By Alex K.t. Martin
Publication Date: 2026-04-12 23:10:00
At Ganshuji Temple in the coastal city of Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, resident monk Souou Iwayama has introduced a practice of change.
He launched an online program during the pandemic Zazen (sitting meditation) service as companies transitioned to remote work and turned the Temple Cemetery into a concentrated cemetery jumokusōa form of burial in which the cremated remains are buried under trees, shrubs, or flowers rather than under a stone monument that requires expensive maintenance.
When Iwayama took over the management of the temple a few years ago, there were only four Thanks (municipal budgets) for support. Today, more than 550 families use Ganshuji’s burial sites, helping to rebuild its finances and expand its community base in the face of increasing population decline.
Iwayama’s pragmatism now extends to artificial intelligence. He has begun integrating AI into the temple’s daily operations, using it to manage memorial schedules and refine written documents.
