May 2025

When I found out I was going to be President of PBC, I knew I was going to have to write a monthly column for this newsletter. I expected to be writing about the religious, social, and cultural aspects of PBC that we all love. But in the eyes of the State of California, we are a non-profit corporation that must operate as a business. This means that as President, I must run the Placer Buddhist Church as a business, something I am not especially cut out for. Fortunately, you, the members, have elected a great Board to assist me, and I have four past Presidents -- Ed Nakamoto, Rich Kawahata, Allan Yamashiro, and René Yamashiro -- to advise me. And thank you to Kent “Butch” Kawamoto for keeping the water flowing and the lights turned on.

I have been confronted with two of the most unpleasant business issues facing us: insurance and encroaching urbanization. In 2025, no business can operate without sufficient insurance, that’s just a fact of life. Most of you are probably unaware that our property insurance was cancelled. This is something many individuals and businesses in Northern California have experienced. You only have to look to Lahaina to know that a church can be wiped out in an instant.

Luckily, Allan Yamashiro was able to meet with the insurer and get our policy restored. We commissioned a building inspector to do a thorough review of our 60-year old property. The inspection revealed a lot of issues which needed attention, and we have immediately started addressing those issues. For years we have had a very proactive building maintenance program under the direction of Nob Nimura. Our list of repairs could have been much longer and costlier. Thank you, Allan and Nob.

As far as the Hope Way apartments and the town hall meeting, please see Carole Kawamoto’s indepth article elsewhere in this bulletin.

By the time you read this, we will have held our Hanamatsuri services in both Penryn and Reno. The Hanamido will have been completely covered with flowers under the guidance of Shizuko Strom and Fusae Miyamoto, and we will have made our offering in the form of sweet tea instead of incense. Several hundred more chickens will have sacrificed their lives for us. Namo amida butsu. Thank you to Ed Nakamoto, Jon Ohnoki, and Tony Tokuno for leading our BBQ crew, and to the PBWA for all of the おいしい (oishii).

At the end of May, our country will observe the secular holiday of Memorial Day. For Shin Buddhists, Memorial Day is very solemn in that we remember all of our family members who have passed on. PBC members will hold an annual cemetery clean-up in Newcastle, and cemetery services will be held in Auburn, Newcastle, and Rocklin. More details will be provided in the May bulletin.

Before you know it, it will be Obon season all over Northern California and, of course, we will have our own Obon service and Bon Odori.

Next there will be PBC’s major event, the Food Bazaar in September, for which we are already gearing up.

We have also begun planning our 125th Anniversary Celebration in 2027. I will be chairing this committee with Ed and Allan serving as advisors. PBWA has also designated a few members to serve as liaisons.

Things are never dull here at Placer Buddhist Church. 

In Gassho, 

David Unruhe, President