San Francisco Japantown Task Force

DATA SHEET

Place: Konko-Kyo Church of San Francisco

Address: 1909 Bush St., San Francisco

Visual Description:

The Konko-Kyo Church of San Francisco practices and preaches the Konko-Kyo faith, a relatively new religion that originated 150 years ago in Japan.  One of the core facets of the Konko-Kyo religion is the belief in a spiritual entity known as Kami, who exists and flows throughout the world, imbuing the universe with energy, love, and life.  The fundamental goal of the Konko-Kyo faith is to search for and appreciate the blessings of Kami.  The Konko-Kyo Church holds service every Sunday morning with an average attendance of around 30-50 people.  During each service, the head minister leads the congregation through the Konko prayer book and then delivers his message on a pulpit (see left picture).  Typical rituals include praying for deceased ancestors, providing offering, and a purification ritual in which each member is touched by a white staff. The building is also open on weekdays from 8-6 pm, a time for people to come in to pray or seek answers from Kami.  The Church is operated by three separate ministers, with service typically being lead by Rev. Grange, the head minister.

History:

The Konko-Kyo church of San Francisco has been a fixture within the Japantown community for over seventy years and was founded in 1930 by Rev. Yoshiaki Fukuda, a Japanese immigrant. The Church initially held service at a small facility on 2076 Bush St., but within one year, the membership ballooned to 400 people. To accommodate more people, the church leadership purchased and moved to its current location at 1909 Bush St. in 1932. During Japanese Internment, the Reverend was classified by the FBI as a Class A Japanese leader and was interned for almost six years, forcing the church to close during his absence. Furthermore, during San Francisco’s urban renewal program in the early 1960’s, the Church leadership discovered that it’s property would be converted to residential space within a few years. However, with an outpouring of community support and donations, the Church was able to negotiate a deal with the city in which it could construct a new building at its current site. After ten years of planning and development, and with the aid of community volunteers and donors around the area (see right picture), the new building was finished in 1974 and still remains intact to this day.

Significance:

Cultural, Historical, Social

Recognition of Significance:

Source:

Rev. Richard Grange, Head Minister, Konko-Kyo Church of San Francisco

Other Comments:

Prepared By: Rev. Richard Grange Date Prepared: 11/5/04