The Fukuoka Japan Temple is the 88th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the 2nd temple built in Japan after the Tokyo Japan Temple (1980).
Located on the southern island of Kyushu, the Fukuoka Japan Temple is built into a hillside where the nearby Fukuoka Municipal Zoo and Botanical Garden acts as a lush green backdrop. The temple proper—faced with white granite—occupies the upper story of the two-story building with its main entrance opening on the elevated side of the site. The lower story—faced with a darker grey granite—is accessed from the rear and houses a mission office, mission home, temple president apartment, and parking structure.
Temple History[]
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Fukuoka Japan Temple was held on the same day as the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Fresno California Temple, Melbourne Australia Temple, and Tuxtla Gutiérrez Mexico Temple.
The site of the Fukuoka Japan Temple was acquired when the area was remote and accessible only by an unpaved road. A former restaurant on site served as meetinghouse, which was joined by a mission home a few years later. The buildings were razed to make way for the temple. A traditional meetinghouse now serves members just a few blocks away.
Construction of the Fukuoka Japan Temple rekindled activity among numerous inactive members of the Church in the area. The gold-leafed angel Moroni statue was affixed to the spire of the Fukuoka Japan Temple on November 8, 1999. The public open house of the Fukuoka Japan Temple lasted just three days and attracted more than 4,800 visitors.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, who oversaw Church affairs in Asia in the 1960s, was visibly emotional during the dedicatory services of the Fukuoka Japan Temple, noting that it would probably be his last time in Fukuoka. The Fukuoka Japan Temple was the first of four temples dedicated by President Hinckley in a historic tour of Asia and the Pacific. The other temples dedicated were the Adelaide Australia Temple, Melbourne Australia Temple, and Suva Fiji Temple.
Temple District[]
The Fukuoka Japan Temple serves members from 4 stakes and 5 districts headquartered in Southern Japan:
- Fukuoka Japan Stake
- Hiroshima Japan Stake
- Kagoshima Japan District
- Kumamoto Japan Stake
- Matsuyama Japan District
- Nagasaki Japan District
- Okayama Japan Stake
- Takamatsu Japan District
- Yamaguchi Japan District
Presidents[]
- Katsuyuki Otahara 2018–
- Kouzou Tashiro 2015–2018
- Yasuyuki Shiraishi 2014–2015
- Masayuki Kinjo 2012–2014
- Asao Miyashita 2009–2012
- Ryoushou Nakamura 2006–2009
- Kiyoshi Tokuzawa 2003–2006
- Masaru Tsuchida 2000–2003
See Also[]
References[]
Fukuoka Japan Temple[]
The Fukuoka Japan Temple is the 88th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the 2nd temple built in Japan after the Tokyo Japan Temple (1980). Located on the southern island of Kyushu, this temple is built into a hillside where the nearby Fukuoka Municipal Zoo and Botanical Garden acts as a lush green backdrop.