by Andrew Hall

Chapter 5: A New Mission in Kobe, the Expo, a Stake, and More New Missions, 1968-1973

On September 1, 1968 the Northern Far East Mission was split into two missions, the Japan Mission, headquartered in Tokyo, and the Japan-Okinawa Mission, headquartered in Kobe. Edward Okazaki was the first President of the Japan-Okinawa Mission. This was the first mission to be headquartered in Kobe, and thus is the beginning of the Kobe Mission. It covered the Western half of Japan, from Okinawa to Nagoya and Kanazawa. The mission was without an office until 11.1968, when they moved into the Taishin Building, not far from Sannomiya Station. The mission office moved into the present office in 6.1970. (So, was the Kobe chapel completed around this same time? And the president's home too?) 

The Okazakis were both Japanese-Americans from Hawaii. President Okazaki served in the famous 442nd Division, which was made up of Japanese-Americans, and which was the most highly decorated division in the US Army. He was wounded in battle in Italy. He joined the Church soon after marrying Chieko Nishimura, whom he met while both were studying at the University of Hawaii after the war. Sister Okazaki had been a member of the church since she was 11. After they married they lived in Utah and Colorado, where Brother Okazaki worked for the government, and Sister Okazaki worked as a school teacher and principal. Sister Okazaki, of course, has become well known in the Church for her work as a Relief Society Councilor in 1990-1997, and her marvelous books. President Okazaki passed away in 1992. 

President Okazaki chose as his Mission Presidency Councilors Brother Kanzaki, previously the Abeno Branch President, and Brother Christensen, from one of the Military districts. Sister Yanagita from Nagoya, previously the Northern Far East Mission Relief Society President, was called as the Japan-Okinawa Relief Society President, with Sister Yagi from Nagoya as her councilor. Sister Hayase, from Abeno, was the Young Women leader. (I'm not sure when these mission auxiliaries were phased out, probably after the stakes began to be organized.) Sister Okazaki had a lot of experience in church auxiliaries, in particular the Young Women's program. She helped bring the Young Women's Personal Progress program and the Girls' Camp program to Japan. Each summer beginning in 1969 the Mission held a Youth Conference at the Canadian Academy, where the Kobe Mission Presidents' children have gone to school. The Okazakis also helped organize a Singles Conference held at Rokko Yama, and frequent dance parties. Another program, modeled on a practice in MIAs in the United States at the time, honored excellence in service in the MIA with "Master M Man" and "Golden Gleaner" awards. 

On November 1st, 1968, the Sannomiya Branch's name was changed to the Kobe Branch. 

In 2.1969 a Language Training Mission (LTM) was established for missionaries going to Asian countries at the Church College of Hawaii (later renamed BYU-Hawaii). Before this time, missionaries arrived in Japan with no previous language training. The growth in the number of missionaries in Japan (from around 180 in 1966 to 370 in 1970), as well as growth in other East Asian missions, was probably a key factor in establishing the training mission. The training lasted for two months, and the first group of missionaries to be trained at the center arrived in Japan in April. At about the same time the center was opened, mission lengths for Elders was reduced from two and a half to two years. (So, when was this center closed, and training shifted to the MTC in Provo?)  

After the mission was created in 9.1968 the Districts were reorganized, with the Nishi Chuo District split into the Chuo and Kinki Districts, and the Kyushu District dissolved. The mission now had four districts: the Chuo District, covering the units in Nagoya and Hokuriku, the Kinki District, covering the units from Kyoto to Okayama and Takamatsu, the Nishi District, covering the units from Hiroshima to Nagasaki, and the Okinawa District. In 1969 the Kyushu District was reorganized and the Nishi District was dissolved. The Kinki District now stretched to cover everything from Kyoto to Yanai. 

The District Presidents in 1969 included Brother Aki in Kinki, Brother Yoshizawa in Kyushu, and Brother Nagamine in Okinawa. 

