Day 365: Honoka’a Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, Honoka’a, Hawai’i
📌APIA Every Day (365) - The Honoka’a Hongwanji Buddhist Mission, established in 1904, is one branch of the larger Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai'i. The Honoka’a congregation built its first temple in 1905, five years after the flagship Honpa Hongwanji Hawai’i Betsuin opened in Honolulu (APIA Every Day 309). Since its founding, the Honoka’a temple has remained a significant religious and social center for the town’s Japanese American community.
When the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai’i first began garnering a following, Reverend Joei Abe initially led informal services across Honoka’a in 1904. The following year, a formal temple was constructed as Reverend Keigetsu Shibata became the town’s first resident minister. Initially known as the Hamakua Hongwanji at the time, the early temple featured a hondo (main hall) and was later expanded to include a minister’s residence, kitchen, and classrooms. In 1913, the site was renamed the Honoka’a Hongwanji and in 1929, the seventh resident minister, Reverend Kobun Araki, added a martial arts dojo to the site. During World War II, the congregation’s eighth minister, Reverend Giko Tsuge, was incarcerated and the temple remained closed for four years.
When Reverend Tsuge returned in 1945, he oversaw various construction projects, including remodeling the dojo, adding a dining hall, and building a new social hall and gymnasium. In 1951, the fifty-year old hondo was also replaced, along with the minister's residence. The design for the new worship space took inspiration from Bishop Yemyo Imamura’s vision for the Honpa Hongwanji Hawai’i Betsuin, combining Indian architectural elements with a church-like interior layout. For the temple’s 65th anniversary in 1970, a modern two-story building replaced the old dojo and social hall, and a columbarium was added to the property.
In 2021, the Honoka’a Hongwanji Buddhist Temple was added to the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its importance to the local Japanese American population. Over the past century, the temple has remained a vital institution supporting in the social, spiritual, and economic well-being of its members. Today, the temple congregation continues to thrive and recently celebrated the 6th anniversary of its free meal program, “Feeding our Keiki and Kupuna.”
Written by Avneet Dhaliwal
LEARN MORE:
Historic Hawaii Foundation: Honokaa Hongwanji Buddhist Mission
About - Honoka'a Hongwanji Buddhist Temple
Historic Buildings in Honoka'a
#apiaeveryday #honokaahongwanjibuddhisttemple #honokaa #hawaii #honpahongwanjihawaiibetsuin #religioustemple #nationalregisterofhistoricplaces #japanese #japaneseamerican
