Dedication of the Sapporo Japan Temple
Elder Matthew Cowley of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited Japan in 1949 to dedicate a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse. While there, he prophesied that “temples would dot the land of Japan.”
Kunihiko Samejima, a convert to the Church in 1959, helped build a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in the Moiwa area of Sapporo. When Elder Hugh B. Brown of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came to Japan to dedicate the chapel, he said, “Some of you here will see a temple in this land in the future.”
Elder Brown’s prophecy was fulfilled when, on Aug. 21, 2016, President Russell M. Nelson, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, dedicated the Sapporo Japan Temple, the third house of the Lord in Japan.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told the members of the Sapporo Japan Temple District at the cultural celebration, held the night before, that their faith brought the temple to Hokkaido. “This temple is truly a gift from the Lord.”
“There is much to celebrate,” he added. “We celebrate the wonderful history of the Church in Northern Japan, and the bright future of the Church here as well. Our future is brighter because of this beautiful new temple.”
Before the temple dedication, President Nelson said each temple “stands as a symbol of our membership in the Church, a sign of our faith in life after death, and as a sacred step toward eternal glory for us and our families.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We thank Thee for this beautiful temple. We are grateful for the artisans, craftsmen and laborers who have built it. Here, Thy children can serve their beloved ancestors who have waited long for their own temple blessings.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Sapporo Japan Temple here.
Timeline of the Sapporo Japan Temple
Church President Thomas S. Monson announced a temple for Sapporo on Oct. 3, 2009. The groundbreaking ceremony for the temple was held Oct. 22, 2011.
More than 13,000 visitors attended the public open house from July 8 through July 23, 2016, and around 150 youth performed in a cultural celebration in honor of the temple on Aug. 20, 2016.
The Sapporo Japan Temple was dedicated on Aug. 21, 2016, by President Russell M. Nelson, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Architecture and Design of the Sapporo Japan Temple
The 48,480-square-foot Sapporo Japan Temple sits on 9.8 acres of land filled with grass fields, trees, flower beds and vegetation native to Japan. A small stream runs along the side of the temple and through the gardens.
Much of the interior design draws from traditional Japanese culture, such as stone flooring patterns based on the traditional Japanese tatami mat, with cherry wood and Japanese white birch millwood throughout the house of the Lord.
Interior Photos of the Sapporo Japan Temple
