St. Peter's 1932 church location on S. King St

In over a hundred years of the immigration history of Nikkei (Japanese Americans), St. Peter’s Episcopal Parish has been a part of its community. This month, the church will celebrate its milestone, the centennial, following other churches including Japanese Baptist Church, Seattle Buddhist Church, Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church, Japanese Presbyterian Church and Japanese Congregational Church.

At 9th Ave. S. near the center of Nihonmachi (Japan town) on June 14 in 1908, the Episcopal Church began a Japanese mission in two rented rooms. According to Kazuo Ito’s “Issei,” the mission was started by Assistant Missionary Shigeto Uchida appointed by Herbert Henry Gowen who served for the Seattle Holy Trinity Church.

The Japanese mission moved to Yesler Way between 11th and 12th Ave. in 1912. The church has grown its membership including Nisei (second generation Japanese Americans) Kats Okamoto and Dan and John Matsumoto.

“The church was an old two story house with a dirt floor basement, if I remember correctly,”Okamoto recalled of the late 1920s to early 1930s.“The house was heated with a potbellied stove. I must have been around 5 years old when I first attended services at St. Peters. Rev. [Gennosuke] Shoji, Sam and Joe Shoji's father was the Rector.”

In the Great Depression in the 1930s, the church moved to the current location on S. King St. While the church had weekly Sunday services, weddings and funerals, the Japanese community used the building for basketball games on weekdays through Saturday.

According to Kazuo Ito’s “Issei,” in 1932, St. Peter’s church had 162 Issei member, compared to 364 members in the Japanese Baptist Church, 235 in the Methodist Church, 215 in the Japanese Presbyterian Church, 173 in the Japanese Congregational Church and 556 in the Seattle Buddhist Church.

“I remember going to Sunday school with Sam Shoji and recall our teacher trying to teach classes in the classrooms located in the narrow balcony next to the gymnasium,” Okamoto said. “The class rooms were very small and crowded and curtains used to separate the classes. We were required to keep still, so as not to bother the classroom next to ours.”

Okamoto added he cannot imagine how much Issei (Japanese immigrants) contributed to the church. “I have often wondered how much the Issei's sacrificed to build the old church building during the depression,” he said.

Okamoto attended the church until the evacuation in World War II sent him to Minidoka. He served in the Military Intelligence Service and did not return to Seattle until 1994. He has been an active member of the church since then.

“I am proud of the loyal members that kept our church going for all of these years,” he said.

St. Peter's Episcopal Parish in 1969

Not attending the Sunday school, Dan Matsumoto said he does not have many memories of the church before World War II but attended the service every week. His father Masaru from Hiroshima in 1900 was an early missionary member and was married to wife Kimi from Chiba at the church.

“I do not have many memories,” Dan said. “They just brought us to the church every Sunday. But [the church] had picnics and everything.”

His family relocated to a farm with relatives near Spokane in March 1942, before the evacuation.

“I was too young to realize how big a change was made,” Matsumoto also said. “Butafter the camp, a lot of them went different places and they did not come back.”

In the resettlement after the war, the church helped rebuild the community welcome the new members. In 1962, the current sanctuary was built next to the original church, and it was incorporated as a parish in 1977. Since then, the membership has gradually decreased because of passing away by Issei and older Nisei generation.

Currently nearly 50 members come for the every Sunday service, and Matumoto added that the church has slightly shifted to have younger generations take over the initiatives. The church also tries to be a good neighborhood church to have a more diverse membership with Rev. James L. Thibodeaux coming this February.

“A consensus has emerged that for this church community to be viable well into the 21st century,” the church states, “it can no longer be primarily a Japanese American church, but instead must reach out to diverse groups of people extending Christian fellowship and welcoming the rich experiences that each may bring

“We shall always cherish and honor our historical heritage; the contributions and sacrifices made by those who have preceded us have helped us evolve and mature as a congregation that now seeks to embrace everyone interested in joining us in fellowship.”

For the centennial cerebration, the church created a new garden near the church entrance built by Al Kubota of Kubota Gardens & Landscaping as well as a grandson of Master Gardener Fujitaro Kubota, who helped the landscaping of the church. The church will also have a celebration banquet this Saturday as well as a special service this Sunday. For more information, visit www.stpeterseattle.org

In the cerebration, the church will gather over 200 persons including pre-war church members. Many of them will come from out of Washington State.

“A lot of them, I haven’t seen over 60 years,” Matsumoto said. “You might not quite recognize them, and they do not recognize me either. They got to look at my name. But the hundred anniversary is very important because it is a long history.

“It’s just like a reunion.”

Pilgrimaging to Minidoka
Photos by Eugene M. Tagawa
The North American Post

Over 250 persons gathered at the Minidoka internment camp from June 20 - 22 for a pilgrimage of forgiveness. As at other camps, about 13,000 internees had lived in Minidoka internment camps during World War II.

Interior of root cellar built by camp internees

Pilgrimage participants leave a partially restored barrack building at the Idaho Farm and Ranch Museum

Ed Hiroo of Seattle, tells Pilgrimage participants about his memories of life in camp

 

 

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