State of California – The Resources Agency
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATIONPRIMARY RECORD

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HRI # ________________________________________

Trinomial _____________________________________
NRHP Status CodeOther Listings _______________________________________________________________
Review Code __________ Reviewer ____________________________ Date ___________

Page 1 of 7

*Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Site of the First Vacaville Buddhist Church

P1. Other Identifier: O-tera
Not for Publication ⌧ Unrestricted*P2. Location:and (P2b and P2c or P2d. Attach a Location Map as necessary.)*a. County

Solano___________*b. USGS 7.5’ Quad ____________ Date _______________ T___; R ___; ___ ¼ of Sec ___; _____ B.M.
c. Address _300 East Monte Vista Avenue_____________ City ___Vacaville_____ Zip 95688_______________
d. UTM: (give more than one for large and/or linear resources) Zone _____;______________mE/ _____________mN
e. Other Locational Data: (e.g., parcel #, directions to resource, elevation, etc., as appropriate)

APN: 0130-094-0190*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries)

The Vacaville Buddhist Church (1912) site now has a retail business constructed on it (Pearson’s Florists). Some of thesurrounding vegetation may be remnants from the Church and Nihon Gakko (Japanese Language School). Otherwise,
there is no evidence that the Church was ever there, other than a local point of interest marker that has been placed
between the parcels with a brief description of the significance of the site. The creek that once ran across the south side of
the two parcels has since been covered with fill dirt and is no longer visible. (See Continuation Sheets)*P3b. Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes) HP39
*P4. Resources Present:
Building
Structure
Object ⌧ Site

District

Element of District
Other (Isolates, etc.)
P5b. Description of Photo: (View, date,
accession #) Camera facing west, historicphoto (n.d.) from the Vacaville Museum,
Tagani Osugi Collection*P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources:⌧ HistoricPrehistoricBoth1912– Determined by deeds andnewspapers from the period and personal
experience*P7. Owner and Address:

Charles B. Rickets
618 Cougar Court
Vacaville, CA 95688*P8. Recorded by: (Name, affiliation, address)

Takashi Tsujita
1267 Nevis Court
Sacramento, CA 95822
P9. Date Recorded: January 28, 2007

P10. Survey Type: (Describe) N/A*P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter “none.”) California Point of Historical Interest Nomination*Attachments: NONE
Location Map ⌧ Sketch Map ⌧ Continuation Sheet ⌧ Building, Structure, and Object Record
Archaeological Record
District Record
Linear Feature Record
Milling Station Record
Rock Art Record
Artifact Record
Photograph Record
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DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATIONBUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD

Page 2 of 7

Primary # _____________________________________
HRI # ________________________________________*NRHP Status Code________*Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Site of the First Vacaville Buddhist Church

B1. Historic Name: O-tera
B2. Common Name: Vacaville Buddhist Church
B3. Original Use: Church, School, Community Center, Residence
B4. Present Use:
*B5. Architectural Style:
N/A*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alteration, and date of alterations) 1912

N/A

*B7. Moved? ⌧ No
Yes
Unknown Date:
Original Location:*B8. Related Features: Cherry trees, pine trees, and shrubs planted in front of Church with a San Gal Ben Rel (inscribedstone). This inscription of the stone is “Past, Present and Future.” This stone is the last remaining feature of the Churchand it was moved to the present location at the Vacaville-Elmira Cemetery, next to a monument stone inscribed with “E Ko
Jo Sho” (E “Compassion” Ko “Light of Wisdom” Jo (Always Sho “Shine”). The two parcels for the church and school wereseparated by a low rock wall, which served among other things a bench for the students. There were two walkways
between the parcels. The school playground was surrounded by a 15 foot wire fence.
B9. Architect: Unknown
b. Builder: Yoshiaki Okita, Gen Contractor*B10. Significance: Theme Development of Japanese-American Communities
Area Vacaville, CA
Period of Significance 1912-1951
Property Type Site
Applicable Criteria
1(Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity.)

