gakkai submitted a the Ise Bay Typhoon(Typhoon Ida), peticion to both houses of the Diet in the fall of 1959 has been com
— 83 — CHRONOLOGY FOR 1961
pleted. More than 15,000 volun shd” （“ Teaching, Practice，Faith teers assisted in the repair work. and Attainment，’）by Shinran. —The Japan Catholic Doctors As A p r .14—Higashi Honganji temple sociation (Katorikku Ishi Kai) held in Kyoto opened a fifteen-day period a convention in Tokyo commemo of services commemorating the rating the 10th anniversary of its 700th anniversary of the death of founding. its founder. Shinran (11731262). A p r .10 —The National Cultural —A new St. Joseph Friary Church
Conference (Kokumin Bunka (28—4， Mikawadai-machi, Minato* Kaigi), a “ progressive ” group ku, Tokyo) will be built as a Fran closeiy related to the General ciscan Apostolic Center in the Federation of Japan rrade Unions middle of Tokyo. The new church (Sohyo), passed a resolution op will include a basement “ C h ;：psl posing a lese majesty law. Center ” for social and religious
A p r .11 一 A four-day conference affairs, which will also serve as a of Catholic diocesan leaders was social center for people from the opened in Tokyo, which, among various countries, working in em other things，discussed some funda bassies and private business, as mental points to be observed by well as for Japanese.
the believers in dealing with poli 一 The Board of Trustees of Nanzan tical problems. University in Nagoya announced
Apr. 12 一 Tenri-kyo announced the that Nanzan University will move organization of a group of 200 to Rakuen-chof the so-called “ new cievocees to translate the sect’s university property’” (Nanzan owns books into Braille for use in pro approximately 27 acres there.) paganda among the blind. A p r .15 一 The Minister of Educa
—Zojoji tempiも Tokyo, consecrated tion, Mr. Masuo Araki, stated that a new hall for its believers. the government does not regard the A p r .13 — Kigashi Honganji temple administration of Shinto shrines by in Kyoto announced completion of the state nor the revision oi.the an English translation of its funda Religious Juridical Persons Law mental scripture, “ Kyo-gyo-shin- (Shukyo Hojin Ho) as necessary CHRONOLCGY FOR 1961 at this time. Conference (Katorikku Kyoiku —Jinrui Aizen Kai, an organization Kyogi Kai) was opened in Tokyo. affiliated with Omoto, started a May 6 ■~The Tokyo Christian Cru compaign to collect signatures in sade opened in the Tokyo Munici support of total disarmament. pal Gymnasium. A p r .16 —The National Cultural May 9 ——Completion of the first Conference (See April10) an Pali-Japanese dictionary by Associ nounced its opposition to renting ate Prof. Shozen Kumoi of Otani the Tokyo Municipal Gymnasium University in Kyoto was announced. to the Tokyo Christian Crusade on —The Buddhist Peace Conference the ground that it would be a (Bukkyosha Heiwa Kyogi Kai)’ a violation of the Constitution. group of ‘‘ progressive ’，Buddhists, Apr. IS ——Tenri-kyo celebrated the issued a statement condemning the birthday of its founder with ten Christian Crusade as anti-com days of special services which were munistic propaganda. attended by some 300,000 believers, May 10 —A three-day International including many from abroad. Conference for Cultural Harmony A^r. 21.~The Tokyo Municipal (Seishin Bunka Kokusai Kaigi) Assembly voted to rent the Tokyo sponsored by Ananai-kyo, one of Municipal Gymnasium to the Chris the postwar religious movements, tian Crusade Committee. opened in Tokyo with some 100 Apr. 28 —The series of anniversa delegates reported to have come ry services commemorating the from abroad. Additional meetings 750th anniversary of the death of with most of the delegates in at Honen (1133—1212) and the 700th tendance were subsequently held anniversary of the death of Shin in Kyoto, Fukuoka, and Kurume. ran (1173—1262), which began at May 13 —A delegation of Bud Chion’in on March 1 in Kyoto came dhists left for China to return the to an end. An estimated total of ashes of some Chinese laborers who 1.3 million people attended these had died in Japan during World services. War II. May 3 —The Catholic Educational May 15 —The Japan Council of
— 85 — CHRONOLOGY FOR 1961
Evangelical Missions (JCEM), com training hall at its center in Kame- posed of representative of 37 mis oka, Kyoto, and the publication of sions in Japan, was organized and a history of Omoto. officers were elected. Dave Hes- 一 The so-called Dancing Religion, selgrave of the Evangelical Free Tensho Kotai Jingu-kyo, announced Church Mission was elected Chair plans to build a hall for the train man. ing of its believers at its center in
May 17 一 The National Conference Tabuse，Yamaguchi prefecture. of Shinto Youth (Shinto Seinen —Nobel Prize Winner, Professor Zenkoku Kyogi Kai) opened in Hideki Yukawa of the University Tokyo to discuss the problem of of Kyoto, is one of ten new mem Shinto propaganda among the bers who have been named to the youth. Pontifical Academy of Science. May 22 —The Association of Shin May 30 —On behalf of President to Shrines observed the 15th an Lubke of the Federal Republic of niversary of its founding at Toyo- Germany, the German Ambassa ko Hall in Tokyo, with some 3,000 dor conferred on the Rev. Joseph people in attendance. In his ad Roggendorf, S. J., well-known edu dress President Morihiko Tomioka cator of Sophia University, The discussed the policy of the associa Cross of Merit, First Class, for his tion to secure governmental ad promotion of good relations be ministration of Ise Shrine and the tween Japan and Germany, and for revival of February 11th as Nation his efforts towards an understand al Foundation Day QKigen-setsiO. ing of East-West cultures.
