In July 1956, the renowned Bay Area poet, writer and playwright Hiroshi Kashiwagi’s play “Kisa Gotami,” was performed by the Berkeley YBA Choir at the Berkeley Buddhist Temple — and featured a UC Berkeley student named George Takei. Kashiwagi’s play was a retelling of the Buddhist Jataka tale, “The Parable of the Mustard Seed.” It was requested by Jane Imamura, who provided the music. The cast included Mary Tagumi, Janet Shohara, Richard Arakawa, Takako Shinoda, Thomas Okamura — and Takei. ...

BCA Sangha Members Are Among Those Participating in Landmark Community Gathering Sangha members from the BCA will be among the participants in a landmark community gathering called “Gila River Connections: A Celebration of Shared History,” on Feb. 19-22, 2026, in Chandler, Arizona. The event will bring together Japanese American World War II camp  survivors, their descendants, members of the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC), students and allies to honor the intertwined histories of the two...

Did you know that Adrienne Reiko Iwanaga, professional dance name Reimichi Hanayagi, has recently been named a National Endowment for the...