During the evening of Dec. 31, 2023, an arsonist broke into the Seattle Buddhist Church and set a fire in the temple’s basement. The fire caused extensive damage to the basement area and considerable smoke and soot damage to the remaining Temple building. The fire destroyed valuable written historical records and artifacts, that will not be able to be replaced. Fortunately, no people were injured, but the extensive fire, water and smoke damage throughout the building has closed the Seattle Betsuin Temple for an undisclosed period of time.
When informed that the fire left the Betsuin Boy Scouts Troop 252 without a meeting venue, the NVC offered to host the Scouts at the NVC Hall for their weekly meetings. Since the first week in January, the Scouts have been holding their weekly meets in “Lefty’s” room.
A long relationship between the Seattle Buddhist Church and the Nisei Veterans began during the founding of the NVC. The current NVC Hall was completed as a Japanese martial arts hall in 1937. During the removal of Japanese Americans in 1942, the building was vacated, and little used for the duration of WW II. When the Japanese Americans returned to Seattle following the war, the building was in disrepair. With the task of maintaining the Kendo Hall, a lack of interest in Japanese martial arts, and in gratitude to the returning Nisei Veterans, the Kendo Kai sold the property to the NVC for $1,000. Prior to the purchase of the current NVC building in 1949, the Nisei Veterans Committee, founded in 1946, initially met at the Buddhist Church until they obtained their current location in 1949. During the NVC Hall renovation in 2007, the NVC again held their monthly meeting at the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple.
Each February, the Boy Scouts conduct a Scout Sunday for the members of the Buddhist Church. This year, the Scouts held their Boy Scout Sunday in our gym. The Scouts set up the gym for members of the Temple and conducted the service with Rinban Kusunoki. Because incense is burned during the Buddhist service, the fire alarm company was notified of a possible false fire alarm in the gym.
The Scout’s service was greatly appreciated by the Temple members, and it was nice to see all the energetic Scouts helping with the set up and clean up for the event.