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Guest Ministers:

Rev. Wako Kato

Reverend Wako Kato, Ph.D., has served at Sokoji in San Francisco from 1952 to 1963 and at Zenshuji since 1963. He also holds the position of chief priest of Fuganji in Nara, Japan. Besides his priesthood, he held academic positions at San Francisco State University and the University of California at Berkeley. After he moved to Los Angeles, he taught at California State University, Los Angeles, where he was granted Professor Emeritus. He was also a Visiting Professor at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Before this lecture series began, he was a Dean of International Studies at the Nagoya University of Foreign Studies in Japan for seven years and now, Professor Emeritus there. He has authored seven books and numerous articles in English and Japanese.

Rev. Koshi Kuwahara

Reverend Koshi Hiroyuki Kuwahara, age 83, passed away peacefully on March 12, 2018 at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center.

He is survived by his wife, Mitsuyo Kuwahara, son Kenny (Hiroko), daughter Emily (Ian Barner), and grandchildren, Dean, Zoe, Kaitlin and Luke, and by many other relatives in Japan.

His funeral services was held on March 23rd, 2018 at Zenshuji.

Rev. Koshi Kuwahara was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1934 as a son of a merchant, and led his youth in Tokyo in the most chaotic era; before and after World War II. After becoming a Zen monk, he attended Komazawa University to study Buddhism, and then volunteered for his first mission to Brazil in 1959.  His duty began with traveling and serving the Japanese communities which were dispersed over the huge country, and he helped establish the missions in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In 1964, he came to the United States as a member of the Institute of Zen Buddhism in North America; its office was located at Zenshuji.  While serving at Zenshuji, he attended local colleges and UCLA where he studied American cultures, English and translation of Buddhism materials.  He then worked as a system analyst and manager in the business world for a while, and in 1999, he was assigned as residential minister of Zenshuji until his retirement in 2005.  Currently he continues to serve Zenshuji by organizing and supporting a computer class, Japanese class, and Zen discussion class.

The Ministers

Rev. Shumyo Kojima　　小島秀明国際布教主任

Rev. Shumyo Kojima is a Soto Zen monk, a head preist of Zenshuji Buddhist Temple which is the oldest Soto Zen Temple in North America.  Rev. Kojima grew up as a disciple of his father in their family temple in Saga prife., Japan. Upon graduating from Komazawa University where he studied Buddhist history and philosophy, he entered the Soto Institute for Buddhist Studies, education department.   As a resercher from the institute of Soto Education Studies, he embarked to the U.S. to reserch American Zen, and temporarily join the staff at Zenshuji Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles, 1993.  After he had practiced at Eiheiji Monastery, he returned to Zenshuji to become a full time minister where he has remained for 25 years.

禅宗寺住職、曹洞宗での正式な肩書は国際布教主任。１９６８年に佐賀県の曹洞宗の寺院に生まれ、駒沢大学仏教学部卒業 後、曹洞宗教化研修所に入所。１９９３年にアメリカ仏教の研究のために禅宗寺にて半年の研修をする。それが縁となり大 本山永平寺での修行生活の後、国際布教師として禅宗寺に赴任。以来今日まで２５年にわたり布教活動を行なっている。

Rev. Daiki Toho　　東方大樹国際布教師

Rev. Daiki Toho was born in Aichi prefecture, Japan on December 21st, 1975. He grew up in Chita peninsula Aichi. After graduated from Aichi Gakuin University, he came to California to play football. Since he went back to Japan in 2001, he had been helping his home temple and also working as a physical therapist until April 2009. In October 2009, he entered Eiheiji monastery at the age of 34. In 2011, he came to Zenshuji with his wife Asako and now has two children.

Rev. Ryokō Miyazaki　　宮﨑良孝国際布教師

Rev. Miyazaki was born and grew up in Uji city, Kyoto prefecture. He used to do Alpine skiing from elementary school to university. After graduated from Komazawa University, he trained at Daihonzan Eiheiji Monastery for 3.5 years. After his training period, he served as a priest at his home temple in Kyoto. He started working at Sotoshu Shumucho in Tokyo from 2011 and was transferred to the Soto Zen Buddhism North American office in 2017. Since 2019, he has been supporting Zenshuji as an assistant minister. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.