By Brad Takasuka
My name is Brad Takasuka and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have helped to bring Mr. Hiroji Kariya’s vision for Mochitsuki to the success it is today.
Much of the success of the Mountain View Buddhist Temple lies in the foundation of a great visionary and thinker: Mr. Hiroji Kariya. This in no way diminishes the many people who have made the event a huge success. I have been given credit for the success of the event, but it was truly inspired by Mr. Kariya’s dream for the event.
Some History
I have been fortunate to get involved in Temple’s Mochitsuki even before I became a member of the Mountain View Buddhist Temple. The long-time members will remember how Mochitsuki got started. I do not have the complete history, but want to share my experience and personal memories of what I can recall of the event.
Around 1980, the Kawamoto and Furuichi families were devotees of the Temple at every level. Having been raised as a Methodist, I had very little knowledge of Mochitsuki, but the Furuichi family Mochitsuki introduced me to the culture and tradition of the event. During my initial exposure to the Temple, my wife, Donna, said we were to pick up mochi at the Temple. That year the mochi grinders were down and we were told there would be a long delay. It turned out that the grinder motors were burned out, so I decided to take a couple of motors from my machine shop and got the grinders going. Little did I know that I was now de-facto in charge of the grinders. For the following year, Yosh Umemoto and I upgraded the grinders that have remained reliable for many years.
The original steaming method to cook the rice involved MVBT nursery members who would bring their diesel fueled steam generators that were originally used to clean and sterilize the greenhouses. Unfortunately, a steam hose would occasionally explode, making the cooking area dangerous. The original steamers were traditional wooden ones from Japan that had to be lifted by hand exposing people to the hot steam and heavy lifting. Only a few people were willing to work in the cooking area and Mr. Kariya felt something had to be done.
The Vision
As I observed and admired the operation for a couple of years, at one of the events Mr. Kariya said “We need to fix this.” I learned very soon that this was not a suggestion. After some thought, Mr. Kariya followed up with “We need to make this safe, we need to take away all the hard jobs, and we need to make lots of easy jobs.” There was only one proper response to the “suggestion,” so I obviously said: “Yes, sir”.
After experimenting and finally visiting some Dim Sum kitchens, the first trial was ready for the following year. There were three of the original steamer stacks and one of the new versions.
The New Version
The steam generator was replaced by a simple pot with boiling water. The pot featured a side mounted bottle holder eliminating the need to lift the steamer stack to check for adequate water. I recall Mr. Jim Shidawara and Mr. Shig Tachibana running the necessary natural gas line. Mr. Matsumoto and his son, Bob, built custom stands for the high output gas burners used by almost all Chinese restaurants. The original Japanese steamers were replaced by much larger modified four stack Dim Sum type steamers. Hoists eliminated heavy lifting. Mr. Ikeuye and Mr. Masaki developed the rice cooking procedure by elevating the non-stick rice cloth with an intermediate grid with wooden spacers to insure even steam. Most important was the need to create a center opening in the rice to allow the steam to penetrate to the top steamer. Improvements were implemented to the magnificent mochi pounder the Temple inherited for which credit must be given to Bob Matsumoto.
The Day of Reckoning
At the first Mochitsuki with this new system, Mr. Kariya sat with several Temple elders sipping tea, pointing a lot, and talking among themselves. I cannot remember everyone on the bench because I was quite nervous. I clearly recall the two Okuno brothers talking and finally one of them said “Brad” to which I responded with “Yes, Mr. Okuno.” He told me to get rid of all the old stuff and make it all like the new ones. Mr. Kariya smiled and nodded and so it came to be.
The 2025 Mochitsuki
The latest 2025 MVBT Mochitsuki represents many of the great qualities of the Temple community.
At the recent Keiro Kai event, Mr. Kariya was so happy to hear about the years of success of the event. After again congratulating him on his vision, he proudly and wisely said: “The right vision is the most important thing.”
I have great gratitude for the dozens of volunteers who take the time to make the event the huge success it is. The many young people who pound the mochi manually with the kine and usu setup to provide great entertainment. It is wonderful to see the many children participating from helping to fill water for the steamers, feeding the rice into the grinder, and helping the many volunteers to cut and shape the mochi into an excellent product.
The Legacy
I am very proud to have helped make Mochitsuki such a success. Among the innumerable wisdom that Sensei has taught, I think gratitude is one of the most important. With Mochtsuki as one of my favorite Temple events, I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate. I am grateful for the many persons who come to make the event so successful. I am grateful for my family who introduced me to such a wonderful event. I am grateful for the patience of my wife, Donna, for her encouragement. I am especially grateful for the gift of a vision of a great mentor.
Mr. Kariya, as I watch the many people enjoying Mochitsuki, it is obvious that your dream and vision has and will continue to leave a lasting legacy.
With Gratitude,
Brad Takasuka