ABSTRACTThis article explores the social construction of ‘family’ among the followers of Tenrikyō, one of the oldest ‘new religions’ in Japan, in relation to its members’ involvement in the Japanese foster family system. Currently, more than 10% of children who are in foster care nationwide are placed in the households of Tenrikyō followers. The majority of these Tenri foster family households also serve as Tenrikyō branch churches. Despite the explicitly religious nature of these foster homes, the municipalities that have exclusive authority over the placement of children in state care willingly utilize these homes. Locating the ‘normative’ family in Japanese society at large as consisting of married parents with consanguine children, this article argues that, undergirded by Tenrikyō’s religious teaching to create a universal brotherhood, Tenri foster homes provide foster children a ‘middle-ground’ family space in which their sense of belonging is defined not exclusively in terms of blood relations. This Tenri construction of family can facilitate foster children’s relationships with their biological parents, which complements the government’s agenda of ‘family reunification’.