The site of the Vacaville Buddhist Church meets the registration criteria for designation as a Point of Historical Interest
because it was the first and only resource of its kind in Vacaville, Solano County. The Japanese played a pivotal role in thegrowth and development of the fresh fruit industry and its boom in the late 1880s. Originally, the Japanese who came to
Vacaville were migrant workers who followed the harvest cycles; but soon they began to settle in Vacaville and establish acommunity of their own. One reason for this transition was the inadvertent consequence of the Gentlemen’s Agreement of
1907, which prohibited the immigration of male Japanese laborers, in order to curb the influx of cheap labor as a means toprotect jobs for native workers. However, under the agreement, wives, parents and children of resident immigrants could
still immigrate to the United States. Thus, the provision resulted in an influx in the female Japanese population and asubstantial increase in the birth rate for Japaense Issei (first generation) couples. (See Continuation Sheet)

B11. Additional Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes)(Sketch Map with north arrow required.)*B12. References: See Continuation Sheet
B13. Remarks: Site is recognized as significant by theCity of Vacaville and is marked with a commemorativeplaque*B14. Evaluator: Elissa A. DeCaro, BA History, Minor,
Art History, for the Vacaville Heritage Council, PO Box
5477, Vacaville, CA 95696-5477; 707-447-0518

See Separate Sheet*Date of Evaluation: January 28, 2007
(This space reserved for official comments.)

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Page 3 of 7____________________________________________*Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Site of the First Vacaville Buddhist Church*Recorded by Takashi Tsujita_______________ *Date January 28, 2007 ⌧ Continuation

UpdateP3a. Description (continued)
Unlike a typical Japanese Buddhist Temple in Japan which generally consisted of seven individual structures: the pagoda,
main hall, lecture hall, bell tower, repository for sutras, dormitory and dining hall, the Vacaville Buddhist Church incorporated
all these elements within one two-story structure. In addition the Vacaville Buddhist Church merged Japanese andAmerican architectural styles to create a unique form. The building has a shiplap sided structure of a Greek Revival
vernacular style, with a Queen Anne influence of fish scale shingled gables and gingerbread ornamentation on the lower
porch eaves. The building then incorporated Buddhist design and a “kirizuma yane” style roof, veranda, and Buddhist
influenced porch railing and ornamentation. There was a wrapped veranda around the second story that could be accessed
via a wide outside staircase.
The upstairs of the building housed the Hondo (worship area), an office for the minister, and a guest bedroom for visiting
ministers. Downstairs was a kitchen, dining room, two bedrooms for the minister’s family, and a multi-purpose room forchurch functions. A projection room for Japanese films was added under the stairs in later years. Outside behind the
kitchen were a furo (Japanese bath) and an open area.
The interior also melded Japanese and American influences. For example, the Hondo had pews instead of the traditionalmats found in Japan. There was a center nave that split the seating sections with additional aisles along the sides. The
pews faced an altar area that was built atop an 18-inch-high dais where there was a gold-plated shrine. The shrine was built
in Japan and shipped to Vacaville. A statue of Amida Buddha stood at the center veneration, flanked by two smaller
shrines. The main altar stood in front of the shrine and there was an incense burner and a gong in front of the altar.
Further, the windows had curtains instead of the traditional shoji screens. Although, for the tenth anniversary the Hondo’s
purple velvet curtains were removed and replaced with shoji screens.

