Gift from Hiroshima graces Mo'ili'ili
By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer
It is a symbol that says "Japan" like no other, and now a half-size replica of the famed torii at Miyajima is being erected in Honolulu.
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
A gift of the people of Hiroshima city, prefecture and chamber of commerce, the steel-and-titanium replica gateway was crafted in Japan in June and shipped to Hawai'i in September.
This torii is half the size of the original in Japan. The gateway is a gift from Honolulu's sister city of Hiroshima.
It is being installed in Mo'ili'ili, where many of Hawai'i's early immigrants established homes and businesses after arriving from Hiroshima and other parts of Japan.
The project is the centerpiece of a community revitalization plan in Mo'ili'ili launched by the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce in observation of the chamber's centennial last year.
Now a silvery metallic color, by the end of the month the torii replica will be painted the distinctive orange-red of the original, which has two main pillars built of massive camphor tree trunks.
In Japan, the torii is on the shore of a sacred island. In Hawai'i, the replica will stand on a landscaped traffic island, bounded by Beretania and King streets, extending diamondhead from the Star Market parking lot.
But chamber officials say that what the gateway lacks in setting, it will make up in symbolism of Hawai'i's ties to Japan, and of Hawai'i as a gateway between East and West.
It is near the new Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i, which houses a small museum, tea garden and tea house, and a martial arts dojo. It is also near the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce.
Two large trees on the traffic island have been dedicated to the memories of the late Kihachi and Shika Kashiwabara, the first Japanese immigrants to settle in Mo'ili'ili in 1893, and to Harry Yoshimura, longtime Mo'ili'ili community leader.
The Kashiwabaras were originally from Yamaguchi prefecture, which borders Hiroshima prefecture in the Chugoku region of Japan. Yoshimura is from Hiroshima prefecture.
The torii was built in the 12th century in front of the Buddhist temple complex of Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island, and is a famous site in Japan.
It has been described as the "condensed essence of traditional Japanese architectural expression." It towers 52 1/2 feet, and is secured only by its own weight.
The soaring cross piece, about 75 1/2 feet long, is said to be filled with stones to increase its weight and add to the stability of the structure.
Miyajima, known as the "shrine island," has been regarded by Japanese as sacred for centuries. Its status as a sacred place was formalized when Shinto priests began making pilgrimages to the home of the goddess Ichikishima-Hime-no-Mikoto, one of three daughters of Susano-o-no-Mikoto.
Wayne Miyao, chairman of the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce's centennial celebration and a past chamber chairman, said the group was pleasantly surprised that their suggestion of a torii replica was strongly supported in Japan.
About $135,000 was raised in Hiroshima to help make the gate, said Miyao, a senior vice president of City Bank.
"It will be a constant symbol of the friendships between Hiroshima and Hawai'i," Miyao said. He said he hopes it will promote further cultural, educational and business exchanges "and serve as a lasting reminder of peace."
Ronald Ushijima, Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce president, credited Hawai'i supporters, including Gov. Ben Cayetano and Mayor Jeremy Harris, as well as the McCully-Mo'ili'ili Neighborhood Board, with helping bring the project to fruition.
Construction was directed by Jason Umemoto, president of Umemoto Cassandro Design Corporation, with work by Robert M. Kaya Builders under the direction of company president Scott Higa.
Reach Walter Wright at wwright@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8054.
