Religious Traditions
Reverend Yutetsu Kawamura in Buddhist Church Raymond, 1939.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19790283008.
The Issei brought with them their religious traditions. Most of the Issei who immigrated to southern Alberta were Buddhist. With no temple to worship at, the earliest immigrants set up shrines to worship in their homes.
The earliest Buddhist temple in southern Alberta was opened in 1929 in Raymond. After the mass relocation of Japanese Canadians from the west coast of Canada in 1941, new temples were opened in Picture Butte, Lethbridge, Coaldale, Rosemary and Taber.
The temple was the center of religious and cultural activity for many in the Japanese community. A number of festivals were celebrated throughout the year. Groups formed for boys, girls, young adults and women, providing opportunities for fellowship.
By the turn of the 21st Century, membership in all the temples was dwindling. The smaller temples closed and consolidated in a new temple which opened in Lethbridge in 2008.
Taber Buddhist Shrine Bell, ca 1947 - 1955.
Galt Museum & Archives, P20070020002.
Taber Buddhist Shrine Bell
The Taber Buddhist Shrine bell was rung by the priest at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the Sutra Chant. The deep resonating sound of the bell symbolized the impermanence of all things.
Additional information for this item is available on the Galt Museum & Archives website.
Religious Traditions (Transcript)
Audio transcript features Flo Senda speaking about churches being established in 1929. Galt Museum & Archives, 19971071001.
By 1929, the Raymond Japanese purchased the old Mormon Church and they established the Raymond Buddhist Church. It still stands on Main Street in Raymond and this was to become the centre, not only of the religious studies, but of their social and cultural gatherings.
In that day, cars weren’t as plentiful as they are today, so the people in Lethbridge North, or Coalhurst and Hardieville, because of economic times couldn’t afford to buy a temple or church or any kind of building so they would meet in the Higa farm – in the Higa home. They had a big home there on their farm and this is where the people in the northern area met. Most of the people in the north area came from the Okinawan Islands and the people from the other islands seemed to settle in the Raymond area.