New Directors-in-Chief Appointed
Honbu-in Hiroaki Yamazawa, 60, and Honbu-in Yoshitaro Ueda, 64, received sanction as the Director-in-Chief of Religious Affairs and the Director-in-Chief of Administrative Affairs, respectively, on October 26. Both are serving in their first terms.
Director-in-Chief Yamazawa was born on August 24, 1949, and received the truth of the Sazuke in 1969. He was appointed as Honbu-seinen in 1973, Besseki Lecturer in 1986, Honbu-jun’in in 1987, and Honbu-in in 2002. He also served as chief of the Overseas Department’s Translation Section and North America and Oceania Section, vice head of the Overseas Department, head of the Religious Affairs Bureau, responsible officer of Religious Corporation Tenrikyo, and director of Shuyoka. As the Director-in-Chief of Religious Affairs, he also serves as representative officer of Religious Corporation Tenrikyo Church Headquarters.
Born on March 24, 1945, Director-in-Chief Ueda received the truth of the Sazuke in 1963. He was appointed as Honbu-seinen in 1977, Besseki Lecturer in 1985, Honbu-jun’in in 1986, and Honbu-in in 1996. He became the head minister of Naniwa Branch Church in 1980. He also served as chief of Overseas Department’s America II Section (present Latin America Section) and Translation Section, president of Doyusha Publishing Company, responsible officer of Religious Corporation Tenrikyo, and chair of Tenri Yamato Culture Congress. As the Director-in-Chief of Administrative Affairs, he also serves as representative officer of Religious Corporation Tenrikyo.
Heads of Bureaus and Departments
Heads of bureaus and departments and chiefs of sections were appointed on October 28. Office of the Shinbashira Head Tadao Tosa, Department of Doctrine and Historical Materials Head Tadatsugu Yamanaka, Oyasato-yakata Management Bureau Head Fumio Uetani, and Director of Shuyoka Yoshizumi Nakayama were reappointed whereas Religious Affairs Bureau Head Koji Masui, Ritual Affairs Bureau Head Yoshikazu Yamamoto, Divine Gifts and Sanctions Bureau Head Yaichi Nishiura, Finance Bureau Head Zentaro Tanaka, and Security Bureau Head Takenori Hashimoto were newly appointed in the Religious Headquarters.
In the Administrative Headquarters, General Affairs Department Head Chotaro Iwata, Mission Department Head Motoyoshi Tomimatsu, Pilgrim Reception Department Head Itaro Nishida, Transportation Department Head Ikuhiro Masui, Finance Department Head Hiroyoshi Shimamura, Property Management Department Head Sumiharu Ueda, and Construction and Maintenance Head Seitaro Yamada were reappointed while Administrative Affairs Department Head Yoshitaro Fukaya, Church Affairs Department Head Hidekazu Kita, and Education and Nurture Department Head Zensuke Nakata were newly appointed.
Overseas Department
Rev. Yoichiro Miyamori is serving his second term as head of the department while Rev. Hirokazu Moroi, who served as vice head of the department and chief of Asia II Section, has been appointed president of Doyusha Publishing Company. The department’s new vice head is Rev. Noriaki Nagao, formerly head of Tenri University Corporation’s General Planning Department as well as head of Europe Centre. He also serves as chief of Europe and Africa Section. The other new appointments related to the Overseas Department are as follows: Rev. Hisataro Takai, former assistant chief of Europe and Africa Section, as chief of General Affairs Section; Rev. Kiyoharu Masuda, former chief of Class Section of Shuyoka, as chief of Asia II Section; and Rev. Tomozo Hirano, who served at the Education and Nurture Department, as chief of Translation Section.
Rev. Kazuhiro Matsutani, former chief of General Affairs Section, has been made chief of Operations Section of the Transportation Department. Rev. Yoshihiko Shirokihara, former chief of Europe and Africa Section, is now vice head of the Mission Department and chief of Nioigake Section of the department, and Rev. Michitaro Masuno, former chief of Translation Section, serves as director of Tenri Graduate Seminary’s Practical Training Program.
Reappointed to their positions were: Rev. Shoji Sato, chief of Asia I Section; Rev. Takaharu Ichise, chief of North America and Oceania Section; Rev. Yoshio Uchida, chief of Latin America Section; Rev. Hinao Nagao, chief of Human Resources Development Section; Rev. Hideharu Nakajima, principal of Tenrikyo Language Institute, and Rev. Isaku Nishida, vice principal of the institute.