ca. 1930s. Rev. Jokatsu Yukawa, pastor of the Tacoma Hongwanji Buddhist Church, has donned protective gear and prepares to engage in kendo, a form of Japanese fencing. Rev. Yukawa is to the right in this sepia 1930's photograph; his masked opponent is not identified. The pair are practicing at the site of the Japanese Language School on Tacoma Avenue South, which had opened in 1921. Rev. Yukawa spent five years as the temple's minister, from 1928-1933. During his tenure, a $40,000 fund drive was initiated which culminated in the construction of the present church and junior members were organized in active Young Buddhist Association groups. He was promoted to serve a larger congregation in California and was replaced by Rev. Sensho Sasaki. (History of Pierce County, Vol. 1, p. 16) TPL-2008.

ca. 1949. Funeral, Tacoma Hongwanji Buddhist Church, exterior view. Mourners gather behind the flag-covered casket outside the Tacoma Hongwanji Buddhist Church, 1717 Fawcett Ave., in this circa 1949 photograph. There are many large floral tributes including one with "77" emblazed amidst the blooms.

Three hundred participants in the ninth annual Northwest Young Buddhist League Convention posed for a group picture in front of the Tacoma Hongwanji Buddhist Church at 1717 Fawcett Avenue on February 19, 1956. The three-day conference was coming to a close. Seated in front row of the mostly Japanese-American gathering, wearing black robes and sashes, were nine Buddhist ministers including Sunya Pratt, the first woman to be ordained a Buddhist priest in the United States. The Tacoma Hongwanji Church had been established in 1915 and its present temple, still in operation, was built in 1930. The temple is on the Tacoma City Register of historic buildings. (Photograph ordered by the Tacoma Young Buddhist Association.) TPL-3691

Tacoma Hongwanji Buddhist Church (Tacoma); Group portraits;