God and Mammon have long been partners in Kyoto, whose centuries-old Buddhist and Shinto temples are a potent magnet for worshipers and sightseers from all over the world, but changing times have exacted a telling strain on the partnership. When they were cut off from government subsidy by the MacArthur constitution, which divorced Japanese church and state, most of Kyoto's temples began charging admission fees in order to support themselves. The result was a bonanza of tax-free riches. This delighted the Buddhist and Shinto priests but filled Kyoto's Mayor Gizo Takayama, a Congregationalist,...
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