Beliefs

In the midst of the turmoils they faced during the second world war, Japanese Americans have tried to reconcile their practices of beliefs in multiple ways. In this part of our online exhibition, we will focus on how Japanese Americans practiced their beliefs and maintained their religious communities. Although there are a number of beliefs that were practiced among the Japanese American communities, as we will be able to see a glimpse of it through the annual memorial services by the Japanese Mutual Aid Society held at the Montrose Cemetery, we will be shedding light on to two beliefs: Buddhism and Christianity. People in both communities overcame various hardships in order to sustain their beliefs and their communities. In the Buddhism section, we will be introducing the current Buddhist Institutions found in Chicago, Buddhist practices in the incarceration camps, and the “Americanization” of Buddhism and Buddhist practices. In the Christianity Section, we will also be introducing the current Japanese American Christianity community in Chicago and the history of the institutions, relating to the overall history of Christianity and Christians in the Chicago area.