Rev. Sensho Sasaki collection, 1935-1965 (bulk 1950-1960)

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Summary

Extent:
2 Linear Feet (1 half-manuscript box, 8 film reels)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item and/or item number], [box and folder number], Rev. Sensho Sasaki collection, MS0196, Center for Sacramento History.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection documents through film and photography Sacramento's Japantown and Japanese community, the Sacramento Buddhist Church, and the Sasaki family, with the bulk of the material dating from 1950 to 1960. It shows church events, festivals, members, and visitors; Sacramento's Japantown and Japanese businesses, sports teams, families, and community members; the demolition of Japantown during redevelopment; Rev. Sasaki and his wife in the community and on church business; and the Sasaki family, including their children.

Biographical / historical:

The Rev. Sensho Sasaki was a Buddhist priest who served as minister of Sacramento Buddhist Church from 1939 to 1961. He was born in 1903 in Fukui, Japan, and immigrated to the United States in 1926. He and his wife, Kinuko, also born in Fukui, had five sons: LaVerne, Conrad, Louis, Senmaro, and Senrey. Sasaki was the 25th generation of his family to be a Buddhist priest. His father, the Rev. Senju Sasaki, was the first minister of the Buddhist Churches of Canada, and his son LaVerne was also a Buddhist priest.

Sasaki served as minister at Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple from 1926 to 1927, Buddhist Church of Stockton from 1927 to 1933, Tacoma Hongwanji Buddhist Church from 1933 to 1939, and in Placer County before being appointed minister of Sacramento Buddhist Church in 1939, where he served until 1961.

While living in Sacramento, the Sasaki family was incarcerated in 1942 at Tule Lake Relocation Center under Executive Order 9066. After incarceration, they returned to Sacramento in 1945 and Sasaki continued his work at Sacramento Buddhist Church. In 1961, he was appointed minister of Mountain View Buddhist Temple, where he served until his death in 1972. His wife, Kinuko died in 1985.

Acquisition information:
Donated by Kevin Wildie in 2024 (accession 2024/024).
Processing information:

Processing and finding aid by Kim Hayden, 2024.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 2 series:

  • Series 1. Film, ca. 1956-1961
  • Series 2. Photographs, ca. 1935-2004 (bulk ca. 1950-1960)

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

All requests to publish or quote from private manuscripts held by the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) must be submitted in writing to csh@cityofsacramento.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of CSH as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the patron. No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item and/or item number], [box and folder number], Rev. Sensho Sasaki collection, MS0196, Center for Sacramento History.

Location of this collection:
551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95811, US
Contact:
(916) 808-7072
csh@cityofsacramento.org
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