History

    The history of the Konko Faith in North America begins in 1919 when Bunjiro Hirayama (later establishing the Konko Church of Portland) established the Konko Kyo Association in Seattle, Washington, marking the first service hall in North America.

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    Due to the growing Konko activities on the Pacific coast and Hawaii, Rev. Koichi Katashima was dispatched by the Konko headquarters in Japan to survey the missionary situation. Rev. Katashima spent four months visiting believers in Seattle, Tacoma, Los Angeles, and Honolulu, and instructed each of them to form a Mamichikai (Way of Sincerity group), which were informal faith gatherings. This was the start of the Konko Religion in North America with faith groups started by believers.

    From 1925 to 1933 six churches were established in North America. Locations included: Seattle, WA; Tacoma, WA; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Portland, OR; Sacramento, CA.

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    In 1939 the headquarters of the Konko Faith (in place of Missions) in America was established in San Francisco by Rev. Yoshiaki Fukuda. In the same year the first North American Konko Young People's Seminar in was held in San Francisco. This was the first annual convention for believers in North America.