NEWSLETTER 36 Repro - Masonic Province of Yorkshire, West Riding

NEWSLETTER 36 Repro 11/5/07 11:45 AM Page 22
FESTIVAL PLATE
GOES TO JAPAN
W BRO JOHN HOPE, a Past Master of
Hall Cross Lodge No 5744, and his wife
Sue recently visited their son and
daughter-in-law who live in Tokyo.
Their son Tom is a research Doctor
and Lecturer and works for the National
Institute of Advanced Industrial Science
and Technology based in central Tokyo.
His wife Saeko is Japanese and is a full
time Lecturer at Chuo University in
Tokyo.
During their three-week holiday to
Japan they visited with their son and
daughter-in- law the southern islands of
Okinawa, Ishigaki and Taketomi which
are very warm and sub-tropical, being
only a few miles from Taiwan.
They then returned to the main
island of Honshu spending further time
in Tokyo. This was followed by an
excursion north to Nikko, where they
saw magnificent Shrines, surrounded
by snow capped mountains, lakes and
experienced very cold bright weather.
The opportunity to try natural hot
springs and sample traditional
Japanese accommodation was not
missed, although sleeping on the floor
(on tatami rush mats) was not regarded
as comfortable and is not
recommended to those who are not
used to it!
While in Tokyo, W Bro Hope and his
family visited the Grand Lodge of
Japan building which is situated in the
very centre of Tokyo close to Tokyo
Tower. They were given an interesting
and informative two-hour tour of the
building by W Bro Richard Smith, a
Lancastrian and Past Master of Tokyo
Masonic Lodge No 2, who has lived in
Japan for over 20 years. Tokyo Masonic
Lodge meets in the Grand Temple.
W Bro Hope was later invited to a
meeting of the Lodge and he had the
pleasure of presenting a "Festival Plate"
to the Master of Tokyo Masonic Lodge
No 2.
At the Festive Board, W Bro Hope
also presented the Master with a pair of
Provincial cuff links and the two
wardens with Provincial lapel badges.
The details of our charitable fund
raising for the Festival were explained
to the Brethren.
Like many Lodges in foreign lands,
military forces and military men have
carried the light of Freemasonry around
the world for hundreds of years and it
was from the occupying American
forces after the Second World War that
the origins of the Lodge began.
20
On 11 August 1947, Tokyo
American Lodge of Tokyo, Japan was
placed under dispensation by the
Grand Lodge of Connecticut.
After receiving the dispensation, the
first communication of Tokyo American
Lodge UD. was set for 9 October, 1947.
On this important day in the Masonic
history of Japan, more than 150
Brethren assembled at the Joshi Kaikan
building, wearing aprons made from
condemned Japanese parachutes, on
which aprons someone had forgotten to
place strings! The Jewels were made of
scrap aluminum. A total of 102 Brethren
signed the Tyler's Register.
No sooner had World War II ended,
Freemasonry started to return to the
Philippines. By 1949 the Grand Lodge
of the Philippines was well set and
active in chartering lodges in Japan,
which was open territory.
However, in April 1949 the Grand
Lodge of Connecticut decided it would
not charter the Lodge, but had no
objections to the Grand Lodge of the
Philippines doing so. On March 16,
1949, the Grand Master of the
Philippines, along with other Grand
Lodge Officers arrived in Japan.
On this visit to Japan the Grand
Master was asked by the members of
Tokyo American Lodge, UD if it would
be possible for the Grand Lodge of the
Philippines to charter the Lodge.
This request was honoured by the
Grand Master when he placed the
former Tokyo American Lodge under
dispensation with the new name of
Tokyo Masonic Lodge.
On 5 October, 1954, a Degree team
WBro Hope hands over the Festival Plate with the Japanese Brethren looking on
of 13 Masonic Masons, eleven of them
from Tokyo Masonic Lodge, conferred
for the first time ever the First Degree of
Masonry in the Japanese language.
This singular event the Lodge will
cherish forever.
By 1954, Tokyo Masonic Lodge was
well set as a cornerstone of
Freemasonry in Japan.
On March 16, 1957 the Grand Lodge of
Japan was formed and Tokyo Masonic
Lodge took its proper place as Lodge
No 2, by virtue of being the second
oldest Lodge within the new Grand
Lodge.
Since its origins, conceived from
members of the American occupying
forces after the second World War
under the dispensation of the Grand
Lodge of Connecticut in1947, born
under the Grand Lodge of the
Philippines in 1949 and eventually
under the jurisdiction of the Grand
Lodge of Japan in 1957 the
membership of Tokyo Masonic Lodge
No 2 now involves Brethren who are
Japanese nationals.
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