Rev. Kosho Finch is the head minister of the Henjyoji Shingon Buddhist Temple in Portland, Oregon. Originally from Detroit Michigan, Rev. Finch studied International Relations and East Asian Languages at Michigan State University. His language studies led to him to live in work in northeasters China after graduation. While there he encountered his first Buddhist teacher, a Tibetan Lama teaching in secret. That Lama encouraged him to move to California to pursue his interests in the Buddhist teachings. In 1999, he began his study of Shingon Buddhism, under the tutelage of Rev. Seicho Asahi at the Northern California Koyasan Temple in Sacramento. He took novice ordination in 2000, and final ordination in 2006 in Japan. He later attend Willamette University College of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctorate. He has since served as a minister with the Koysan Shingon Buddhist Mission of Hawaii. He is currently working on his masters thesis in religion with a focus on Buddhism and Government.