Monthly Letter No. 63 / June 2026

Description

This issue of the IARF Japan Chapter Monthly Letter opens with a cover essay on auspicious Japanese sword ornaments decorated with motifs of basho (Japanese banana plant) and mino-kame (a mythical long-lived turtle), and the Buddhist parable of "the one-eyed turtle encountering a floating log." The main pages report fellowship and exchange gatherings with IARF members from Europe and the United States in Tokyo, Hiroshima, and the Chubu District, including visits to Rissho Kosei-kai's Great Sacred Hall, Tsubaki Grand Shrine, and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. It also features an excerpt from the IARF International Website on sacred land and religious freedom in Hawai‘i, along with seasonal photo essays on Japanese summer scenery, koinobori for Children’s Day, and views around Izumo and Lake Shinji.