B10. Significance (continued)
On March 22, 1908, a delegation of Japanese Issei (first generation) businessman from Vacaville went to the Buddhist
Mission of North America in San Francisco to seek the permission from Reverend Koyu Uchida, Bishop, for theestablishment of a Buddhist Mission of Vacaville. During that meeting the delegation was introduced to Reverend Jitsuzen
Kiyohara, who was very supportive of their request.
In response to the delegations, two weeks later on April 4, 1908, the Reverends Uchida and Kiyohara came to Vacaville toprovide a series of Buddhist services held at the Clarence J. Uhl Ranch. The services were given to elicit support for achurch building and to promise the formation of a Buddhist community. The services were a success and with the approvalof forty attendees, the Japanese Buddhist Mission of Vacaville was established. In addition Rev. Kiyohara was entrustedwith the task of collecting donations for the building fund and asked to conduct services at the local labor camps until abuilding could be raised. To assist Rev. Kiyohara with fundraising a ten member committee was created to initiate afundraising drive to build the church. The fundraising goal was set at five thousand dollars.
On March 18, 1911, the committee purchased a parcel of land from Thomas S. Wilson for the sum of five hundred dollars.
The parcel was on the corner of Dobbins and North Street (now Monte Vista Avenue). Of note, is the fact that thecommittee was introduced to Thomas S. Wilson by Clarence J. Uhl, an Ohio native who settled in Vacaville in 1889 andwhose ranch was the site of the first meeting referenced herein. Clarence Uhl was one of the five investors who formed the
Vacaville Fruit Company and he also owned one of the most prosperous and influential tracts of land in the area. In
addition, Clarence J. Uhl served as Mayor of Vacaville for twelve years and served as a Council member for fifty-three years.
Mr. Uhl would have been heavily reliant on the Japanese labor during the period of the Vacaville orchard boom.

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Page 4 of 7____________________________________________*Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Site of the First Vacaville Buddhist Church*Recorded by Takashi Tsujita_______________ *Date January 28, 2007 ⌧ Continuation

UpdateBy early 1912 the fundraising goal was achieved and the committee retained Yoshiaki Okita as General Contractor to build
the church. Construction began on March 28, 1912, and the framing work was complete by April 19, 1912. Prior toconstruction being finished, the first service was held on September 8, 1912. Following completion of the Church, a special
dedication service was held on November 3, 1912. The Board of Directors of the Japanese Buddhist Mission of Vacavilleregistered the official statement of completion for the Vacaville Buddhist Church with the State of California on July 13, 1913.
Although formally registered as the Vacaville Buddhist Church, the congregation members referred to the church as “O-tera”(Japanese for “church”).
On December 8, 1912, the Vacaville Buddhist Church established a Nihon Gakko (Japanese Language School) which met
downstairs in the multi-purpose room. The school was established in order to assure continuity among the generations. In
particular to ensure that the Nisei (second generation) could converse with their parents and grandparents and would know
and understand the Japanese culture and customs. Japanese language schools were important social and cultural
institutions in California, particularly after 1902. Virtually every Japanese community had a language school. As enrollmentof the school increased and various clubs and organizations were formed, a separate building became necessary. On
October 10, 1927, the church purchased the neighboring parcel from Mr. and Mrs. Chong Quong Fong so that a building for
the Nihon Gakko could be built. The school was constructed by a Mr. Kunichika (first name unknown) and was completed in
April of 1928, for a cost of $6,000.
The establishment of the Vacaville Buddhist Church epitomized the transition that was occurring among the Japanese Issei
immigrants who had settled in Vacaville. The Vacaville Buddhist Church became the center of the Japanese community andprovided for all the religious, educational and recreational needs. The Church also provided a connection to the homeland,
while incorporating American influences. For example, from the inception the Vacaville Buddhist Church was never called atemple, it was always known as a church. There were many social organizations associated with the Church. Rev.
Kiyohara helped members of the community form the first Fujinkai (Women’s Association) on January 22, 1913. The
Fujinkai were church members who provided all the food preparation and cooking for celebrations. The Church started a
Lotus Club for its young people in April 1926. Membership grew large enough that two years later there were separate clubs
for girls and boys. The Young Men’s Buddhist Association (YMBA) was advised by the Church elders. The organization
provided entertainment, food on Mother’s Day, and sponsored activities and sporting events. The Vacaville Young Women’s
Buddhist Association (YMBA) – known as the Lubmini Club after 1929 – sponsored the Northern California Young Women’s
Buddhist Conference in 1930 and 1934. Three years later in 1937, the Vacaville Buddhist Church hosted a regional
conference for both youth organizations.
The Vacaville Buddhist Church became the cultural center for the Japanese community. The church hall regularly hosted
operas, plays, and concerts that often featured visiting performers from Japan. Young girls learned traditional Japanese
dances at the recreation hall. Young boys joined baseball and basketball teams sponsored by the Buddhist Church youth
groups.
The beginning of the end for the Vacaville Buddhist Church was the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and thesubsequent Executive Order 9066 signed by the United States President Franklin. D. Roosevelt for the evacuation andinternment of 120,000 Japaense on the West Coast. All of Vacaville’s Japanese immigrants as well as Japanese-American
citizens of the United States were forced to leave on May 2, 1942. There had always been an undercurrent of pervasive anddeep-rooted prejudice on the part of the Anglo community, but the Japanese immigrant community thrived despite theseunderlying tensions. Nevertheless, the forced interment of the Japanese community during World War II brought a swift andimmediate end to Vacaville’s Japanese district and to the Vacaville Buddhist Church and Nihon Gakko.
As part of the Executive Order 9066, individuals were told to “take only what you can carry.” The Vacaville Buddhist Church
hall served as a storage facility for many Japanese families’ treasured keepsakes. However, the church was not secured,
nor was it respected by the Anglo residents; thus the church was vandalized and the possessions stolen or destroyed. A
further affront was the haphazard storage of urns of family ashes entrusted to the care of the local cemetery. The ashes
were placed in a wooden shack and could not withstand the weather; the water seepage from the rain caused the ashes of
loved ones on the bottom layers of urns crumbled and broken and washed away.

