We at TR are pleased to present a translation of Rev. Keigo Morishita’s article from the August 2010 issue of Yoki (#736, pp. 31–35) that briefly details the sanctuary construction that took place under his tenure as minister of Tenrikyo Mission New York Center. (Photos courtesy of New York Center)

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News from the Tenrikyo Japanese website:

Tenrikyo Mission Headquarters in Brazil (Brasil Dendotyo) welcomed a visit from the Shinbashira, Zenji Nakayama, and his wife Harue Nakayama at the service commemorating its 60th anniversary on June 12.

Founded in 1951, Brasil Dendotyo celebrates its “kanreki” this year.

On June 12, followers hailed from São Paulo state where Dendotyo is located as well as all over the vast nation of Brazil. Followers from nearby countries such as Columbia and Paraguay also came to celebrate the occasion.

The Shinbashira gave a congratulatory address. The 6,150 Yoboku and followers who assembled took the occasion to look back on the day of origin of the path in Brazil first paved by Japanese immigrants to the country, and, taking the Shinbashira’s words to heart, renewed their commitment toward advancing missionary activities.

The Shinbashira and Mrs. Nakayama were also present for the joint convention for Brazil’s Young Men’s Association and Women’s Association Convention held the previous day.

After the commemorative service, the Shinbashira and Mrs. Nakayama visited six churches in Brazil between June 13 and 15. On June 16 and 17, they made their first visit to Argentina.

(By TR Translation Staff)

News source: ブラジル伝道庁 真柱様ご夫妻迎え創立60周年記念祭(6月12日)

Mr. Kaisho on a mission in Sendai

Mr. Kaisho had returned from his trip from Sendai and had a lot to share with us on his experience. Previously, we reported on his mission just before he left.  We asked him via email to explain why he went on such a dangerous trip to the areas that were heavily damaged by the recent tsunami. We received a very inspiring story that we hope to share with as many people possible.

See also: Youtube video playlist (lists 12 videos)

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Rev. Hiroaki Yamazawa, Director-in-Chief of Religious Affairs of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters, visited Fukushima, Iwate, and Miyagi prefectures between June 7 and 10. He also delivered monetary donations of 10 million yen each (equivalent to US $124,038.68) to the three prefectural governments on behalf of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters’ Post-Disaster Recovery Committee.

As of June 14, two Tenrikyo disaster relief funds have collected 7,193 donations that add to a total of 618,996,373 yen (roughly 7.68 million USD). The breakdown is as follows: “Tenrikyo Disaster Relief Fund”–333,761,042 yen (4,023 donations); “Tenrikyo Fund to Support Affected Dioceses and Disaster Relief Hinokishin Corps–285,235,331 (3,170 donations).

(TR Translation Staff)

News source: 東北3県へ救援募金から計3億円(6月7-10日)

Further reading

• Tenrikyo Online—Post-Disaster Recovery Committee Established

A news video (narration in Japanese only) has been uploaded on the Tenrikyo Japanese website. (Note: The video took some time to load before I was finally able to watch it)

Here is a translation of the narration:

The Tenrikyo Hawaii Convention 2011 was held between May 28 and 30 at a hotel in Honolulu. It was attended by 320 English-speaking participants from seven countries.

The event was hosted by Tenrikyo Mission Headquarters in Hawaii and had backup support from the Tenrikyo Overseas Department. The Convention served as a catalyst for English-speaking followers to meet in one location, strengthen their connections to the faith, and explore new frontiers for the world mission.

The Convention was mainly planned by younger followers from Hawaii and elsewhere. The Convention program included a “Study of the Service,” five elective courses, and talks from guest speakers, including one from Rev. Masahiko Iburi.

Participants spent the three days re-evaluating how they implement the faith in daily life and deepening their ties with one another.

A Japanese article related to this news can be read at ハワイコンベンション2011開催(5月28-30日). It includes the following info missing from the video:

In addition to participants from Hawaii, followers from Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, the U.K., and the mainland U.S. attended the event. While most age groups were represented, the majority of participants were in their 30s, followed by 20s and 40s age brackets.

