One year since the Great Disaster of Eastern Japan, religions cross over into one feeling. An event of mourning and prayer for recovery at Kenchō-ji Temple/Kamakura

Translated from the original article at: http://news.kanaloco.jp/localnews/article/1203110029/

March 11, 2012

Followers of Shintoism, Buddhism and Christianity meet within a lecture hall, participating together in a prayer event= The Kenchō-ji Temple () of Yamanouchi, Kamakura City

Followers of Shintoism, Buddhism and Orthodox Christianity prayed together in an event for mourning and recovery, held at the Kenchō-ji Temple of Yamanouchi, Kamakura City. The event was organized by the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū shrine and the city's Buddhist and Orthodox Christian associations. 7,000 visitors came to the temple (announced by one of the organizers.), offering their prayer together.

A line continued from 20 priests of the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū shrine, 30 priests and clergy of the city's Christian association and 60 priests from 40 (Buddhist) temples within the city. At 2:30PM, they all dispersed and slowly walked around the circumference of the main temple. Visitors packed both side of the route set up for the event, alternating between motionlessly staring and clasping their hands as the priests and clergy passed by.

At the 46 minute mark, the temple's bell was struck 5 times. Hearing the reverberations, many people offered a moment of silence which fell over the temple grounds. Afterwards, the monks and clergy entered the lecture hall, each one of them offering a prayer.

The city Buddhist association’s president Nakata Masahiro (Chief Priest of the Kakuon Temple) said "We came together and prayed under one building. I want that to be the one message that we send out.”

Original text:

東日本大震災１年：宗教超え心一つに、建長寺で追悼・復興祈願祭/鎌倉

2012年3月11日

神道、仏教、キリスト教の宗教者が法堂内に会し、祈りを捧げた合同祈願祭＝鎌倉市山ノ内の建長寺

神道、仏教、キリスト教の宗教者が合同で祈る「追悼・復興祈願祭」が、鎌倉市山ノ内の建長寺で行われた。鶴岡八幡宮、市仏教会、市キリスト教諸教会の主催。約７千人の参拝者が訪れ（主催者発表）、ともに祈りをささげた。

午後２時半、鶴岡八幡宮の神職約20人に続き、市内のキリスト教会の司祭や牧師ら約30人、市内約40寺院60人ほどの僧侶が列をなし、ゆっくりと本堂の周りを歩いた。巡堂ルートの両脇は一般の参拝者が埋め尽くし、通過する宗教者をじっと見つめたり、手を合わせたりしていた。

同46分。鐘の音が５回響き渡る間、多くの人が黙とうをささげると、境内は静まり返った。その後、宗教者の行列は法堂に入り、各宗教ごとに祈りをささげた。

市仏教会の仲田昌弘会長（覚園寺住職）は「一堂に会して一緒に祈ることで、鎌倉から宗教者として一つのメッセージを発信できた」と話していた。