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Page 5 of 7____________________________________________*Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Site of the First Vacaville Buddhist Church*Recorded by Takashi Tsujita_______________ *Date January 28, 2007 ⌧ Continuation

UpdateOnce the West Coast Exclusion Act was lifted on January 2, 1945, the interned Japanese were free to return to their former
community. However, many found that it was either too painful or simply not feasible to return. Further, the Anglocommunity was still very hostile towards the Japanese community, as evidenced by the petition that was signed by fifteenhundred local residents in an attempt to prohibit the Japanese from returning to Vacaville. Thus the Vacaville Japanesecommunity was never able to fully recover and attain the prosperity of the pre-war years.
With the influx of Vacaville’s returning evacuees, there were insufficient housing and employment and most had to relocate
elsewhere. They moved to places in Santa Clara County, Placer County or Southern California. Others moved to
Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles or wherever there was housing and employment. It is unknown which family
returned to Vacaville first but the partial list shows there were more than thirty families returned to Vacaville before moving
on. Today there are but a few families who elected to remain in Vacaville after they returned. There were few other families
relocated to other counties but later returned to Vacaville and farmed.
For those families who did return to Vacaville, the Vacaville Buddhist Church and Nihon Gakko provided shelter andassistance. Both structures were used as a hostel for families and single people alike. In addition, Clarence J. Uhl offered
shelter and employment on his ranch to some of the families who returned. By cooperation by all and taking turn to use the
kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities and made the best of it. When the first Internees returned to Vacaville the hall was
occupied by transient workers and the evacuees could not move into it. The Japanese squeezed into other parts of thechurch the best they can. The upstairs Hondo was never used as a bedroom but the rest of the church’s hall, the minister’s
office, minister’s living quarters, classrooms and every available space were occupied. After the transients left thedownstairs hall was partitioned for some privacy to each family.
The school age children enrolled and attended Vacaville schools and graduated like their older brothers and sisters did
some three years earlier. When the evacuees came back to Vacaville the life we left behind faming was on limited scale.
Consequently, most moved on to other occupation such employment as civil service, grocery stores and many pursued selfemployed Gardner. Total maybe ten families remained in Vacaville after the evacuation.
The church never formally re-opened with a resident minister (although it technically remained a sub-church of the
Sacramento Buddhist Church). The last formal service held at the Vacaville Buddhist Church was the funeral service forShinichi Okabata on February 18, 1948. Many of the Vacaville Buddhist people became members of Sacramento Buddhist
Church Sacramento being the closest Buddhist Church. Today a total of 30 from nearby community visit Vacaville on
Memorial Day for a Memorial Service held at the Elmira-Vacaville Cemetery with the Sacramento Betsuin Ministers
officiating. Before the fire there were few services held at the Vacaville Buddhist Church with minister from Sacramento
Buddhist Church conducting the services.
On November 23, 1951, both structures burned to the ground due to a fire. The official cause of fire was a kerosene stove
being used by two residents as a heater exploded. The fire severely injured one resident and killed another, both of whomwere fighting the fire. On June 5, 1956, the Vacaville Buddhist Church and Nihon Gakko property was sold and the church
itself formally dissolved on December 23, 1958. On June 2, 2001 a stone monument was placed at the site in dedication of
the Vacaville Buddhist Church.
On June 5, 1956 the four parcels of land belonging to the Buddhist Church of Vacaville were sold to Walter C. Hansel for
total sum of Twelve thousand dollars $12,000. On December 23, 1958 a special meeting was held by the church’s officers
and directors in order to dissolve and distribute all cash from checking and savings account and moneys received from thesale of the property for the Corporation of Vacaville Buddhist Church. All the monies were donated to Buddhist Church ofAmerica, San Francisco to Sacramento Buddhist Church and to Florin Buddhist Church.

