On May 2, Hokkaido Diocese sponsored Tenrikyo Basics Course with an attendance of 160 people. This was the first time the course had been held outside Jiba. The Basics Course was launched in April 2003 at the Home of the Parent as part of a new instructional system being implemented by Church Headquarters and has drawn more than 20,000 participants since then.
Last May, Hokkaido Diocese expressed its desire to sponsor the Basics Course in Hokkaido. Faced with that request, the Education and Nurture Department discussed the possibility of holding the course outside Jiba. In October 2003, Director-in-Chief of Administrative Affairs Masahiko Iburi appointed four persons, including Diocese Superintendent Fumio Fujita as well as other diocese directors, as lecturers for the course. Hokkaido Office of Tenrikyo Basics Course was then established and began preparations for the course, making arrangements such as refurbishing the diocese administration building to accommodate the course as well as creating and distributing leaflets and posters to promote it.
The content of this 90-minute course is the same as the Basics Course held in Jiba, comprising two lectures and two videos.
The Basics Course is scheduled to be held twice a month at Hokkaido Diocese Administration Office. If the occasion arises, however, additional sessions may be arranged.