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Daruma Pilgrims Gallery
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MC Happiness (Kansho Tagai) --
the rapping, tap-dancing
Japanese Buddhist monk
quote
The Buddhist religion has largely remained the same over the past few centuries. But in Japan, the religious preferences of the Japanese have always been a bit complicated. Because most of the citizens there have both Buddhist and Shinto shrines in their homes. They typically attend Buddhist temples for funerals and at year’s end, Shinto temples to welcome the new year, and Christian churches to tie the knot in organ-accompanied ceremonies — all without a thought to the contradictions.
But with the rise in funeral parlors in Japan cutting into what had been a Buddhist monopoly, coupled with decreasing interest in Buddhism in general, Buddhist monks are worried about their future. Each year, lack of financial support shutters about 1,000 of Japan’s 80,000 Buddhist temples, some of them with vibrant histories stretching back centuries.
To counter this trend, a group of monks in Japan are using Hip-Hop music to attract new followers to the Buddhist religion and refers their style of teaching as “Buddhism 2010”. This new style of monks has dropped traditional Buddhist chants and has incorporated rap and Hip-Hop as a way to introduce Buddhism to the younger audience.
Outside the 400-year-old Kyoouji Temple, “Kansho Tagai”, dressed in his traditional monk robes, paused and began a sutra. He bobbed his head and then broke into a lyrical rap. He is a 49-year old Japanese monk who also known as “MC Happiness”.
"I came to this world to help you out of suffering.
My name is Shaka Munibutsu (Gautama Siddhartha).
Say baby, listen to me. Everyone's my cute baby.
I'm here to help you out of suffering and pain.. ."
Mr Happiness raps, blending Japanese and English phrases.
Bobbing and waving his arms, the robed monk reaches out from the stage to shake hands with his young audience. Fans surround him after the show asking for autographs and for snapshots with the famous rapper.
Tagai has succeeded in reaching out to the new audience by shedding the traditional Buddhist facade, which divided the religious leaders from potential followers.
"As missionaries of Buddha, we are putting up a wall in front of us," Tagai said in an interview at his temple in Tokyo's Shinjuku district. "We had to make ourselves accessible and wave people closer so that they can understand Buddha's words."
Rap is the perfect means of communication
because sutras have similar melodic rhythms,
he said.
He says another temple in Tokyo's high-end district of Roppongi used to feature monks in robes chanting with the accompaniment of Brazilian samba dancers and a conga-maracas ensemble.
Tagai says he observed awkwardness in the samba-monk collaboration. The monks were too stiff and not bobbing with the beat. But the purpose was served: Samba, rap and hiphop all help to break the shell of religious orthodoxy.
Music is not the only way the Buddhist clergy has tried to lure a new generation of Japanese who has shown little interest in centuries-old religion.
Monks have opened bars serving cocktails called Heavenly Paradise and Burning Hell while tending drinkers who spill out their problems for consultation.
Tokyo's famous Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple, next to the nation's largest fish market, recently brought together eight schools of Buddhism and entertained visitors and worshippers with music, a collection of various monks' robes and fair-trade goods at an event titled Tokyo Bouzu Collection.
Although the main purpose of the event was to pray for world peace, the religious schools wished to increase youngsters' participation in the teachings of Buddha.
Tsukiji Hongwanji chief monk Kojin Matsubara says he hopes to stop the drift of young people away from Buddhism, which is mainly associated with death and funerals in Japan.
"We want to regain the role of temples as a place of gathering," Matsubara said at the Tokyo Bouzu Collection in December.
Shooting for the same goal, Mr Happiness was there to rap.
"People are seeking comfort, but it's not available in Tokyo unfortunately," Tagai said. "Humans can't live alone. We need to live within a community, but we lost it. Now young people can't satisfy their desire to get connected with others."
Temples can become a gathering place where young people are comforted, says Mr Happiness.
Although some orthodox monks have criticized Tagai's unorthodox approach, he still believes his effort has paid off.
source : www.buddhistchannel.tv
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"Mr Happiness" Kansho Tagai's blog
ハピネス観章が行く！
http://happiness-kansho.blog.ocn.ne.jp/
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Tagai Kanshoo 互井観章 (たがいかんしょう)
Temple Kyo-O-Ji 経王寺住職 (Kyooooji)
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his rap is heared
in the whole wild world ...
laughing Buddha
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. WASHOKU
Koyasan Cafe at Aoyama in Tokyo
青山に「高野山カフェ」
Daruma Pilgrims in Japan
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