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User:狄の用務員/Chua Vietnam (Japan)

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Chùa Việt Nam
Religion
AffiliationVietnamese Buddhism
Location
LocationKanagawa Prefecture, Aikō District, Aikawa Town 4889-1, Hanbara
狄の用務員/Chua Vietnam (Japan) is located in Kanagawa Prefecture
狄の用務員/Chua Vietnam (Japan)
Chua Vietnam
Geographic coordinates35°32′31.93″N 139°15′46.06″E / 35.5422028°N 139.2627944°E / 35.5422028; 139.2627944
Architecture
Date established2006
Completed2017
Website
Chùa Việt Nam tại Nhật Bản

Chua Vietnam (Vietnamese: Chùa Việt Nam / 厨越南) is a Vietnamese Buddhist temple located in Aikawa town, Aikō District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 2006 and the current building was completed in 2017.

Background

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In Vietnamese, Chùa means 'temple'. Currently, there are several Vietnamese Buddhist temples in Japan,[1][2] with Chua Vietnam in Aikawa being one of the largest as of 2024.[3]

Chua Vietnam was established by Vietnamese monk Thích Minh Tuyền (1938-2017).[4] Tuyền was born in Bình Thuận province in southeastern Vietnam, and after graduating from a Buddhist school, he worked as abbot at a temple in Ho Chi Minh City. In 1971, he accompanied a delegation to Japan and decided to stay to study.[4]

During his decades-long stay in Japan, Tuyền frequently assisted many Vietnamese refugee families.[4] Furthermore, he organized numerous Buddhist activities during major Buddhist holidays and traditional Vietnamese festivals at the request of Vietnamese Buddhists in exile.[4]

Tuyền wanted to build a Vietnamese Buddhist temple for the Vietnamese Buddhist community in Japan.[4] In 2006, he purchased a common house in Aikawa, renovated and decorated it, and turned it into a temple.[4] Later, the land was used for the present site of Chua Viet Nam.[5] The groundbreaking ceremony for the current building took place in 2010 and was completed in 2017.[4] To raise funds for the construction, Tuyền traveled to various countries, including the United States, France, Germany, and Australia, to seek cooperation from the Vietnamese community, including investment.[4][6]

Aikawa was selected as the temple site due to its affordable land and abundant natural resources, such as rivers and mountains.[7] Temple sites in Vietnam are typically preferred to be surrounded by rivers and mountains.[8] Tuyền observed the natural features of Aikawa Town and concluded that it was a suitable environment for ascetic practices.[9] The existence of a significant foreign community in Aikawa was also comforting to him. He was able to communicate with other foreign residents who were in the same situation regarding Japanese customs and etiquette.[7]

Today, Chua Viet Nam has become a common spiritual center for the Vietnamese community in Japan.[10] People gather there to make offerings to their ancestors, pass on Vietnamese culture to their children, and consult with monks about their problems.[3]

History

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The following history is from the temple's official website.[10]

  • 1970, Tuyền went to Japan to study and work in Buddhism. Often he borrowed temples in Japan to organize festivals for the Vietnamese Buddhist community in Japan.
  • 1997, Tuyền came up with the idea of purchasing land to build a temple.
  • 2006, he purchased and decorated a common house in the town of Aikawa. This is the prototype of the current Chua Vietnam.
  • 2010, the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a Vietnamese temple in Japan was held in the presence of monks from various countries.
  • 2012, the first completion ceremony was held to call for continued funding.
  • 2017, construction of the temple was completed.
  • 2018, Tuyền passed away. Nhuận Ân and Giới Bảo continued to manage and operate Chua Viet Nam.

Vietnamese Temples in Japan and the Role of the Chua Vietnam

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Japan has a community of Vietnamese Buddhists and Christians that includes several Vietnamese Buddhist temples and Christian churches.[11][12][13]

According to an interview with Chua Vietnam conducted by Waseda University's Shiro Segawa seminar, which specializes in journalism, Chua Vietnam has three main roles.

