Born in Manhattan in 1941, Hoshina Seki grew up in the halls of the New York Buddhist Church, founded by her father, Rev. Hozen Seki, in 1938. Rev. Seki, a Jōdo Shinshū priest from Kagoshima, Japan, arrived in the U.S. in 1930 and became a central figure in establishing Japanese American Buddhism on the East Coast. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was detained by the FBI and imprisoned in internment camps for over three years. His incarceration left his wife, children, and the temple in a precarious position. Still, Mrs. Seki, Rev. Newton Ishiura, Mr. Stanley Okada, and other Sangha members kept the New York Buddhist Church open during wartime.

As the child of a revered minister, Hoshina was expected to lead by example. But beneath the surface, she struggled quietly with her gender identity. “You’re the minister’s son,” people would say. “Set an example.” She turned to alcohol in her teens and sought refuge in art, spirituality, and eventually psychotherapy.

Hoshina went on to build a rich personal and professional life, marrying, helping raise three stepchildren, and working in the arts and publishing. She became creative director at Gannett and later led the American Buddhist Study Center, an educational initiative her father also helped shape. Yet the sense of misalignment persisted.

At age 70, Hoshina underwent gender-affirming surgery and publicly embraced her identity as a transgender woman. Her Buddhist community received her with grace and support. “I am transgender, and my samsara continues,” she reflects. “That means I’ll come back many more times until I get it right.”

Today, Hoshina, her board, and volunteers at the American Buddhist Study Center are making Buddhist wisdom and Japanese culture more accessible with weekly email newsletters, SMS text messages, YouTube videos, podcasts, in-person and Zoom events, seminars, and field trips. We also hold open houses several times yearly and welcome folks to join us. Details are published on our website (ambuddhist.org); everyone is welcome.

Hoshina’s story is not only one of personal transformation, but also of legacy. Her path carries forward her father’s vision of an inclusive, compassionate Buddhism rooted in resilience. Rev. Seki, once labeled a “renegade” for his progressive views, ordained non-Japanese ministers, welcomed diversity, and installed the Hiroshima-survivor statue of Shinran Shonin as a symbol of peace in New York. Today, Hoshina’s presence as a trans elder in American Buddhism extends that legacy into a new generation.