Rinban Kenjun Kawawata
He was born March 6, 1952 in Tokyo, Japan.
In 1970, he was ordained Tokudo at Higashi Honganji, Kyoto.
In 1978, he graduated from Otani University (Chinese Buddhism) and received Kyoshi.
He became a Kaikyoshi for Higashi Honganji North America District in 1984 and started to serve for Higashi Honganji Los Angeles Betsuin.
In 1998, he was transferred to West Covina Higashi Honganji as a resident minister.
He was assigned as the Director of Higashi Honganji Hawaii District and the Head Minister of Higashi Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin on October 1, 2012.
Reverend Steven Toyoshima
Steven was born and raised in Los Angeles California.
A fourth-generation Japanese American, Steven’s first encounter with Buddhism was interviewing Rinban Ito at Higashi Honganji Los Angeles betsuin for a college research assignment.
An interest in Japanese-American culture and community prompted Steven to join the betsuin sangha in 2005, volunteering with building maintenance and at the annual Obon festival.
A weeklong tour of Japan and the Higashi temple headquarters with a youth group in 2009 sparked an interest in deeper study into Shin Buddhism.
Joining a pilot program to train American-born ministers, Steven studied abroad in Japan for two years, learning Japanese and living at the Otani Seminary in Yamashina, Japan.
After graduating from the Seminary in March of 2019, Steven was assigned to be the new resident minister of the Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii beginning in April of 2019.