With the additional missionaries that came with having a separate mission, President Okazaki began opening many new areas to missionary work. This also occurred in the Japan Mission. Between 1968 and the end of 1970 the following units were created: Chuo District: Okazaki, Gifu, Nagoya North, and Komatsu. Kinki District: Takatsuki, Sakai, Higashi Osaka, Wakayama, Moriguchi, Amagasaki, Himeji, Matsuyama, Kochi, and Matsue. Kyushu District: Oita, Kagoshima Okinawa District: Nago, Shuri 

One of the reasons so many new units were created in Kansai was the impact of the Osaka Expo 70, also known as the Japanese World's Fair. The Expo is remembered as a great symbol of Japan's post-war rebirth, second only to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It was held at Banpaku Park, in Suita City, just north of Osaka. The Mormon Pavilion featured at the exposition had been planned since 1967, and Elder Hinckley and President Komatsu first talked to Fair officials in October of that year. In November President Komatsu officially applied to participate in the Expo. A site was chosen in April 1968, and approved by Hinckley, Komatsu, and building supervisor Marvin Harding. It was an excellent location, not far from the Japanese Pavilion. In May Church leaders in Salt Lake approved the project and allotted a $300,000 budget. 

The content of the pavilion was modeled in many respects on the Church's pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair. According to Lanier Britsch, "Emil B. Fetzer, Church architect, designed the pavilion, a modern Oriental building having two stories. Its main feature was its (fifteen meter) spire, capped with an eight-foot fiberglass replica of the angel Moroni statue that adorns the Salt Lake Temple and many other temples. The ground floor provided an assembly area, offices, and two displays, one on Japanese family life and the other a twelve-foot marble replica of Thorvaldsen's masterpiece, The Christus. (The statue had been shipped from Italy). On the second floor, visitors were conducted through rooms focusing on the Creation, the plan of salvation, the life of Christ, and the restoration of the gospel. They were then taken into one of two theaters that were showing the movie "Man's Search for Happiness." ("From the East," p. 133) 

One of the immediate jobs which faced the new mission was preparing for the Expo. Although general design and planning occurred in Tokyo, the Japan-Okinawa Mission was in charge of staffing the Pavilion with missionary and member guides. A large number of missionaries arrived in the mission in January 1970, so that veteran missionaries could serve as guides in the Pavilion and open up surrounding areas. Mission apartments were opened in Ikeda, Ibaraki, Hattori, Takatsuki, Sakai, and Amagasaki. Korean and Chinese speaking missionaries also staffed the pavilion. 

Another key aspect of the preparation was the filming of a Japanese version of "Man's Search for Happiness," which was first created for the New York World's Fair. At first it was to be filmed in California, using Japanese-American actors, but then fears that it would seem unauthentic resulted in the film being shot in Japan, using Japanese actors. In July 1969 W. O. Whitaker and the members of the Brigham Young University Film Studio arrived in Kobe to begin production. They were able to stay in the home of the principal of the Canadian Academy, who had just left for summer vacation. Japanese actors Ogasa Harahiro and Amaro Yoshiko stared as the husband and wife, and around thirty members from the Kansai branches served as extras, including Mizuno Mitsuko, oldest daughter of the Mizuno family in Kobe, as the baby. (One source also says James Shigeta, a Japanese-American, played the leading male part.) 

The script, which had been translated directly into Japanese, was too long for the pre-recorded soundtrack. Luckily, President Okazaki was able to introduce Whitaker to Kojima Kimiko, an Ashiya City Councilor. This talented woman had previously worked as an actress and scriptwriter for an Osaka television station. Although not a member, she was friendly to the church, and said she would help. She was a great blessing to the project. She was able to edit the script so that it fit the soundtrack, and the new script was approved by Brother Watanabe Kan, the head of the Church Translation Department. Kojima then introduced Whitaker to the managers of the Takarazuka Film Studio, who, after seeing what kind of project it was, agreed to let him use equipment and technicians from the studio at cost, despite the Japanese studio's busy schedule. When a studio manager asked what kind of sets were needed, Whitaker replied that there were two, a hospital room and a Japanese home. The man gave a look of surprise, and asked Whitaker to follow him. In the next studio room over all of the sets except for two had been torn down, a hospital room and a Japanese home. This saved the project a good deal of money. 

