Jun Yasuda
| Jun Yasuda | |
|---|---|
 Jun_Yasuda_at_the_Grafton_Peace_Pagoda._Templejpg.jpg Jun Yasuda outside her shrine at the Grafton Peace Pagoda Temple in Petersburg, NY | |
| Born | June 30, 1948 |
| 💼 Occupation | |
Jun Yasuda, born in Tokyo, Japan on June 30, 1948[1] is a Japanese American Buddhist nun.[2] She is part of the Nipponzan-Myōhōji-Daisanga order, and works with Peace Pagodas, most notabley the Grafton Peace Pagoda in Petersburg, NY. [3]She is an activist, whose work involves opposing nuclear energy and weapons.[4] She organizes Peace walks, which have spanned the entire length of the country. She has walked across America 8 times.[4]
Early Life in Japan
Jun Yasuda lived in Japan until her early 30s. [4] She was born 2-3 years after the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which greatly impacted her outlook towards nuclear energy. At 19, she enrolled in Hosei University for a degree in economics and dropped out after her first day. She grew dissatisfed with the materialist culture in Japan, and later left for Sri Lanka.
Peace Walks
The first walk Yasuda engaged in was The Longest Walk, which began in San Francisco and ended in Washington D.C.
As Yasuda leads walks, she marches to a beat from her drum. Yasuda's peace walks are not limited to anti-nuclear causes, as she has engaged in walks to oppose prisons, military bases and natural gas and oil pipelines.[4] Every year, from August 6–10, she leads a "No More War" Peace walk in commemoration of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.[3]
Notable Peace Walks
In 1978, Yasuda's began her first peace walk titled "The Longest Walk" which began in San Francisco and ended in Washington D.C.[5]
In 2011 Yasuda took park in a peace walk that began in Austrialia and stretched to Japan in the aftermath of an explosion at a Fukishima power plant.[6][2]
Nipponzan-Myohoji Order
Yasuda joined the Nipponzan-Myohoji order, founded by Nichidatsu Fujii (1885-1985), friend of Mahatma Gandhi, and proponent of nonviolence.[7]
Indigenous Activism
Yasuda has made close ties with many indigenous communities including the Lakota people, Seneca people, and Shoshone people, as her walks towards nuclear sites often cross paths with indigenous lands.[4] She has worked with Native American Activist, Dennis Banks, in organizing peace walks.
The Grafton Peace Pagoda
The Grafton Peace Pagoda is one of two Peace Pagodas in the United States, the second one is located is the New England Peace Pafgoda, located in Leverett, Massachussetts.[8][5] Yasuda built the Grafton Peace Pagoda in Petersburg, NY.[5]Many volunteers helped fund and build the Grafton Peace Pagoda, and its completion took 8 years (1985-1993). Yasuda and the volunteers used primarily recycled materials to build the pagoda. The Grafton Peace Pagoda holds two prayer services a day, sunrise and sunset.[3] [5]
In 1983, Hank Hazleton, Native American Activist, gifted the land to Yasuda to create the peace pagoda. [9] Yasuda resides on the property of the Grafton Peace Pagoda.[5]
References
- ↑ "Happy Birthday Facebook Post from a page dedicated to honoring her".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Buddhist nun has prayers for Japan, a caution for all". Times Union. March 16, 2011. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2025. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Grafton Peace Pagoda". TOWN OF GRAFTON NY. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Eisenstadter, Dave (August 7, 2019). "Walking for a nuclear-free future — for 40 years". Valley Advocate. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 D’Imperio, Chuck (April 27, 2017). Upstate Uncovered: 100 Unique, Unusual, and Overlooked Destinations in Upstate New York. State University of New York Press. doi:10.2307/jj.18377184.67. ISBN 978-1-4384-6371-1. Search this book on
- ↑ "Transnational Memory and the Fukushima Disaster: Memories of Japan in Australian Anti-nuclear Activism". epress.lib.uts.edu.au. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
- ↑ Rondeau, Mark E. (February 23, 2008). "Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo: Buddhist nun chants for peace and justice". Bennington Banner. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
- ↑ "The New England Peace Pagoda". The New England Peace Pagoda. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
- ↑ "Hank Hazleton Memorial". Grafton Peace Pagoda.
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