M&V ?3 The 117th anniversary May 31 一 The 7th annual conven of the founding of the Baha’i faith tion of All Japan Buddhist Woman’s was commemorated at the Baha’i Association (Zen Nippon Bukkvo Center in Tokyo. Fujin Renmei) was held in Sojiji Msy 26 —Omoto announced plans temple in Yokoyama. to commemorate in 1962 the 70th June 1 —The 9th convention of anniversary of its founding which the Japan Buddhist Federation (Zen include the construction of new Nihon Bukkyo Kai) was opened in CHRONOLOGY FOR 1961
Sojiji temple with some 1,000 re of the Ministries of Education and gistered delegates. The main suj- Welfare to discuss the “ graveyard ects discussed were: revival of problem.” Buddhist temples, youth problems， June 9 —A committee has been international peace and graveyard organized by the Yokohama Diocese rights. to plan for the centenary of the June 3 ~-Two trained nurses de first Catholic Church in Japan to- parted from Yokohoma for Nepal be established after the expulsion where they will serve as medical of foreigners in the Tokugawa era. missionaries sponsordly the Chris The event will be observed in the tian Doctor’s Association. spring of 1962. June 4 —The ToJ^yo Christion Cru June 11 ~ Students of Kokugaku- sade ended. According to the of in University, a Shinto institution ficial reports therse was a total in Tokyo, requested that Introduc attendance of 226,752 at the mass tion to Shinto，” be made an elective meetings. The average daily atten instead of a required course. dance was about 7,500 and the total June 12 —It was announced that of those who indicated a desire for the Christian Academy，in Gmori， baptism or further instruction was Tokyo, an organization modeled 8,941. The total amount of the after the Evangelishs Akademie in offerings was ¥4,577,675 or $12,715. Germany，has been incorporated. June 8 ■—According to a study by June 13 —The National Cultural the Kyoto Educational Institute on Conference (See April 10)，esta the moral character of the pupils blished a sub-committee to deal of sectarian schools, such pupils with religious matters. show a tendency towards a higher June 14 —A party of four Chris sense of personal responsibility, tian members of the Diet departed while those in public schools have for a three-week tour of Germany a keener sense of social solidarity. as state guests of the West Ger —Representatives of the Japan many Government. The party Buddhist Federation (Zen Nihon consists of two members of the Bukkyo Kai) met with the official Liberal Democratic Party, and one
-—6 / — CHRONOLOGY FOR 1961 each of the Socialist and Demo war dead. cratic Socialist Parties. June 24 —The Grosses Verdienst- June 17 —The National Holiday krous was conferred upon the Rev. Bill, which among other new holi Francis X Oizumi, S. J.，President days included February 11 as of Sophia University, at the Ger National Foundation Day, was man Embassy in Tokyo on behalf shelved by the Diet for the third of the German Government for time. “ his outstanding merits in promot June 21—A Ministry of Education ing the advance of scientific pur sponsored study of Zen from a suits and cultural exchange between psycho-somatic point of view was Japan and Germany.” begun under the leadership of Prof. June 25 —The foundation of the Kanae Sakuma of Toyo University new Shinto University building at in Tokyo and a number of noted Ise, Jingu Kogakukan University, physicians and psychologists. was laid. —Yasukuni Shrine and 50 other June 28 —A Buddhist Culture In shrines throughout the country stitute (Bukkyo Bunka Kenkyu initiated a campaign to increase Sho) was established at the Ryu- expressions of reverence for the koku University in Kyoto.