The actors were contracted for only ten days. Seven days were scheduled for filming in the studio, and three days of location shots. After completing work in the studio the filmmakers went to Kyoto to film, but were forced to turn back by clouding weather. The next day they tried again, and found a lovely shrine where they considered filming, but decided that it was not appropriate for a church film. The next day, the final day they had the opportunity to film, it was very cloudy. Whitaker lead the group in prayer, and the clouds almost immediately parted, and gradually disappeared, allowing them to finish their location shots. Location shots for the cemetery scene, filmed not far from the Mission Home, were also done at some point. The film was included in time for use in the pavilion, and the filmstrip version was used by missionaries in Japan for the next twenty years. 

Groundbreaking, led by Elder Benson, took place in 5.1969. The building was finished nine months later, and was constructed largely of materials that could be reused in other LDS buildings. (I have heard that the tall pink spire that stands in front of the Kobe Chapel is the spire that was built for the pavilion, minus the Moroni statue. Can anybody confirm that? Does anyone know what other parts were later used?) Elder Benson also dedicated the Okamachi chapel on that same trip. Elder Brockbank, an Assistant to the Twelve, arrived in 1.1970 as the church's official representative at the Pavilion. He had also been the Church's representative at the New York fair. The Pavilion was dedicated on March 13, 1970 by President Hugh B. Brown, accompanied by Elders Benson, Hinckley, and Brockbank, and Presidents Okazaki and Bills. The next day the Expo opened. 

Again I quote from Lanier Britsch, "From a missionary point of view, the setting for the pavilion could not have been better. It was next door to the Japanese national exhibit and close to the Russian and United States exhibits. People thronged to the Mormon Pavilion. During the six months of the exposition 6,658,532 people went through the building and 780,000 left their names and addresses on the registers, expressing a willingness to have missionaries call at their homes. A total of 852,000 more people visited the Mormon exhibit in Japan in six months than visited the Mormon exhibit for the 1964-1965 World's Fair in New York in two years." ("From the East," p. 133-134). The Pavilion averaged 25,000 visitors a day, while the New York Fair saw 18,000 a day at its Mormon Pavilion. 50,000 copies of the Book of Mormon in Japanese were sold. Crown Prince Akihito, who became Emperor in 1989, visited the pavilion on July 31st. While being guided through the pavilion he talked to President Okazaki about his war experiences, and made kind inquiries about his recovery from his wounds. Prince Mikasa, a brother of the Showa Emperor, also toured the pavilion. 

All of these referrals, of course, kept the missionaries busy for quite a while. For several years afterwards missionaries followed up on the referral cards, and each time an area was opened up a box full of cards was given to the new missionaries. Well into the mid-1970s missionary name tags continued to have the Angel Moroni and the Expo emblem, a stylized chrysanthemum, embossed and gilded on them. 

The Amagasaki Branch was created in 1969, split off from Nishinomiya and Okamachi Branches, probably. It immediately had member leadership. The Takatsuki Branch was created in 1969, split off from Okamachi and Kyoto, probably. It also had Japanese leadership. The Sakai Branch was created in 1969, split off from the Abeno Branch. It had about 15 members when it was created, and had member leadership. The Himeji Branch was created in 1969. It had missionary leadership at first. The Higashi Osaka Branch (later the Osaka Third Ward) and Moriguchi Branch were opened in 1970. Elders Wada Heisuke and Weldon Whipple opened up the Wakayama Attached Branch (attached to Sakai) in 10.1970. 

Branches in Kochi and Matsuyama on Shikoku were opened in 1969. The Matsue Branch, on the Sea of Japan, was opened in 1969. 

In the Nagoya area Gifu and Okazaki were opened as "Dendo-sho" in 1968. They were upgraded to branch status in 1969. Also the Nagoya North Branch (known briefly as the Kasugai Branch) was reestablished in 1968. 

The Komatsu Branch, which existed in 1949-1957, was reestablished in 1969. 

The Oita and Kagoshima Branches in Kyushu were created in 1969. 

The Nago and Shuri Branches in Okinawa were created in 1969. 

