Brief History of Eikyoji and Reno Buddhist Church
The Eikyoji (Temple of Eternal Teaching) of Japan was established in 1900 by Rev. Taikyo Matsunaga in the middle of wilderness then and still is the northern frontier of Japan. Rev. Taikyo Matsunaga (1866-1940) was an ordained priest in Toyama on the main island of Honshu who migrated north to establish a new church for the farmers there who opened up the virgin land. He and his wife Fude Matsunaga (1879-1942) came to the frontier island of Hokkaido with their 3 years old son Taie and devoted their entire lives to lay the foundation of the Eikyoji Temple.
The second temple master, Rev. Taie Matsunaga (1897-1976) and his wife Kei Matsunaga (1901-1965) succeeded the works of the founder dedicating their lives to the temple ministry. They won wide respect of the congregation and were the spiritual leaders of the community.
The present third temple master, Rev. Daigan L. Matsunaga, is his son and the pastor of the Reno Buddhist church. Rev. Dr. D. L. Matsunaga, together with his American wife, worked over two decades in Japan to further the development of the Eikyoji.
The Congregation of the Eikyoji in Japan celebrated their centennial in 2000, and have great interest in sharing their faith with people in Reno and have been offering support for the Reno Buddhist Church (Eikyoji Institute of America). Many of them have already visited Reno and have been sending their sons and daughters to Reno to study.
The Eikyoji Institute of America (originally at 548 California Avenue) was established as a non-profit organization in 1989 by Alicia O. Matsunaga and Daigan L. Matsunaga with the wishes and dreams of Americans who wanted to see Buddhism take root in Nevada and offer the wisdom and practices of Buddhism to further benefit our country.
We are basically non-denominational Buddhists (although affiliated with Jodo Shinshu Pure Land denomination of Japanese Buddhism). We are first and foremost American Buddhists and take pride in and love our country