Home History Days of the North American Post Groundbreaking Ceremony for Seattle Betsuin Memorial Hall in 1964

Groundbreaking Ceremony for Seattle Betsuin Memorial Hall in 1964

Original Issue Date: Jan. 9, 1964 Translated by Minami Endo/ The North American Post

A groundbreaking ceremony took place on Dec. 29 for the Shinran Shonin 700th Memorial Hall on the east side of the main building at Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple. The ceremony was led by Rinban Kumada and joined by many attendees including Seattle Japanese Language School students, the church’s youth, its women’s group and Shoyukai and Ijikai representatives.

After President Harry Kawabe’s speech, representatives joined the groundbreaking, and attendees made offerings of incense.

While celebrating the New Year, construction has already been begun and is moving forward to the dedication, which is planned for May.

The hall will be used as a classroom for Seattle Japanese Language School students and as a worship and social space for youth.

In the Photo: Seattle Betsuin President Harry Kawabe, left, joins the groundbreaking ceremony with Minister Nakagami, center, and Rinban Kumada, right.

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The North American Post is a community newspaper that celebrates Japanese culture in the Greater Seattle area. Founded by 1st generation Japanese-Americans in 1902, the publication is one of the oldest minority-owned newspapers in the region. Today, with bilingual articles in English and Japanese, the publication connects readers with diverse cultural backgrounds to Seattle’s Japanese community. Our articles include local news, event calendars, restaurant reviews, Japanese cooking recipes, community interviews, and more.