2013 BDK Hawaii Board Meeting
The BDK Hawaii Board of Trustees and Advisors met on February 14 in the meeting room of the BDK Hawaii building. We were pleased to have as our special guests from Japan Mr. Toshihide Numata, Chairman of the BDK organization, and Mr. Tadashi Ikuta, the Managing Director of BDK Japan. Board members who attended were Brian Nagata (BDK America), Mikio Yamashita (Mitsutoyo), Donna Higashi (Moiliili Hongwanji), and Bishop Eric Matsumoto (Honpa Hongwanji).
Advisors who attended were Rev. Irene Matsumoto (Palolo Kwannon Temple), Rev. Chikai Yosemori (past Bishop of Honpa Hongwanji), and Rev. Thomas Okano (past Bishop of Honpa Hongwanji). Rev. Clyde Whitworth, Distribution Manager of BDK Hawaiʻi, was also present.
After the meeting, other guests joined us for lunch: Prof. Michel Mohr (University of Hawaiʻi), Dr. Elisabetta Porcu (Numata Visiting Professor at UH), Dr. Ugo Dessi (University of Leipzig), and Rev. Kevin Kuniyuki (Buddhist Study Center).
After lunch, George Tanabe conducted a tour of the exhibition of Japanese Buddhist Temples in Hawaiʻi at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi.
Report by Dr. George Tanabe
President of BDK Hawaii
Report on BDK Global Meeting
On October 25 and 26, 2012, I had the pleasure of attending the BDK Global Meeting of representatives from the Mitsutoyo Corporation and BDK centers in Europe, Canada, the U. S. mainland, Hawaii, Mexico, and Japan. As I looked at all of the people in the meeting room at the BDK headquarters in Tokyo, I was impressed with BDK’s global reach and the corporate strength of Mitsutoyo, the world’s largest manufacturer of precision measuring instruments. It was a testament to the vision and effort of Mr. Yehan Numata, the founder of Mitsutoyo and BDK.
Unfortunately Mr. Toshihide Numata, the chairman of BDK, came down with pneumonia and could not attend. At the end of our meeting, however, we traveled by bus to the hospital, and had a lively conversation with Mr. Numata, who seemed well on his way back to health.
The reports from each BDK representative made it clear that the work of distributing BDK books is being undertaken with continuing vigor and the unwavering support of Mitsutoyo. I was reminded that Mr. Yehan Numata did not decide on distributing the teachings of the Buddha after he achieved success with his company, but that he founded the company in order to disseminate Buddhism.
After several years of dealing with BDK staff in Tokyo through email, it was a wonderful opportunity to meet everyone in person. They are all so competent and friendly, and we had a great time, especially with the help of good food and great drinks. There was a general consensus that on both the professional and personal levels, the meeting was a success.
Report by Dr. George Tanabe
President of BDK Hawaii
