Prof. Yoshinori Hiroi and Project Members Report at The Groves of Village Shrines Community Seminar 2022
On March 17th, 2022, The Groves of Village Shrines Community Seminar 2022 was held at the Kyoto Academia Forum in Marunouchi (Shin Marunouchi Building 10th Floor, Tokyo), where Prof. Yoshinori Hiroi and project members made presentations.
There are about 160,000 shrines and temples in Japan, and their surrounding forests have been called “The Groves of Village Shrines.” They have taken on a valuable character as a base for local community centers that are united in their belief in nature.
“The Groves of Village Shrines Community Project” aims to rediscover the new significance of these “The Groves of Village Shrines” by linking them to contemporary issues, such as the decentralized development of natural energy and community revitalization.
In this seminar, presenters introduced the activities and research that are conducted under “The Groves of Village Shrines Community Project,” including the development of natural energy, therapy, and hospice. The purpose of the seminar was to consider the challenges and future prospects of each project, and to explore the ideals of a sustainable welfare society, starting from the local level to the global level.
In addition to Prof. Hiroi, Mr. Yoshihiro Miyashita (Director, The Groves of the Village Shrines Community Research Institute Promotion Council), Mr. Tomokiyo Tanaka (Chief, Iwashimizu Hachiman Gu Shrine), and Mr. Toshihiro Matsuo (Research Fellow, Chinju-no-Mori (The Groves of the Village Shrines) Community Research Institute) presented reports at the seminar. These four reports were followed by a lively Q&A session and discussion among the approximately 50 participants.
Finally, Prof. Minoru Sonoda (Professor Emeritus of Kyoto University, Chief Priest of Chichibu Shrine) gave his summary comments.
*Click on the image to view the flyer (Japanese version, PDF).
Venue
2022/04/15