I remember a Jikoen temple visitation by Lady Yoshiko Ohtani… Prior to her Fujinkai service attendance as officiant, our family was honored to have her spend a short time to rest at our residence. We spent countless hours preparing for Lady Ohtani’s brief stay. Her attendants visited our home ahead...

I attended Sunday School and participated in the service by offering flowers and incense. I even remember playing baseball for Jikoen in the Sunday School league of the Honolulu district. It was a mixed league and some of the girls were better than the boys.

I was in my teens and for the first time, I learned about Buddhism in English from an old British minister. I value this experience and basic information which enabled me to appreciate my religion and grown in understanding of life and religion.

Before the temple on Houghtailing Street was built, we had our services in the Gushikawa Club House that was built on our leased land on Kam IV Road. Services were conducted by Rev. Jikai Yamasato who was in his early 20’s at that time.

I remember Lily Miyasato (Horio) was the organist and would lead us in the Nembutsu when the minister was away. I enjoyed the Hanamatsuri festival at Kapiolani Park.

The new temple and social hall on School Street became the headquarters of the Hawaii United Okinawa Association (HUOA) for many years until the new kaikan was built at its present site in Waipio.

Following the end of the terrible battle of Okinawa and after a three month assignment in Korea, I came home on December 23, 1945. Soon after I got back I received several phone calls from the late Rev. Jikai Yamasato wanting to know what it was like in Okinawa during...

By the time the first Okinawan immigrants (our ancestors) came to Hawaii, there were already an estimated 60,000 immigrants from other prefectures in Japan in Hawaii.

Coming to Hawaii By 1899, Kyuzo Toyama began to see Hawaii as a better prospect for future emigration of the Okinawans than Formosa. At that time Hawaii was still hardly known to them in spite of the fact that… emigration from Japan to Hawaii from the southwestern prefectures of Japan...

Life on the Plantation for the First Arrivals They were all sent to Ewa Plantation. Soon, these men found life on the plantation extremely hard, in spite of their youthful vigor. Long, continuous hours of work – 10 hours a day-except for a 30 minute break for lunch. (Though the...