Dedication of the Fukuoka Japan Temple
Church members who attended the Fukuoka Japan Temple dedication ceremony were seen both inside and outside the house of the Lord with tears in their eyes as they expressed their gratitude for the Fukuoka temple.
A Fukuoka native, Eugene M. Kitamura, recalled how many Saints in the area had to travel to Hawaii to attend the temple before the Tokyo Japan Temple was dedicated in 1980. He then expressed his appreciation for the Fukuoka Japan Temple, saying that it would be a great blessing for members in the Fukuoka area.
“I can’t believe it,” said Emiko Murakawa — a Latter-day Saint from Japan’s island of Shikoku — who had served as a missionary in Fukuoka in 1979.
Church President Gordon B. Hinckley presided over the temple dedication on June 11, 2000. In his prayer, he expressed his gratitude for this new building. “We thank Thee for this sacred temple, this house of the Lord, which has been constructed here in southern Japan. Thy people in this area may now come to Thy house with greater frequency and with greater ease.”
Attending the dedication with President Hinckley was Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder L. Lionel Kendrick, president of the Asia North Area.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Bless those who come to partake of the ordinances here administered, that Thy Holy Spirit may rest upon them, and that they may rejoice in their hearts over the great blessings here to be gained. Grant unto them a vision of the eternal nature of Thy work. May they here worship Thee in spirit and in truth.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Fukuoka Japan Temple here.
Timeline of the Fukuoka Japan Temple
The Fukuoka Japan Temple was announced May 7, 1998. Nearly a year later, on March 20, 1999, Elder L. Lionel Kendrick presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the temple. After an open house from June 1 to June 3, 2000, the temple was dedicated June 11, 2000, by President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Architecture and Design of the Fukuoka Japan Temple
The Fukuoka Japan Temple stands on 0.5 acres and is built into a hillside. The structure is approximately 10,700 square feet and includes two instruction rooms, two sealing rooms and a baptistry.
The exterior walls of the temple were created with two different granites — Empress White granite and Majestic Grey granite from China — giving the temple a light exterior. At the bottom of the hill, a lower level includes a mission home and mission offices, as well as an apartment for the temple president and matron.
The temple is surrounded by trees from the hillside and features walkways leading to the front doors.