By the end of 1969 the Japan-Okinawa Mission had 5281 members, 32 Branches, 6 Dendo-sho, and 2 military branches. There were four constructed chapels (Abeno, Naha, Okamachi, and Yanai), and the rest of the units met in temporary or rented buildings. There were 191 missionaries and 613 baptisms in 1969. 

On March 15th, 1970, the day after the Osaka Expo opened, it was announced that the Japan-Okinawa Mission, which had been in existence for less than two years, would be divided to form two new missions, the Japan West, headquartered in Fukuoka, and the Japan Central Mission, headquartered in Kobe. President Okazaki remained in Kobe, while Brother Watanabe Kan, one of the early stalwarts of the post-war church, was assigned to Fukuoka as the first native born Japanese Mission President. President Watanabe was the first baptism in the Komatsu Branch in 1950. His conversion story can be found in Hartman and Connie Rector's book "No More Strangers" vol. 2. President Watanabe arrived in Fukuoka to begin the work there on March 18th, only a few days after receiving his call, an amazingly short time of preparation. The Japan West Mission covered Okinawa, Kyushu, and Honshu as far as Hiroshima and Matsue. The Japan Central Mission went from Kanazawa and Nagoya in the East to Okayama and Shikoku in the West. The Japan Mission was also divided, with the new Japan East Mission, based in Sapporo, covering Hokkaido and the Tohoku region. Also, the first Stake in Japan, the Japan Tokyo Stake, was created in 3.1970, giving hope to the members in Osaka that they would also have a stake soon. 

Elder Ezra Taft Benson, who served as the supervisor of the Asian missions at the time, wrote in 1970, "There has never been a time until now when the Church has had the strength and means to reach out effectively to the Asian nations. In the timetable of the Lord, the door is now open, and this is apparently the time for the work in Asia." (Improvement Era, June 1970). 

With the splitting of the missions, the numbers of missionaries again swelled In 1.1970 the Japan-Okinawa Mission had 189 missionaries, while in 1.1972 the Japan Central Mission, which covered half the geographic area that it covered in 1970, had 181 missionaries (the Japan West Mission had 167 missionaries at that same time). Many new proselytizing areas were opened, and hopes for a Stake in Osaka continued to grow. 

In 5.1970 President Okazaki divided the Kinki District into the Kinki Chugoku and Kinki Shikoku Districts. The branches were divided, geographically speaking, in a very illogical way. This was done so that the newer members in the Chugoku and Shikoku areas could be trained by the more experienced members from the Kinki region. Kinki Chugoku Branches: Abeno, Higashi Osaka (new), Sakai, Kobe, Himeji, Okayama. District President: Brother Nakano Masayuki from Abeno. 

Kinki Shikoku Branches: Kyoto, Okamachi, Amagasaki, Nishinomiya, Takatsuki, Takamatsu, Matsuyama, Kochi. District President: Brother Aki Hiroshi from Nishinomiya. Brother Makise from Osaka replaced Aki as District President in 2.1971. 

The third district in the Mission was the Chuo District, with units in Nagoya, Kanazawa, Okazaki, Komatsu, and Gifu. Brother Tsuchida was the District President. 

Even with the great increase in missionary numbers, there were not enough to follow up on all of the referral slips that were produced at the Expo 70. Boxes of them remained in missionary apartments well into the mid 1970s, long after the people who made them out had forgotten why they had done so in the first place. 

One proselytizing technique that was popular at the time was Family Home Evenings put on in apartment complexes. The impetus for this program began with the Mormon 7 (a singing group?) and expanded from there. Missionaries would go to a complex and ask permission to hold a Family Home Evening, and went around inviting families in the complex. They would tell stories, sing songs, lead sing-alongs and have a good time with the families. Another method in densely populated areas like Tennoji in Osaka was to street contact. Missionaries stood up boards they made explaining the Book of Mormon, Jesus, and other subjects, while one would kneel on the pavement and write messages in kanji about the gospel on large sheets of paper. The sight of a foreigner trying writing kanji often drew large crowds. 

The mission suffered a great tragedy on November 29th, 1970, when Elder Harmon, serving in the Nagoya North Branch, died suddenly of a heart attack while taking a shower. He had served for 17 months, and was described as an excellent missionary. 