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Page 6 of 7____________________________________________*Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Site of the First Vacaville Buddhist Church*Recorded by Takashi Tsujita_______________ *Date January 28, 2007 ⌧ Continuation

UpdateB12. References
Deeds:
Grant Deed from T. S. Wilson to J. Kiyohara Trustee for the Japanese Buddhist Mission of Vacaville, Dated March 18, 1911,
and Recorded at the Office of the Solano County Recorder on March 21, 1911 in Book 183 at Pages 273 and 274 of Official
Recorder.
Grant Deed from Fong, Chong Quong, also known as Fred Q. Fong, a native born Chinese citizen, and Yee Quce Fong, hiswife, to William Okubo, a native born Japanese citizen. Dated October 10, 1927 and Recorded at the Office of the Solano
County Recorder on October 17, 1927, in Book 4, at Page 303, as instrument Number 3584 of Official Recorder.
Grant Deed from Property Control Board of Vacaville Buddhist Church, a corporation, to Walter C. Hansel, a married man,
Dated June 6, 1956 and Recorded at the Office of the Solano County Recorder o June 14, 1956, in Book 834, at Page 227of Official Recorder.
Grant Deed from Property Control Board of Vacaville Buddhist Church, a corporation, to Walter C. Hansel, a married man,
Dated June 6, 1956 and Recorded at the Office of the Solano County Recorder o June 14, 1956, in Book 834, at Page 229
of Official Recorder.
Grant Deed fro BT Properties S, a California general partnership, to Charles B. Ricketts and Jackie A. Ricketts, Husband
and Wife, as Joint Tenants, Dated March 10, 1995, and Recorded at the Office of the Solano County Recorder on October
12, 1995, as instruments Number: 1995-00063571 of Official Records.
Books:
Limbaugh, Ronald H. and Payne, Walter A. Vacaville, The Heritage of a California Community, Vacaville, California:
Fremont Litho, 1978.
Tsujita, Takashi and Nolan, Karen, Omo I de: Memories of Vacaville’s Lost Japanese Community, Vacaville, California,
Alphagraphics, 2001.
Tsujita, Takashi, Vacaville Buddhist Church 1980-1951: Sacramento, California, Tom’s Printing Co. January 2006
Internet:
Historical: Articles of Solano County, Uhl Family’s Peachy Start in Vacaville, Sunday September 14, 1997:
http://www.solaoarticles.com
Five Views: An Ethnic Historic Site Survey for California, A History of Japanese American in California
http:///www.cr.nps.gov/history/online.books/5views/5views4.htm.
JAANUS: Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System. www.aisf.or.jp/.jaanus/deta/k/kirizumayana.htm.
Japan Gude.com, www.japan-guide.com/e/e4007.html
Obituary:
Clarence J. Uhl, http://63.192.157.117/specials/Century/1960/news13.html
Personal Source:Charlotte Ver Vaeke, 213 Peach Tree Avenue, Vacaville, California 95688
Minamide, Masako (Ichimoto), 9658 Clipper Cove Place, Elk Grove, California 95758-1962, (916) 684-0369

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UpdatePhotographs (continued)

Historic Photo of Nihon Gakko, from Vacaville Buddhist Church 1908-1951
by Takashi Tsujita, January 2006.

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