A Mainichi Shimbun report has revealed that multiple temple lodgings (shukubo) at the World Heritage site of Koyasan failed to report income totaling over ¥100 million, as pointed out by national tax authorities. Religious corporations are exempt from tax on income tied to religious activities, but portions classified as for-profit business — such as lodging and food service — are taxable. On 5ch, threads buzzed about the blurry line between religious activity and taxable business, the reality of skyrocketing shukubo rates driven by inbound tourism, and differences in how other famous temples like Mt. Hiei operate.
World Heritage Site Koyasan: Temple Lodgings Underreport Income, Over ¥100 Million, Tax Authorities Point Out | Mainichi Shimbun
Mainichi Shimbun
September 10, 2026, 04:30 (Last updated 9/10 07:24)
Source: mainichi.jp / Original article here
Not everything is tax-exempt.
They're basically running an inn and charging money.
What part of that is a religious act?
Yep
IIRC they blew through several hundred million yen, and one monk ended up suing another monk for aggravated breach of trust.
The goshuin stamp books and omamori charms are factory-made, so those are easy to trace.
The actual stamp-writing might be hard to track, but that counts as a religious donation (osaise) anyway.
Donations tied to religious activity, sure.
But if you're running a business out of a religious facility, that revenue obviously gets taxed.
Income outside religious activity is taxed, and they're still on the hook for income tax and resident tax.
Anything unrelated to religion is taxable — lodging, food and drink, real estate, some merchandise.
Regardless of whether they serve alcohol or not?
These aren't the old bare-bones ¥3,000-a-night shukubo anymore.
There are ¥50,000 plans now aimed at inbound tourists.
Gives me a weird vibe.
Can't be helped — Heian-era Buddhism was esoteric and all about this-worldly benefits.
Blame Kukai.
Well, Mt. Hiei is right nearby, and Kukai himself used Jingo-ji and To-ji as bases too.
Kyoto isn't just tied to the new Kamakura Buddhist sects — it has deep ties to esoteric Buddhism as well.
Mt. Hiei is the worst.
They charge you for every little move.
And on top of that, the monks collecting the money have the worst attitude.
No wonder Nobunaga burned the place down.
Really? I always had the image that Shingon Buddhism costs more than other sects.
I went to Mt. Hiei and you could really see the money poured into the buildings.
I get giving breaks to shrines for Japan's native, indigenous gods, but there's no reason to give the same breaks to other temples or cult-like groups.
Everyone fixates on Soka Gakkai and the Unification Church, but politicians get backing from all sorts of religious organizations.
Organized bloc voting really is the strongest weapon in a democracy.
Background and Key Points of This Topic
Religious corporations don’t pay corporate tax on income directly tied to religious activity, such as donations (osaise) and offerings, but portions deemed for-profit business — like lodging and food service — are taxable. Koyasan’s shukubo have diversified in recent years, from the traditional no-frills stay for a few thousand yen to private rooms with shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine) and pricey plans aimed at inbound tourists, and the underreporting flagged this time appears to center on how this increasingly profitable lodging segment recorded its sales. On the thread, discussion centered on the blurry line of “where religious practice ends and for-profit business begins,” with comparisons drawn to the admission fees and operating attitudes of other well-known temples like Mt. Hiei. At the same time, some posts singling out specific sects to make sweeping claims about scandal frequency, or devolving into personal attacks, were excluded from this writeup.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “World Heritage Site Koyasan: Temple Lodgings Underreport Over ¥100 Million, Tax Authorities Point Out.”
