For several centuries, the temple Jōren-ji taught spiritual tranquility and Buddhist salvation through chanting the name of Amida Buddha. In recent years, its role has expanded and it has made a new start as the Abode of Harmony. The Japanese name is Tomo-iki no Sono (literally, “garden of symbiosis,” reflecting the Buddhist conception of the interconnectedness of all living things.)

Adorned with beauty through the four seasons and with historical ties to haiku master Matsuo Bashō, the hope behind the garden is that visitors will discover something new by visiting the old, and that this living experience may provide an opportunity, if even in a modest way, to expand the circle of life from parent to child, from person to person.

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To those who visit here, we ask that you forget all differences in nationality, ethnicity, and religion, as well as age, gender, and social class.

Within the flow of life that continues eternally, from a past with no beginning to a future with no end, we are all given finite lives to lead, from our births to our deaths.

We cannot live for even a moment in the absence of others.

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１）When you enter this building, please first face the mask Cantata, hanging on the wall, examine your heart, and rid yourself of your ego.

２）Having done so, please enter the hall, say a prayer before the statue of the Amida Buddha, and engage in an inner dialogue with the statue of Matsuo Bashō, the painting on the ceiling, and the calligraphy. As you do, please listen to the awakening that rises in your heart.

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Aspiring to be a space that takes you to these places, this is the Garden of Coexistence. Welcome.

Please enter through the door that takes you to another world, where the old feels nostalgic and warms the tired soul, while it is also always new.