Spry 'Aiea temple marks 100 years
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Central Oahu Writer
'AIEA — Tucked away in a residential neighborhood next to H-1 Freeway traffic, the century-old 'Aiea Hongwanji Mission was once the center of a sugar plantation camp, with the 'Aiea Sugar Mill looming over it from the hillside.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
The sugar mill is gone, demolished in 1998. And the freeway now divides the Buddhist temple from the mill site.
The Rev. Mari Sengoku stands by a new statue of Saint Shinrahan, acquired for the 100th anniversary of the 'Aiea Hongwanji Buddhist Mission. The mission was once at the center of a sugar plantation camp.
"I remember the minister's residence being located right in the path of the H-1," said temple treasurer Hisao Shimabukuro.
Despite the changes, the Buddhist mission has kept pace with the times. It came up with programs to attract younger members and added a preschool in the 1970s to maintain income. It plans to add an adult care center this year.
The mission celebrates its centennial this weekend, with 215 member families gathering for the event.
Twenty-five people will receive their Buddhist names during a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by a 100th anniversary service at 10 a.m. On Sunday a commemoration service will be at 9 a.m., with members from the nine Hongwanji temples attending. The mission's 117 keirokai, members who are at least 80 years old, will be honored, followed by lunch and entertainment.
Although the congregation tends to be older, interim minister Rev. Mari Sengoku conducts the Buddhist services in Japanese and English for the benefit of the younger generation.
"I think this church has tried to adjust while remaining traditional," said Sengoku, 30, the only woman Buddhist priest from Japan serving in Hawai'i.
Many youngsters are introduced to the temple through preschool activities. They continue with the Judo Club or Junior Young Buddhist Association (YBA) and move on to the women's fujinkai and/or the Senior YBA.
Shimabukuro, a 25-year church member, jokes that he is one of the younger members at age 74.
"I'm retired, so I'm actually one of the more active members, since I have more time now," he said with a laugh. "But there are members that have been coming here 40, 50 years."
The Buddhist temple, rebuilt in 1970, has remained in the same location. Stones from the old temple were kept to honor the efforts of the issei.
Immigrant plantation workers founded the 'Aiea Hongwanji Mission with semi-monthly services by Bishop Yemyo Imamura. Honolulu Plantation Co. granted use of the land on Puakala Street. The first temple was built, with Rev. Eun Miyaki as resident minister, in April 1902.
When Oahu Sugar Co. bought out Honolulu Plantation Co. in 1952, the Hongwanji decided to purchase the land beneath the temple. A new temple was completed in 1968, and a new minister's home built in 1970.
The preschool program began that year with classes in the temple basement. A multipurpose hall was built in 1985, and a new preschool building was completed in 1998.
In response to 'Aiea/Pearl City's aging population, an adult-care center will be built this year in the basement of the two-story temple. Preschool director Deborah Oshiro said that would allow activities involving toddlers and the elderly.
"I think it will be good, because the kids want to hear stories of what the adults experienced, particularly the plantation-era stuff," Oshiro said. "And I think the kids will keep the older ones energized."
Reach Scott Ishikawa at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.
