It Happened Here: Buddhist Church in Wapato hosts countless community gatherings

Ken Inaba and Gracie Hernandez married on Oct. 20 at the Yakima Buddhist Church. Once again, just as it has for nearly a century, the modest building at 212 W. Second St. brought people together in a joyful and profound ritual of human life.

With a few dozen members today, the church rolls are much smaller than during its zenith in the 1930s, when more than 160 families were part of the Buddhist community in and around Wapato. There are fewer weddings. The last wedding that took place in the Yakima Buddhist Church was that of Ken’s parents, Lon and Sheila Inaba, on Oct. 27, 1990.