Yemyo Imamura (May 27, 1867 December 22, 1932) was a Japanese
Buddhist priest who was active in
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
, and was a leader in the
Japanese American
are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian Americans, Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 United States census, 2000 census, they have declined in ...
community. He was a priest at the
Honpa Hongwanji, and started their
Young Men's Buddhist Association (YMBA).
Early life
Imamura was born in Togo village,
Fukui prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 737,229 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,190 Square kilometre, km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture border ...
, Japan on May 27, 1867.
He entered the priesthood in 1876, when he was 10 years old. After studying in temple schools in
Kyoto
Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
, he received a scholarship to study at
Keio University
, abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally established as a school for Rangaku, Western studies in 1858 in Edo. It was granted university status in 1920, becomi ...
in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. He graduated in 1893, then returned to Fukui to teach English.
Career
In 1899, Imamura moved to Hawaii to serve the
Jodo Shinshu Buddhists there. He took over the Honpa Hongwanji when its first priest, Honi Satomi, returned to Japan. Heth married his wife Kiyoko in 1904, and they had a son named Kanmo, who also became a priest.
Imamura established the Young Men's Buddhist Association as a Buddhist equivalent to the YMCA. Their activities included teaching English, helping new immigrants adjust to the local culture, and publishing a magazine called ''Dōhō.'' In 1902 Imamura opened the Fort Gakuen, a elementary school attached to the temple. He later opened the Hawaii Chugakko (middle school) in 1907. Both schools were Japanese language schools that student attended after the regular school day finished. He also advocated for
plantation laborers and
picture brides.
Much of Imamura's career was spent showing the similarities between Buddhism and Christianity and Americanizing young Japanese immigrants through Buddhism. He wanted to make Buddhism more compatible with American life in Hawaii, and show it as a "universal" rather than "supernatural" religion. Unlike his Christian contemporary,
Takie Okumura, Imamura's focus while Americanizing Japanese youth wasn't to encourage them to leave Japanese culture behind, but rather to carry its values with them as American citizens.
In 1928, Imamura was awarded the
Order of the Sacred Treasure
The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...
for his work expanding the influence of Jodo Shinshu in Hawaii.
Imamura died on December 22, 1932.
Family
His wife Kiyoko (清子) is a daughter of Ahikaga Gizan (
:jp:足利義山). Kiyoko's younger sister, Kai Wariko (
:jp:甲斐和里子)., is the founder of
Kyoto Women's University. Yemyo and Kiyoko's daughter, Keiko Glenn, used to be a professor of
Hawaii Loa College.
口満宏、立命館言語文化研究31巻1号
Further reading
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Imamura, Yemyo
1867 births
1932 deaths
Japanese Buddhist missionaries
Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist priests
People from Fukui Prefecture
Keio University alumni