                                    Mission baptism numbers:

                                       1968                 271
                                       1969                 577
                                       1970                 706
 

The units which saw the most baptisms in 1970 were those located closest to the Expo, the Abeno and Okamachi Branches. Abeno had 147, and Okamachi had 117. 

In 1971 there were a total of 3648 members in the mission, including 238 Melchizedek Priesthood holders. There were 168 missionaries. 

The Suita Branch was created in 1.1971 by cutting off a piece of the Okamachi Branch. 

President Okazaki had made a goal of "one for one" for his missionaries, that is one conversion per missionary each month. That was achieved for the first time in June, 1971, when 141 missionaries had 147 baptisms. 

In the Summer of 1971 President Okazaki went home, and was replaced by President M. Tom Shimizu, a nisei from Los Angeles. He had served a mission in Japan in 1959-63. Sister Junko Idehara Shimizu was from Nagoya, where he had joined the church. She also had served a mission in Japan, and then went to UCLA to study art. President Shimizu also served as JMTC President from 1996 to 1998 and briefly as the President of the Nagoya Mission from February to June 1998, finishing out the term of President Kent J. Diamond, who had become ill. 

President Shimizu chose Brothers Suzuki and Makise as his councilors. In 9.1972 Brother Uenoyama replaced Brother Suzuki, who had been called as the Patriarch of the new Osaka Stake. 

In 9.1971, the Abeno Branch, which had seen great growth in the last year, was split into the Osaka 1st Branch and Osaka 2nd Branch. 

In 1.1972 the Districts in the mission were rearranged. The previous Kinki Shikoku and Kinki Chugoku Districts were reorganized into the Osaka and Chugoku Shikoku Districts. The creation of the Osaka District was clearly in order to prepare for the creation of an Osaka Stake. The Chubu District was split into the Hokuriku and Chubu (Nagoya) Districts. In 6.1972 the Chugoku Shikoku District was divided into the Shikoku District and the Chugoku Higashi District. The Akashi Branch was formed at this time, by splitting a piece off the Himeji Branch. 

In 4.1972 Elder Packer spoke at a Conference at the Okamachi building. He talked about the baptism of Brother Sato in 1949, and how from that small start the church in the area had grown to where 1300 members were attending the conference. 

On November 12th, 1972 the Osaka Stake was created, the second Stake in Japan. Elder Ezra Taft Benson organized the stake, and called Brother Kamio Noboru, who had been serving as District President, as the Stake President, with Brothers Nakamura and Ichimichi as his counselors. Brother Suzuki was called as Patriarch. This was of course when many of the units in the Osaka area first became wards. The units were: Osaka Ward, Osaka 2nd Ward, Osaka 3rd Ward(formerly the Higashi Osaka B), Kobe Ward, Kyoto Ward, Okamachi Ward, Nishinomiya Ward, Amagasaki Branch, Suita Branch, Takatsuki Branch, Wakayama Branch (which became an independent Branch at this point), Sakai Branch, and Moriguchi Branch. I think the Abeno building was the Stake Center, but the conference was held at the Okamachi building, so it is not clear. 

Brother Kamio's story is interesting. He was a Bishop in one of the Tokyo Wards, but his work asked him to go to Kobe in 1970. He didn't want to leave Tokyo, but both Elder Komatsu and Elder Benson advised him to go, telling him "You have a job to do in Osaka." He became the Branch President in Kobe, and then the Osaka District President. Just as they were preparing to organize the Stake, his boss asked him to move back to Tokyo, and he agreed. When Elder Benson came to Osaka in September he asked Brother Kamio if he could get out of moving to Tokyo, because he wanted him to become the Stake President. Brother Kamio was very surprised, and tried to explain the difficulty of going against one's company. Elder Benson persisted, and asked him to call the company President, and get back to Elder Benson that night. The President was on a trip, and Brother Kamio was only able to get through to him at 11 that night. The President said, "You must choose between church and work." Brother Kamio liked his work and his boss, but said, "I choose the church." The president said, "Soo ka," and hung up, allowing Brother Kamio stay in Kobe. 

