For more than 40 years, the Rev. Gyoro Nagase has lived in London’s Battersea Park, caring for the city’s Peace Pagoda and dedicating his life to chanting, drumming, and walking for peace. Now 74 years old, the Japanese-born Buddhist monk continues his daily rhythm of prayer and activism, despite declining health and uncertainty about the future of his order.

Rev. Nagase, ordained in the Nipponzan Myohoji order founded in 1917 by Nichidatsu Fujii, has lived since 1984 in a converted storage room beside the white, tiered pagoda overlooking the River Thames. The pagoda itself was inaugurated that year by the Japanese peace order, which has built similar monuments worldwide. Ken Livingstone, then leader of the Greater London Council, famously rode an elephant to its opening ceremony.

Each day, Nagase begins with an hour of prayer at dawn before chanting and drumming as he circumambulates the pagoda. His duties also include cleaning the grounds, repairing damage, and removing graffiti. “I am the only monk who lives in 200 acres in an English park,” he said. (The New York Times)

His activism extends beyond the park. Nagase regularly participates in anti-nuclear demonstrations and protests against war, carrying his drum and chanting, “Namu myoho renge kyo,” the title of the Lotus Sutra. To mark the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki every 9 August, he leads an interfaith walk from Westminster Cathedral across the Thames to the pagoda, where representatives of various faiths gather for prayers and speeches.

Born in 1951 near Nagoya, Nagase was drawn to world music in his youth and set off on travels across Russia, Europe, and Africa before arriving in India in the early 1970s. It was at a peace pagoda in Bihar that he first encountered Nipponzan Myohoji. The sound of the Buddhist drum captivated him. “Meet drum, change life,” he recalled. (The New York Times) In Sri Lanka, he volunteered to help build a pagoda at Adam’s Peak, where Nichidatsu Fujii ordained him as a monk.

Since then, Nagase has undertaken peace walks across the globe, from New Orleans to New York for the 1982 “No Nukes” march, to South Africa during Nelson Mandela’s release, to Chernobyl after the nuclear accident, and even from Grafton, New York, to Ground Zero with folk singer Pete Seeger after the 9/11 attacks. “Many, many more,” he said. “Now, feet very tired.” (The New York Times)

Supporters describe him as both humble and joyful. “He is always smiley, kind, and welcoming,” said Hannah Kemp-Welch, vice chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, who has invited him to chant at events. (The New York Times) Local residents and businesses also look after him, providing meals and practical help.

Still, challenges remain. The pagoda has recently been fenced off due to structural concerns, and vandalism and harassment are ongoing problems. With the leaders of his order now in their 90s and few new monks joining, the future of the Battersea Peace Pagoda is uncertain.

Asked whether decades of chanting and walking had made a difference, Rev. Nagase admitted uncertainty. “I don’t know. Maybe nothing,” he said, before adding, “Chanting for world peace is the best way to live.” (The New York Times)

See more

London’s Peace Monk Chants, Drums and Walks to Urge an End to War (The New York Times)
Inherited Prayers for Peace: Nipponzan Myohoji’s Communities Rooted in Christendom (Pressenza)
Westminster Interfaith’s 36th Annual Pilgrimage for Peace (Diocese of Westminster)

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