Los Angeles Koyasan 100 Year Centennial

Today marked the 100 Year Centennial Celebration of the founding of the Los Angeles Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo. Established in a room in the Miyako Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles by Aoyama Shutai Sensei in 1912, the Temple has endured many challenges from Discrimination to the forced internment of Japanese-American during World War II. Through the resilience of the Isei & Nisei generations both the Temple and the teachings of Kobo Daishi have flourished to propagate Shingon Buddhism here in the United States culminating in today's heavily attended ceremony to which we were fortunate enough to attend.

For this special occasion, various priests from Japan flew in to partake in the 100 year ceremony most notably Ekan Ikeguchi the head minister of the Saifukuji Temple in Kagoshima who in 1968 visited the Los Angeles Betsuin in Little Tokyo and helped establish the Goma Fire Ritual which has become a mainstay in the Koyasan Temple to this day. Among the 20+ priests attending were resident Bishop Emeritus Taisen Miyata Sensei and an appearance by our former minister and dear friend Reverend Seicho Asahi Sensei who performed Taiko during the Goma service portion.

 

As both practitioners of Shingon Buddhism and members of the LA Koyasan Temple we at American Mishima would like to wish the Los Angeles Koyasan Betsuin in Little Tokyo another 100 Years success and the continued propagation of the teachings of Kobo Dashi here in the United States.

おめでとうたんじょうびこやさんべついん!