EKŌ-JI

Abstract

The EKŌ temple in Düsseldorf was built thanks to the initiative and financial support of the Japanese entrepreneur Numata Ehan as one part of a German-Japanese cultural center. Following the vision of its founder, the EKŌ temple is dedicated to all schools of Japanese Buddhism, even though its basic layout is that of a Shin Buddhist temple. This article explores Numata’s founding vision, which is based on a modern interpretation of Buddhism, and it also describes the different groups that are involved in the life of the temple today. Significantly, different conceptions of Buddhism and the meaning of a temple coexist at EKŌ. These differences are particularly noticeable between Western and Japanese visitors; furthermore, they hint at the different processes of modernization that Japanese Buddhism in the West and in Japan respectively underwent, both of which continue to influence Buddhism today.