The early 1970s saw the number of units in the north part of the mission skyrocket. In the Chubu (Nagoya) District the Toyohashi Branch was established in late 1972, after a time as an attached branch. The Tsu Attached Branch was established in late 1972. Also construction on the Nagoya Branch's chapel began in 1.1972, and was completed by September. While waiting for construction to be completed the Branch met at the Aisan Building. Apparently the Church had bought that building, because it later became the meeting place of the Nagoya West (Takahata) Branch and later the Nagoya Institute House. In 10.1972 Brother Nakamura replaced Brother Tsuchida as Chubu District President. The Chubu District was clearly the strongest in the mission. All four districts, for example, held conferences in 4.1973. 476 people attended the Chubu District conference, while only 160 to 180 attended each of the other three conferences. One result of this strength was that most of the mission auxiliary leaders (Elders Quorum, Relief Society, etc) were called from Nagoya after the stake was organized in Osaka. The District had the goal of becoming a stake within two years, and in preparation the two Nagoya Branches were divided up into six branches, the Nagoya 1-6 Branches. Together with Toyohashi, Okazaki, Tsu, and Gifu, this made ten branches in the Chubu District. A Stake was not organized in Nagoya, however, until 5.1978. 

The Hokuriku region also saw growth in units during this period, but also suffered a setback due to a rift in the central Kanazawa Branch. Early in 1970 the Kanazawa Branch was rife with factional infighting, and whole groups of members left. President Suzuki, one of President Okazaki's councilors, traveled to Kanazawa in April to reorganize the Branch, making Elder Gary Thompson the new Branch President. By the time Elder Thompson was transferred out in September the situation had stabilized, the branch began to have a slew of baptisms, and a local member was made Branch President again. 

Besides the Kanazawa Branch and the Komatsu Branch (reestablished in 1969), Dendo-sho were opened in Fukui in 11.1971, and in Tooyama in 12.1971. In 1972 the Hokuriku District was created, with Brother Nakamura from Komatsu as President. In 1962 there were only two missionaries serving in Kanazawa, while ten years later there were 22 missionaries serving in the four Hokuriku units. More than 170 members attended a District Meeting in 10.1972. In 1.1973 groundbreaking was held for the new Kanazawa chapel. (The Kanazawa Stake was organized in March 2000). 

On August 1st, 1973 the Nagoya Mission was formed, splitting off the units in the Chubu (Nagoya) and Hokuriku (Kanazawa) Districts. The Shizuoka District was also split off from the Japan Mission and given to the new Nagoya Mission. Sato Satoru from Hawaii was the first Mission President. 

So in 8.1973 the Japan Central Mission included the Osaka Stake, Chugoku East District, and Shikoku District. In the Osaka Stake the Nara Branch and Ikeda Dendo-sho had been created since the Stake was organized the year before. 

The Chugoku East District, based in Okayama, included the Himeji, Akashi, Okayama, and Kurashiki Branches and the Tottori Dendo-sho. The District President was Brother Niitani. Kurashiki was opened as an attached branch to Okayama in 1972. The Tottori Dendo-sho was opened between March and August 1973. 

The Shikoku District, based in Takamatsu, contained the Kochi, Takamatsu, Tokushima, and Matsuyama Branches. The District President was Brother Uchiyama. The Tokushima Branch was opened in 1972, after a time as an attached branch. 

At least seven new chapels were built in the Japan-Okinawa/Japan Central Mission during the 1968-1973 period. Before that time only the Naha and Abeno Branches had new chapels, both of which were completed in 1966. The Okamachi Branch's chapel was constructed in 1967-1968. The Yanai and Kobe (I think) chapels were completed in 1970. The Kyoto chapel was completed in 1971, and the Nishinomiya and Nagoya chapels in 1972. The Kanazawa chapel was completed in 1973. All but the Nagoya chapel were built by building missionaries. The Nagoya chapel, which was located on a very narrow piece of land, was contracted out to a construction company. I think that the Futenma and Okayama chapels were built around this time, also, but I am not sure exactly when. (Does anyone know when the Futenma, Hiroshima, Okayama, and Kobe chapels were built?)

Copyright © 2006 - JFM Org. All Rights Reserved.