Monks on the Catwalk - A Fashion Show To Win Back Buddhist Believers (GALLERY)

As fashion fast conquers the world, even the most religious members of society are utilizing it to spread faith. In an effort to spread Buddhism among youth, as well as win back believers, Japanese monks and nuns staged a fashion show in Tokyo. 

40 monks and nuns strutted the catwalk at Tsukiji Honganji temple, exchanging their traditional black robes to elaborate multi-colored robes to appeal to a more fashion-conscious young audience.  The show opened with a Buddhist prayer set to a hip-hop beat.

The show was held last Saturday in hope it would help save the Buddhism crisis in Japan.

Buddhist priest Kosuker Kikkawa explains, “Many of us priests share the sense of crisis, and a need to do something to reach out to people. We won’t change Buddha’s teachings, but perhaps we need a different presentation that can touch the feelings of the people today.”