On March 27, the eighth forum on Tenrikyo’s overseas mission, cosponsored by Tenri University’s Oyasato Institute for the Study of Religion and Tenrikyo Overseas Department, was held at the university’s faculty building.
This forum—which was first held in 2000—is designed to provide an opportunity to reflect upon the history of Tenrikyo’s overseas mission and to share the fruits of the efforts of the institute’s researchers in order to help explore ways of conducting activities that keep future generations in mind. This time, three people spoke on the theme of “Tenrikyo’s American Mission: Emigration, War, and the Strength of the Young.”
The first speaker was Mr. Takayuki Onoue, a researcher at the institute, who spoke on the beginning and development of Tenrikyo’s mission in North America. He was followed by Mr. Akihiro Yamakura, head of the Faculty of International Studies at Tenri University. Mr. Yamakura spoke about lessons learned from the experiences of Tenrikyo followers in the internment camps during World War II. Finally, Honbu-in Masahiko Iburi, an executive official of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters and former head of Tenrikyo Overseas Department, recounted the Tenrikyo Young Men’s Association Hawaii Convention, which took place in 1974, and its impact on the path in North America.