Material Type

Manuscript

Date Range

1970-2005

Physical Description

approximately 5 cm

Physical Condition

Very Good

History Biographical

The first Japanese settlers began arriving in Raymond and district as early as 1903. Some had lived on the west coast of British Columbia, while others were recruited as farm workers directly from Japan. These men formed a Japanese Society, and one of their priorities was religious education. Leaders of the Buddhist movement in the Raymond area at that time included Henry Kojun Iwaasa, Harry Yoichi Hironaka, Shiyozo Kosaka, E. Sonomura, Takajiro Koyata, Buhachi ‘Charlie’ Nishimura, Y. Hatanaka and Kisaburo Sugimoto. In November 1929 Harry Yoichi Hironaka became the first elected president of the Japanese Society. In 1929 the Japanese Society bought the former Mormon Church in Raymond for $5,000. The building was originally constructed as Raymond’s first school. A 100-year plan was written for the church, and Japanese families living in Hardieville and Coalhurst pledged their financial assistance as well. The new Raymond Buddhist Church was renovated under the direction of S. Motoyama and in 1929 Reverend Shinjo Nagatomi arrived with his family to become the church’s first minister. During the Great Depression, Reverend Nagatomi’s monthly honorarium could not be paid regularly, and the members of the congregation supported him and his family by providing them with flour, meat and vegetables as well as coal for heating and cooking. Reverend Nagatomi eventually returned to Japan and was replaced by Reverend Yutetsu Kawamura, who arrived in Raymond with his family in 1934. Reverend Kawamura taught Sunday School, as well as the Japanese language and dances to the children of the district. A cooperative store was organized to sell Japanese food to the families of the district. Called the Kobai Kumiai Association, the store was still in operation in 1993. In 1940 Reverend Kawamura left Raymond, and the Buddhist Church was without a minister for two years. What made the situation even more challenging was the influx of Japanese Canadians from the west coast beginning in 1942. Forcibly relocated to southern Alberta after Canada’s declaration of war on Japan on 7 December 1941, the Japanese evacuees swelled the membership of the Raymond Buddhist Church. Among the evacuees were the Reverend Shinjo Ikuta and his family. Reverend Ikuta became the Buddhist minister at Raymond. Mrs. Ikuta lead the organization of the Sunday School. She recruited teachers from the Young Women’s Buddhist Association (YWBA) and Young Men’s Buddhist Association (YMBA) as teachers. They went to other communities in the district each Sunday morning to teach, returning in the afternoon to teach those children who could come to the church in Raymond. Mrs. Ikuta also helped organize the ladies’ organization known as the Fujinkai, with Mrs. Chiaki Karaki as its first president. On 4 November 1945 the YWBA and YMBA amalgamated to form the Young Men's and Women's Buddhist Association (YMWBA). The YMWBA membership numbered more than 40, and was active in organizing fundraising and social events. Among the events sponsored by the YMWBA were the Miss Sunny Alberta dance, an annual New Year’s Eve dance and the Kei Ro Kai (a party to honour elders). Sports were also an important part of the activities of the Raymond Buddhist Church. A baseball team called the Yamato (afterwards the YMBA, and later still the Busseis). The Church also organized the Budo Koen Kai, which in turn organized judo and kendo clubs in Raymond and district. A basketball team was formed to compete in a league organized by the Buddhist churches in southern Alberta. On 23 January 1948 a fire was discovered under the floor where the shrine stood. The wooden statue of the Buddha was brought to safety by Isamu Koyata, who crawled through dense smoke to get to it. In the late 1940s and the 1950s, renovations were made to the Raymond Buddhist Church. The alter area was redesigned to accommodate a larger shrine donated by the Royston Buddhist Church in British Columbia in 1946. A special dedication service (Kei San Hoyo) was held to mark the donation, and it was then that Buddhist ministers and Church executives decided to form a Canadian Buddhist Society with Kichizo Takaguchi as its first president. The Raymond Buddhist Church continued to grow after World War 2, and in 1950 the bilingual minister Reverend Ensei Nekoda arrived with his family to assist Reverend Ikuta. Reverend Ikuta was transferred to Kelowna in 1951 while Reverend Nekoda continued at Raymond until 1960, when he left for San Francisco. In 1964 Reverend Leslie Kawamura became the minister at the Raymond Buddhist Church. Son of Reverend Yutetsu Kawamura, who served at Raymond from 1934 to 1940, Reverend Leslie Kawamura oversaw the continued growth of the Raymond Buddhist Church. In 1963 Girl Guide and Brownie troops were formed, and later an Ranger troop for older girls. In 1984 the Alberta government declared the Raymond Buddhist Church building a Provincial Historic site, and in 1989 the Church celebrated its 60th anniversary with over 400 people in attendance. In the 1990s, the Raymond Buddhist Church began to falter. Membership declined as young people moved away, and the average age of the membership increased. The crisis deepened until in 2005, Raymond Buddhist Church closed. Other Buddhist churches in the region were undergoing similar crises. After discussion, it was decided that amalgamation was the solution to the problems facing the regional Buddhist community. On 18 December 2006 The Buddhist Temple of Southern Alberta (BTSA) was established. Its membership is comprised of former members of the Lethbridge Buddhist Temple, Lethbridge Honpa Buddhist Temple, Raymond Buddhist Temple and Taber Buddhist Temple. Construction of the Buddhist Temple of Southern Alberta at 470 40 Street South in Lethbridge was completed in 2009, and the Temple was dedicated on 25-26 April 2009. [Source: Turner, Lawrence ed. Settlers, Sugar and Stampedes: Raymond Remembered. Town of Raymond, 1993. pages 9-101 to 9-104]

Language

English

Japanese

Acquisition Source

Nishiyama, Reyko 836 12 Street South Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 2S5

Scope and Content

The fonds consists of a series of the church newsletter 'Rolling Wheel' from 1970 to 2005 [gaps] and programs for Obon services from 1984 to 1999 [gaps] and Hanamatsuri services from 1983 to 1999 [gaps].

Access Restrictions

Public Access

Accession No.

20091064000

Collection

Archive

Less detail