1980 Dedication of the Tokyo Japan Temple
The first Latter-day Saint missionaries arrived in Japan in 1901. By 1965, there were 8,892 members, but very few had actually been to a temple. In 1965 and 1970, groups of Tokyo Saints traveled to Hawaii and Salt Lake City, respectively, to attend the temple.
In 1949, a mission home was dedicated in Japan by Elder Matthew Cowley of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. At the home’s dedication ceremony, Elder Cowley said, “There will someday be many Church buildings and even temples built in this land.”
Around 26 years later, that prophecy took a step toward being fulfilled when President Kimball announced that a house of the Lord would be built in Tokyo, Japan.
After hearing the announcement, which was given during an area conference, members of the Church in attendance burst into tears and applause. One member said, “This was the first temple in Japan and in all of Asia — oh we clapped! We had tears.”
President Kimball dedicated the Tokyo Japan Temple from Oct. 27 to Oct. 29, 1980, in seven sessions. President Marion G. Romney, second counselor in the First Presidency, was also in attendance.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Our gracious Father, Thou hast permitted us to build and dedicate unto Thee for Thy glorious work of salvation for the living and the dead a score of holy temples upon the earth, among which is this wonderful, well-appointed temple in this beautiful land of Japan.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Tokyo Japan Temple here.
2022 Rededication of the Tokyo Japan Temple
President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, said at the rededication ceremony of the Tokyo Japan Temple on July 3, 2022, “When I come here, I feel like I’m coming home.”
President Eyring offered the rededication prayer at the ceremony’s three sessions. He was accompanied by Elder Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as well as Elder James R. Rasband and Elder John A. McCune, members of the Asia North Area presidency.
“It is hard not to talk about temples when you talk about how the Japanese members will be able to grow and strengthen themselves in their families,” said Elder Gary E. Stevenson at the temple’s rededication ceremony. “Japanese people are already remarkable temple-going people. It is their culture.”
Elder Stevenson has strong ties to Japan, having served in the country as a full-time missionary in the Japan Fukuoka Mission, president of the Japan Nagoya Mission from 2004 to 2007, and president of the Asia North Area from 2008 to 2012.
“This is a special opportunity to come and see the temple in the great city of Tokyo,” he said during the temple’s open house period. “It is a sacred place for us because we consider it the ‘house of the Lord.’”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Father, we ask thee to preserve the beauty of the ornamentation, the art and the fine work of every kind that has been added in this renovation. Bless and sanctify the grounds that surround this temple to keep it a haven of peace. Please protect this temple from anything that might cause it harm in any way. Shield it from the upheavals prophesied in the last days.”
Read the rededication prayer of the Tokyo Japan Temple here.
Timeline of the Tokyo Japan Temple
The Tokyo Japan Temple was announced in an area conference in Tokyo on Aug. 9, 1975, by Church President Spencer W. Kimball. After construction was finished, the house of the Lord was dedicated by President Kimball from Oct. 27 to Oct. 29, 1980.
After closing for renovations on Sept. 29, 2017, the temple was rededicated on July 3, 2022, by President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency.
Architecture and Design of the Tokyo Japan Temple
Originally with an area of 52,590 square feet, the Tokyo Japan Temple was remodeled into a 53,779-square-foot structure. It was given distinct features to represent Japanese culture. The trees and bushes encircling the temple are indigenous to the region. Some of the trees include Japanese maples and bamboo. On the temple grounds are two Japanese-style shallow ponds and a waterfall.
Inside the temple, decorative patterns inspired by traditional Japanese patterns seen in kimono fabric, shoji screens and other historic Japanese art are found in the temple’s art glass, carpet and fabrics.
The temple includes a visitors’ center, a chapel, area and mission offices, and a family history center.
Interior Photos of the Tokyo Japan Temple
