At a first glance, this beautiful and unique five-story Japanese pagoda may seem out of place here in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, in Longmont Colorado.
Who built this tower and for what purpose? And what motivated the message of gratitude and compassion represented by the tower?
Today we'll answer all of these questions and we'll see why this tower is not out of place at all.
In fact, it fits in perfectly right here in Longmont, Colorado.
The tower was built in 1973 and is named the Tower of Compassion. But the story of the tower begins at the turn of the 20th century, decades before it's construction. It's the story of the Kanemoto family, the realization of the American dream, and the power of community and goodwill.
In 1908 Goroku Kanemoto emigrated from Hiroshima, Japan to the United States. He sailed aboard a freighter to Mexico, later boarded a train bound for Canada, hopping off in Colorado with only the clothes on his back. He married a woman, also from Hiroshima, rented a farm and raised a family.
Goroku died in an automobile accident in 1935. His son Jimmie and younger brother George continued running the family business, eventually purchasing farmland in Longmont, Colorado.
The Kanemoto brothers continued farming and selling produce at their roadside market. Jimmie and George were also entrepreneurs, opening a manufacturing company and investing in real estate and land development.
By the 1960's the Kanemoto family were in a position to give back to the community that had welcomed them and where they had achieved success.
They donated hundreds of acres to the city of Longmont. Land that would be used for parks, a school, houses of worship, public space and more.
Inspired by a trip to Japan, the Kanemoto families decided a Japanese pagoda would be a unique gift they could give to Longmont. A gift that would carry deep meaning of gratitude for the kindness shown by the people of the city.
At that time, there likely wasn't another Japanese style pagoda anywhere in the country east of San Francisco. But local contractors were up for the challenge. They used photographs and direction from Jimmie Kanemoto to erect the structure made of steel, aluminum and cedar.
In September of 1973, the Tower of Compassion was given to the city of Longmont in a ceremony attended by Colorado Governor John Vanderhoof and Longmont Mayor Wade Gaddis.
Each of the five levels of the tower represent the meaning of compassion – Love, Empathy, Understanding, Gratitude, and Selfless Giving.
Members of the Kanemoto family remain active in the Longmont community. Cousins Ed and Ken Kanemoto contributed to help fund a major restoration of the tower in 2016.
2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the construction the tower. Its message of compassion and gratitude are just as relevant today.
We'll close this video with the words of Jimmie Kanemoto, spoken during the 1973 dedication ceremony:
"It's not just the buildings, streets and parks that make a good city. It also the people, the relationship of people with people. Compassion brings people together instead of pulling them apart. With compassion we can have a great community"
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Special thanks to the Kanemoto family and the Longmont Museum for providing photographs used in this documentary.
CORRECTION:
The documentary mentions the Kanemoto family dedicated "hundreds of acres" to the city of Longmont. The Kanemoto family has since reached out to me to clarify: The total land donated, while significant, was not quite hundreds of acres.
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