Index for Yamagata Prefecture Meetinghouses
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Sakata (opened: ~1971 - closed: 2002)

The branch in Sakata was first opened in 1971 during the days of Japan East Mission. In 2002, after a 30-year struggle to maintain a congregation, Sakata's congregation was merged into the congregation of Tsuruoka, which is about 30 minutes away by car. One strong branch resulted from two smaller branches. Historical pictures follow:

Aioi-chou 1-6-61 was the narrow street site near the eki for Sakata's combined church and missionary quarters in the 1970s.

By 1978, the church/elders quarters had been relocated to this house behind the eki in Asahi Shin Machi.

In the 1990s and up until the branch closing in 2002, meetings were being held at this rented building near the bypass road, about a 15-minute walk on the back side of the eki, in the Kitashinbashi neighborhood. There may have been other interim meetinghouses.

Yamagata-ken Index
All-Mission Seven Prefecture Meetinghouse Index Map

Tsuruoka (opened: 1975)

Tsuruoka and Sakata are similar sized cities in the Shounai-plain that is famous for rice production. Sakata is a port and industrial city while Tsuruoka has more tech-industry. Being on the 'back side' of Japan, in my observation, the recession that began in 2008 appears to have taken a larger toll on the economy here than in cities elsewhere in the mission. As noted above, after the Sakata congregation was merged into Tsuruoka's in 2002, one stronger branch resulted from the two smaller branches.

By 2007 this custom-built rented building was moved into. The landlord, with whom missionaries had developed a strong friendship, agreed to build the building on land he owned for the church to rent. (If you are one of the missionaries from this era and are willing to share details about this relationship that Tsuruoka members talk about with a sense of honor and pride, please contact the Webmaster using a 'Comments' entry.) Branch President Sugawara's ultimate goal is for a church-built building, which will require higher attendance.
The street address is Nishishinsai-machi 3-32 (map), and is about 25 minutes walk from the eki, just a few blocks off the main drag that goes west out of town. (Map shows this building as "A" and the previous rented building that is just a block or two away (described below) as "B.")

This rented building in the same Nishishinsai-machi neighborhood served as Tsuruoka's meetinghouse from the 1990s until the new building above was completed in 2008.

Tsuruoka's first church/missionary quarters--established in January 1975 at Kirizoe 5-12. Yep, it was just a "big," fairly new house out in the boonies (on the East side of town between two rivers), but it seemed cozy and modern/new back then. On recent visits, I learned the elders now live in an apartment near here. Guuzen!

Yamagata-ken Index
All-Mission Seven Prefecture Meetinghouse Index Map

Yamagata (opened: 1950)

The first branch in Yamagata opened in 1950 during the days of Japanese Mission that was administered from Hawaii after World War II. Yamagata branch was made a ward in the late 1980s and is part of the Sendai Stake. Sendai is about two hours by train. Yamagata is the largest city in the prefecture (population 255,000) and is located in a high mountain plain. The metropolitan area is populous enough that over the years, missionaries have also lived in the Yamagata suburbs of Chitose and Tendo. In October 2010, the congregation in Yamagata commemorated 60 years of existence with special celebrations. I'm soliciting for a report and pictures for inclusion here.

Yamagata's obakeyashiki hospital (described below) was bulldozed to make way for the new Yamagata building, completed in September 1979. This picture was taken in May 2000. The building is located at Nanokamachi 4-12-20, (map) where an LDS meetinghouse has been found since 1963.

Historic Yamagata A old dilapidated hospital was home to both church and missionary quarters dating back to 1963. Here's an interesting history by L. Dwight Pinnock, who was serving there when the Church purchased the land and missionaries 'fixed up' the building. Even into the mid-1970s when I served, it had a lot of scary, dusty, web-filled rooms and corridors and was often referred to as an "obakeyashiki" (haunted house).

The church purchased the land and the building early on for a future chapel, which over 16 years later was finally built and dedicated. This picture is taken from roughly the same angle as the hospital shot above. Finishing touches were still being applied in this August 1979 pre-dedication picture.

Yamagata-ken Index
All-Mission Seven Prefecture Meetinghouse Index Map

Yonezawa (opened: 1975)

The branch in Yonezawa was first opened in October 1975, a little more than one year after the formation of the Sendai Mission.

Yonezawa's current rented church building is located at least 25 minutes walking distance from the eki at Rinsenji 1-2-104. (map) The street is fairly well traveled. Yonezawa's population is less than 100,000. In the late 2000s when missionary counts dwindled, the missionary apartment in Yonezawa was closed but missionaries from Yamagata visited the city and attended church meetings at the branch on a rotating basis. In 2011 a missionary couple was assigned to the branch, and in the Spring of 2012, elders replaced them.

Yamagata-ken Index
All-Mission Seven Prefecture Meetinghouse Index Map