As a Buddhist temple in its original
The role of Chua Viet Nam includes the same role of Buddhist temples in Vietnam. As in Vietnam, it is often visited by couples and Vietnamese who come to pray.[6]
As a Vietnamese Temple in Japan
There are also worshippers unique to Vietnamese temples located in Japan. Vietnamese living in Japan visit to think about their homeland and their families, Vietnamese couples who are internationally married to Japanese, and Japanese who come for tourism, research, or other cultural exchange.[6]
As a hub among worshippers
Chua Vietnam also serves as a hub for information exchange among Vietnamese living in Japan. Chua Vietnam hosts festivals, meditation sessions, and other events that attract many Vietnamese worshippers, who exchange information about job opportunities and other topics at the temple.[6]

Architecture

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Unlike Japanese temples, Chua Vietname's building are decorated with dragons on the roofs and staircases, and the walls are painted yellow. According to Giới Bảo, Chua Vietnamese buildings are places where Vietnamese living in Japan can remember their homeland. [6]

Worship and Visiting

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Chua Vietnam is open on Sundays and on days of various events. Every weekend, Vietnamese residents in Japan gather from Sagamihara, Atsugi, Ebina, Isehara, Hadano, and other nearby cities and towns,[7] as well as from Tokyo, Saitama, and as far away as Nagoya.[3] Sometimes 1,000 people gather at New Year's, when the streets are overflowing with people.[6]

Non-Buddhists are also free to visit the temple, where they can learn about its customs and manners.[8]

Relationship with the Local Community

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According to an interview with Abbot Nhuận Ân by a Vietnamese newspaper, he is actively trying to build a relationship with the local community in order to reduce the concerns of the surrounding residents due to noise and parking spaces as the number of worshippers increases[14] The monks are learning about Japanese culture and the Japanese language, and they hope that gradually Japanese people living in the surrounding area will visit and understand more about Vietnamese people living in Japan, bringing them closer to each other.[14]

According to an interview with Vice-abbot Giới Bảo in 2023, the vice-abbot is thinking of holding meditation classes in Japanese.[6]

Annual Events

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The following list of annual events is based on the official website.[15]

  1. Western New Year (January)
  2. Lunar New Year/ Tết(February)
  3. First Full Moon Festival/Tết Nguyên Tiêu (February)
  4. Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva Ceremony (March)
  5. Buddha's Birthday (May)
  6. Summer Retreat (August)
  7. Ghost Festival/Vu Lan (August)
  8. The Ceremony of the Venerable founder (August)
  9. Mid-Autumn Festival (September)
  10. Fall Retreat (November)
  11. Amitabha Buddha Ceremony (December)

Geography

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Aikawa Town, where Chua Vietnam is located, is a small town with a population of less than 40,000, but the percentage of foreign residents, approximately 7.5% of the total population, is the highest in Kanagawa Prefecture, ahead of international cities such as Yokohama.[7] In addition to South America and Asia, people from 48 countries and regions, including European and African countries, have settled in Aikawa Town.[7]

According to the Aikawa town, the acceptance of Indochina refugees led to an increase in people from Cambodia, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries[16].

In addition to Chua Vietnam, the Aikawa town also has the Cambodian Cultural Center in Japan, a Theravada Buddhist temple and cultural center for Cambodians living in Japan[9]; the Lao Cultural Center in Japan, which is considered the only Lao Buddhist temple in Japan for Laotians living in Japan[17]; a famous Thai temple Wat Rakhang for Thai residents in Japan; the "Wat Rakhang Japan", a branch temple of Wat Rakhang.[18]

