Land Acquisition from Bishop Estate Compiled by Ai Ogata with recollections from Rev. Chikai Yosemori and Shizuo “Billy” Tokuda Prior to moving Jikoen Hongwanji Mission to its present School Street location from its inaugural Houghtailing site, the leaders of Jikoen tried their best to find a good location for the...
From Houghtailing to the New Site A member story by Warren Higa We needed to find a new location for Jikoen. There was a listing of a lease-land on School Street which was a location favored by most members and Rev. Yamasato, because of its convenience for commuting to the...
It was a time when it was very unpopular to be Buddhist or to be connected to anything Japanese. Yet, the members of Jikoen kept a steadfast faith in their religion and were not about to be apologetic. They believed very strongly that it was not un-American nor unpatriotic to...
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...
The Start of Jikoen Hongwanji In response to the aspiration of the Reverend Chiro Yosemori, missionary with the Hawaii Hongwanji Mission, the Jikoen Temple was established on Houghtailing Street in Honolulu in September 1938 with assistance from Okinawans and others of the same faith. The Hongwanji was so moved by...
Pigs from the Sea: Assisting the People of Okinawa After WWII In June 1947, the Okinawa Kyusai Koseikai (United Okinawa Assistance Association of Hawaii) was formed. They collected $47,196 with which 500 sows and 50 boars were purchased from the mainland. Seven members of the group, Yoshio Yamashiro, Gyukichi Nakama,...