The Portland Buddhist Church, located in northwest

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The church was important to the

Japanese-American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in ranking to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

community that once thrived in Northwest Portland.

History

Founded by Rev Shozui Wakabayashi of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Mission of North America in 1903, the Oregon Buddhist Temple was created to serve the growing Japanese American community in Portland. When the building on Tenth Street was completed in 1910, the congregation counted over 500 members. The property held many of the community's belonging as they were

incarcerated Imprisonment or incarceration is the restraint of a person's liberty for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is considered "false imprisonment". Impris ...

during World War II. Then Rinban Tansai Terakawa would be sent to Minidoka along with many of the congregation. Sadly, Terakawa would never return, passing away at the camp in 1944. Rev Hojun Sugimoto would return to the church and lead the community in its efforts to rebuild their lives. The Portland Buddhist Church served the congregation for over 50 years until a new temple was built in

Southeast Portland Southeast Portland is one of the sextants of Portland, Oregon. Boundaries and features Southeast Portland stretches from the warehouses along the Willamette River through historic Ladd's Addition to the Hawthorne and Belmont districts out to ...

in 1966, and continues to serves the community today.

References

External links

* 1910 establishments in Oregon Buddhist Churches of America Buddhist temples in the United States Buildings designated early commercial in the National Register of Historic Places Japanese-American culture in Portland, Oregon Jōdo Shin temples 20th-century Buddhist temples National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Oregon Buildings and structures in Pearl District, Portland, Oregon Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Pure Land temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1910 Religious buildings and structures in Portland, Oregon {{MultnomahCountyOR-NRHP-stub

History

See also

References

External links