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Sources

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  1. ^ "ベトナム人ゆかりの寺院(東日本)/Temples associated with Vietnamese people (Eastern Japan)". kokoro-vj.org. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
  2. ^ "仏教徒ベトナム人技能実習生の心の拠り所 : 地域日本語教室でのPAC分析の調査をもとに/Peace of Mind for Buddhist Vietnamese Technical Intern Trainees: Based on PAC（Personal Attitude Construct）Analysis in the Local Japanese Language School". Kyushu University. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
  3. ^ a b c "ベトナム寺（愛川町）/Vietnam Temple (Aikawa Town)". FM Yokohama. 17 July 2022. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Tiểu Sử Sư Tổ(Introduction>Brief history of the founder)". Chuavietnam. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  5. ^ "Hình Ảnh Chùa Xưa(Picture>Buddhism>Ancient Temple)". chuavietnam. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "日本におけるベトナム寺院 求められる役割とは/Vietnamese Temples in Japan: What Role is Needed?". Wasegg（ワセッグ）/Waseda UniversityFaculty of Political Science and Economics Shiro Segawa Seminar. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  7. ^ a b c d e "コロナ禍でも右肩上がりの外国籍町民。約50カ国から人が集まる神奈川県央部の「異国」愛川町/Foreign residents of the town are on the right track even with the Corona disaster. Aikawa Town, a "foreign country" in central Kanagawa Prefecture where people from about 50 countries gather". Yahoo! news. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  8. ^ a b "国際色豊かな神奈川県愛川町の魅力は？グルメに異国文化体験 地球の歩き方コラボシリーズ（2）/What is the charm of the cosmopolitan town of Aikawa in Kanagawa Prefecture? Gourmet food and exotic culture experience Chikyu-no Arukikata Collaboration Series (2)". NHK. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  9. ^ a b "猫のひたいほどワイド #1192 リポート大賞・牧田習「煩悩からの脱却！牧田の瞑想ツアー」（愛川町）/Neko no hitaihodo wide #1192 Report Grand Prize, Makita shu"Breaking free from vexations! Makita's Meditation Tour" (Aikawa Town)". Television Kanagawa. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  10. ^ a b "Chùa Việt Nam Tại Nhật Bản(Introduction>Chua Vietnam in Japan)". Chùa Việt Nam. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  11. ^ "移民の孤立と宗教的ネットワーク ―長崎の事例を中心に―/Immigrant Isolation and Religious Networks-A Case Study of Nagasaki, Japan" (PDF). 公益財団国際宗教研究所/International Institute for the Study of Religions. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  12. ^ Nogami, Emi (2010). "在日ベトナム人宗教施設が持つ社会的意味に関する一考察 : カトリック教会と仏教寺院における活動の比較/A study on the social meaning of religious institutions for Vietnamese : living in Japan:a comparison between the activities in a Catholic church and a Buddhism temple". 鶴山論叢. 10. doi:10.24546/81002081. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  13. ^ Horie, Naomi (23 March 2020). "在日ベトナム系移民に関する予備的考察/Preliminary observation on Vietnamese immigrants in japan". Journal of Global Humanities and Social Sciences, Nagasaki University. 6. cinii: 103–120. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  14. ^ a b "Nơi nương tựa tâm linh cho người Việt tại Nhật(The heartland of Vietnamese in Japan)". Enlightenment Online. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  15. ^ "Tăng Thân(Introduction>Sangha)". chuavietnam. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
  16. ^ "広報あいかわ 令和5年11月1日号 43+1=もっとふれあう多文化共生のまちへ(1)/Public Relations Aikawa November 1, 2023 issue 43+1=More in Touch: Toward a Multicultural City (1)". マイ広報紙.
  17. ^ "在日本ラオス協会（在日ラオス文化センター）". 公益財団法人 かながわ国際交流財団. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  18. ^ "ブラジル、パキスタン、ラオス…各国の店や寺院が集う神奈川県愛川町で外国旅行/Brazil, Pakistan, Laos... Foreign travel in Aikawa Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, where stores and temples from various countries gather". dailyportalZ. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
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{{Draft categories| Category:Overseas Vietnamese organizations Category:Overseas Vietnamese Buddhist temples

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