WB Tsujii with MWB Shimokawa
March 23, 2013April 6, 2013April 12, 2013
Our Stated Meeting for April was graced by a visit from MWB Yoshiharu Shimokawa, Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Japan.
The Lodge was opened by WB Tsujii, WM, in the East, WB Sagara, SW, in the West, and Bro Ogawa (Taiki), JW, in the South.
MWB Shimokawa was then received with Grand Honors and escorted to a seat in the East, where WB Tsujii offered him the gavel of his lodge as a token of its allegiance to Grand Lodge. MWB Shimokawa accepted the gavel, thanked WB Tsujii, then returned the gavel and invited the WM to proceed with the business of the day.
WB Tsujii with MWB Shimokawa
After dispatching regular business, WB Tsujii made two important announcements from the East. First, he informed the Brethren that the Grand Master had ordered two questions to be added to the short proficiency test for the First Degree. The answers to the questions "Whence came you?" and "What came you here to do?" are part of our ritual and familiar to all Brethren. However, this very familiarity has caused many Masons to lose sight of their reason for joining the Fraternity. MWB Shimokawa felt it important to emphasise this fundamental principle of Masonry to newly initiated Masons.
WB Tsujii then covered, point by point, several important clarifications of ritual that had been presented in a Lodge of Instruction held at this year's Annual Communication. Although our monitor gives clear and unequivocal instructions on floorwork, the outgoing Grand Lecturer had noticed that many lodges were ignoring these simple instructions.
After WB Tsujii had finished, MWB Watanabe rose to point out that every single aspect of floorwork had been carefully and minutely described in a guide created by MWB Shigeru Nishiyama in 1973. These instructions have been posted to the Members' Section of the Lodge's website and are available to all Master Masons.
The Brethren of Far East Lodge No. 1 with MWB Shimokawa, GM
In other business, discussion was had on preparations for the Annual Children's Day festivities at TMC, on the scheduling of future degree work, and on a disturbing case of a non-Mason claiming that he was a member of Far East Lodge No. 1. WB Inomata advised Brethren to be wary of discussing Masonry with this person. MWB Shimokawa rose and said that the matter was sufficiently important for Grand Lodge to take action and inform all lodges under its jurisdiction of the situation.
Asked to say a few words before the end of the meeting and then close the Lodge in short form, MWB Shimokawa thanked the Brethren of Far East Lodge No. 1 for their warm welcome and praised them on the quality of their ritual work. He then proceeded to close the Lodge in short form, the Brethren departing in Peace and Harmony.