*More than 500 people packed the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation in Elk Grove to celebrate the temple’s milestone anniversary, November 23, 2024. Photo by Gregg Kochi*

The Buddhist Church of Sacramento’s 125th Anniversary Banquet & Celebration lived up to its tagline, demonstrating throughout the evening the 3 Cs.

More than 500 people packed the event on November 23, 2024, at the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation. The crowd included:

descendants of the Issei pioneers who founded the temple;
past ministers of the temple and their relatives;
ministers from the Northern California District and the Buddhist Churches of America;
elected officials who presented proclamations marking the historic occasion;
and an ultramarathon runner from Fresno Buddhist Church who completed an extraordinary journey.

*Among the guests were Reverend Marvin Harada, bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America (front, left), and next to him Reverend Michael Endo, executive assistant to the bishop. Photo by Gregg Kochi*

A Night of “FUN”
To kick off the evening’s festivities, Rimban Yuki Sukahara shared a favorite slogan, one that’s often heard in his Sunday Dharma talks. And that’s “to have FUN” – F for Friendship, U for Understanding, and N for Nembutsu.

“But tonight I want to change it a little bit. I still want you to have friendship, and I still want you to deepen understanding among each other. And of course, I want you to recite the nembutsu. But today, please have a nice time,” said Reverend Yuki. “It’s okay to have FUN!”

The performance by the singing group the Cherry Blossomz included a guest appearance by Sacramento Betsuin choir member Merv Maruyama.
Photo by Gregg Kochi.

There was no doubt about it, our guests had a fun and memorable time. From reconnecting with old friends to hamming it up at the photo booth; from toasting the occasion with a sake ceremony to listening to the Cherry Blossomz perform their favorite songs. Even the live dessert auction took on a life of its own.

A coffee crunch cake from Le Croissant Factory sold for $500; a pair of banana cream pies from Frank Fat’s went for $660; and bidding on a fruit basket cake from Karen’s Bakery jumped to $1,000. By the way, everyone received a piece of cake (for free).

Anniversary Tributes
California had been a state for less than 50 years when Buddhist missionaries from Japan and Sacramento’s first Japanese immigrants founded the temple in 1899. In presenting a resolution from the Sacramento City Council, Councilmember Katie Valenzuela honored the resilience of our temple and Sangha.

“I think a lot about their history, their history of discrimination, history of relocation,” Valenzuela said, referring to the incarceration of temple members and others of Japanese descent during World War II and city redevelopment that decimated Japantown and forced the temple to move to its present location.

“This church, despite all of that, has stayed together,” said Valenzuela, “and still has a home and is doing so many incredible things for the community.”

Sacramento City Councilmember Katie Valenzuela presented a city resolution to Karen Adachi, temple president, and Bobby Tanaka, president-elect.
Photo by Gregg Kochi

Remarks by City Councilmember Darren Suen turned personal as he presented the resolution from the Elk Grove City Council. He talked about Reverend Yuki providing comfort when Suen’s mother died. And years ago, Reverend Bob Oshita and Minister’s Assistant Koichi Mizushima consoled Suen and some buddies after they lost a close friend.

The temple also received commendations from Sacramento County supervisors Pat Hume and Patrick Kennedy, Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, and State Senator Angelique Ashby.

The official record of the United States Congress paid tribute with a passage from Congresswoman Doris Matsui.

Here’s an excerpt from the Congressional Record:

“Mr. Speaker, as the community of the Buddhist Church of Sacramento Hongwanji Betsuin gathers to celebrate its 125th anniversary with eyes on the future setting the stage for generations to come, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in honoring their commitment to preserving and sharing the rich traditions of Japanese culture and Shin Buddhism with the community.”

A Selfless Act
The most astonishing gesture celebrating the anniversary came from ultramarathoner David Thull. His idea to run from Fresno Buddhist Church to the Buddhist Church of Sacramento turned into 200 Miles of Compassion, a benefit for 13-year-old Nathan Imura, a temple member battling leukemia, and the Sacramento nonprofit Mama Bears Fighting Childhood Cancer.

Temple member Roy Imura showed his appreciation after David Thull completed 200 Miles of Compassion to benefit grandson Nathan Imura (next to Roy) who’s battling leukemia. Photo by Sandy Kataoka Fong

With the banquet just hours away, a group gathered at the temple to await Thull’s arrival following his three-and-a-half-day journey, some of it through the pouring rain. Among the first to greet him were Nathan and his family　ー parents Aaron and Doreen Imura, younger brother Max, and grandfather Roy Imura, who gave Thull the biggest hug.

“This is about bringing the community together and helping Nathan and his family,” said Thull, standing in the church parking lot. “That’s what we talk about when we come to the temple – trying to be a better person.”

Thull was still in high spirits when he and his wife arrived at the anniversary celebration as guests of honor. Before the evening ended, 200 Miles of Compassion exceeded its goal of $40,000 in donations.

Who could have imagined a more heartwarming conclusion to our 125th Anniversary Banquet & Celebration! And of course, thank you to the countless temple volunteers and community supporters who brought this momentous event to life.

It was a magical night, said Karen Adachi, finishing her term as president of the Buddhist Church of Sacramento. An anniversary that will surely be remembered for many things, especially the genuine expressions of Compassion. Culture. Community. - By Sharon Ito

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