It may be noted that the June 12 Tenri jiho cover story on THC 2011 makes little mention of the first public presentation of the Singable Danceable Mikagura-uta or SDM, which I feel was the major highlight of the Convention. Hopefully, there will be more coverage on the renewed Tenrikyo Online website. I’m also crossing my fingers for all of the content from the Convention to be uploaded on the THC 2011 website.

(By TR Translation Staff)

Further reading:

• Tenrikyo Online THC 2011 article
• Tenrikyo International Website THC 2011 article

Tenri Jiho Front Page June 9, 2011

Tenri Jiho June 9, 2011

Roy and I on Day 3 of the Convention events.

From May 28th to 30th, the Tenrikyo Hawaii Convention 2011 was held at the Hilton Hawaiian Villages Spa & Resort! The days’ events and activities include speeches by local English-speaking church ministers and group discussion activities in which participants engaged with each other on personal levels to attain further insight and enhanced experiences.  There was also the Luau which was the second evening’s evening with dinner and fantastic entertaining performances by Big Jay & Riley, Halau Hula O’Ku’upuailima (a hula dance group), Yoki Daiko, and Layla Harrington, a Australian professional singer.

I was actually part of staff for the Convention and helped in organizing and planning. As a staff member, I was not able to attend and partake in all the event’s activities, but I was able to sense the atmosphere and talk to participants on their reactions to the Convention.  I also began to hear stories of spouses beginning to attend church services and uplifting people’s outlook in applying faith into their lives.

Thank you for those who attended. I will likely be in charge of uploading content on the Convention, so please be patient for what will be in store for post-convention activities and materials for those who have not been able to attend the Convention.

Tenrikyo Mission Headquarters in Brazil is scheduled to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its founding on June 12.

The Shinbashira, Zenji Nakayama, left with a small entourage from Tenri on June 9. He is scheduled to return from his visit on June 20.

Our heartiest congratulations to Brasil Dendotyo for 60 years!

A news video (in Japanese only) has been posted on the Tenrikyo Japanese website. Here is a translation of the narration:

Between May 30* and June 3, the Disaster Relief Hinokishin Corps (DRHC) in Taiwan, which is the only formally organized corps overseas, was dispatched to areas affected by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

This marked the first time the Taiwan DRHC was dispatched to participate in disaster relief efforts in Japan since its formation ten years ago. Taiwan DRHC helped clear dirt and debris in Kesennuma City with units from other dioceses.

Further, the Taiwan DRHC also helped cook and serve pork soup in Rikuzentakata City. They also passed out bags of oolong tea they brought from Taiwan.

*Update: The article originally stated that the Taiwan DRHC were dispatched between March 30 and June 3. The correct date is May 30. We deeply apologize for the error.

Further, for an online version of the related June 12 Tenri jiho article, go to:  災救隊 台湾・救災聖労隊 活動リポート(6月8日記)

Here is a quick translation of the Taiwan DRHC squad leader’s farewell greeting:

“Please cheer up and do your best to recover. We will be rooting for you back in Taiwan. Thank you [for this opportunity to help].”

(By TR Translation Staff)

Related Tenrikyo Online articles:

• Disaster Relief Hinokishin Corps Helps Flood Victims in Taiwan (September 2009)
• Tenrikyo Disaster Relief Hinokishin Corps in Taiwan Conducts Training Camp (December 2007)
• Disaster Relief Hinokishin Corps in Taiwan Conducts Training (November 2003)

Fukuoka DRHC in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (Image source: Kuromon)

A little over a week ago, I did some searching via Google Images with selected key terms. Although I didn’t necessarily really find what I was searching for, I am presenting here a sample of articles and blogs I had stumbled upon in the process. While all the sites below are in Japanese, I felt they had excellent visual representations of Disaster Relief Hinokishin Corps’ (DRHC) efforts both past and present in addition to photos of damage from the tsunami.

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This is the final part of five in a translated interview article between the Arakitoryo newsletter and America’s Pioneer of Tenrikyo, Keigo Morishita. Please the previous posts, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4, if you missed them! This part in the series covers Morishita’s thoughts and advice in doing missionary work in the United States.

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