founding the Sacramento Branch, and dedicating the land as the goreichi, or spiritual grounds, for the United States. In 1952, the church purchased a church building in Los Angeles, California, and founded its third U.S. branch. Kishida returned to his former position within Gedatsukai in Japan in 1964, and began alternating his service semiannually between Japan and the United States. In 1961, the original San Francisco branch of the church dissolved, and the American headquarters moved to Los Angeles. In 1981, the Honolulu branch of the Gedatsu Church of America was founded in Honolulu, Hawaii. Beliefs and practices The ultimate objective of Gedatsu-kai is for its sincere practitioners to achieve spiritual enlightenment, and to free one from negative karma. The central object of worship within the church is the Universal Life Force, sometimes referred simply in English as God. According to the church, the Universal Life Force gives all things life, having a similar role as most central deities in some major religions. One of the most important teachings of Gedatsu-kai is maintaining reverence to God and one's ancestors. Gedatsu-kai emphasizes that an individual receives blessings from their country, parents, teachers, society, and everything that has been created by the Universal Life Force, and that individuals must give thanks to the givers of those blessings. Seiken Okano expressed that every part of life is integrated with religion, and that all of an individual's experiences and actions directly effect one's spirit, and one must take that into account when living their daily life to gain a "true peace of mind." An important part of Gedatsu-kai prayers is the Amacha Kuyo, or Amacha Blessing. The Amacha Blessing is performed by pouring Amacha tea on a Kuyo-To (a wooden plaque inscribed with religious characters). The blessing is performed with intention for all spirits to receive, another part of giving thanks to ancestors. Seiken Okano's case of pneumonia in 1929 was supposedly healed by consumption of Amacha Tea. The Hannya Shingyo, better known as the Heart Sutra, is a Buddhist mantra that is performed as a part of the regular prayer. Members of the church worship three objects, which represent different entities within the study. The first is the Supreme Spirit of the Universe, and the second is Gochi Nyorai (Mahavairocana Buddha), which means literally "Universal Buddha of Five Wisdoms." The Supreme Spirit of the Universe and Gochi Nyorai are intertwined, both representing the