Day 292: Arizona Buddhist Temple, Phoenix, Arizona
📌APIA Every Day (292) - The Arizona Buddhist Temple, with congregational roots in 1933, is the oldest Buddhist temple established in the state. Founded by Japanese Americans who migrated from California to work on farms around Phoenix, the temple follows the Jodo Shinshu school of Buddhism. Through times of racial strife and discrimination in the 20th century, the temple served as a social and cultural haven for Arizona’s Japanese American community.
Before establishing a permanent worship space, Reverend Hozen Seki—a Buddhist minister from Los Angeles—conducted the congregation’s earliest services on Hitoshi Yamamoto’s farm in Glendale. Many of the temple's enduring social programs, including the Sunday school, annual Obon festival, and Fujinkai (women's organization), were established during this time. In 1936, the community constructed and dedicated a formal temple building in Phoenix. Due to Arizona's Alien Land Laws, the first-generation Japanese American community members (issei) had to purchase land through their citizen children (nisei). The temple site encompassed both a hondo (worship hall) and living quarters for the Reverend and his family.
During World War II, the temple remained closed as Japanese Americans were forced into incarceration camps, though many continued their religious practices within Arizona's detention centers. In 1945, the temple reopened with the return of Rev. Seki and the Phoenix Japanese community. During this time, the temple offered temporary housing and social assistance to community members who had lost their homes and businesses during incarceration. In 1957, when an accidental fire destroyed the temple, temporary services were held in barracks relocated from the Gila River Detention Center. In 1961, a new temple complex was completed south of the original location, featuring a hondo, residential quarters, and classrooms.
In 2024, the temple celebrated its 90th anniversary and commemorated the resilience of the Phoenix Japanese American community. Though the congregation remains active, there are concerns over its aging membership and potential future decline. Despite these challenges, the temple community continues to persist, now offering services in English instead of Japanese to welcome younger generations and new outside members to the congregation.
Written by Avneet Dhaliwal
LEARN MORE:
WHO WE ARE - Arizona Buddhist Temple
Arizona Buddhist Temple | Pluralism Project Archive
Arizona Buddhist Temple Celebrates 90th Anniversary
#apiaeveryday #japanese #japaneseamerican #eastasian #arizonabuddhisttemple #phoenix #arizona #revhozenseki #hitoshiyamamoto #obonfestival #fujinkai #alienlandlaws #nisei #wwii #incarcerationcamps #religiousarchitecture
