Part of a special section on Buddhist Chaplaincy in the United States and Japan.
Editors’ note: Rev. TAKAHASHI Eigo is abbot of Kōryūzan Kichijōji temple in the coastal town of Ōtsuchi in northern Japan. In this essay he shares his experiences of providing spiritual care to the town’s residents in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. His work demonstrates how Buddhist ideas, practices, and institutions have helped provide support of various kinds to disaster survivors, in addition to care for the deceased. In this respect, it contributes to studies on Buddhist disaster care in contemporary Japan. For Kichijōji temple this included material support, memorial services, and other forms of emotional and spiritual support. Further, this essay bears witness to the impact of collective crisis on spiritual caregivers and shares Buddhist approaches to ministry and self-care drawn from the author’s Sōtō Zen training.