WHERE WE WORSHIP
Soto Mission marking centennial
By Mary Kaye Ritz
Advertiser Faith Editor
Name of church: Hawaii Soto Mission.
Our denomination: Soto, one of three Zen sects in Japan.
Where we are: 1708 Nu'uanu Ave.; other temples are in 'Aiea; Waipahu/'Ewa; Wahiawa; Hanapepe, Kaua'i; Pa'ia, Maui; Kona and Hilo on the Big Island; and Kaunakakai, Moloka'i.
The Kaunakakai temple is the only Buddhist temple on that island, said the Rev. Shugen Komagata, senior minister for the Nu'uanu betsuin.
Our numbers: 2,000-plus families throughout the Islands.
Our bishop: Bishop Jiho Machida. The president of the mission is Kenichi Watanabe.
What's special about us: The Nu'uanu temple is a landmark. Built in 1952 and dedicated in 1953, it is styled like a Hindu temple, with small towers on both wings and a 70-foot tower in the center.
An Indian design for a Buddhist temple? It's not a far-fetched idea, said Komogata, because India "is where Buddhism comes from."
What we believe: The Soto belief structure is more action-based, Komogata said, and "more practical."
"When you do positive things, good things will result," he added. "We focus on the word 'attain' rather than the word 'given.'"
They follow the teachings of the Buddha in the hopes of attaining "peace through enlightenment," he said.
He likens their philosophy to that of the artist who carved the Kannon statue out of a tree in the Ryukokuji Temple in Niigata, Japan; they believe the potential is within.
"The sculptor said, 'The statue was always there' (inside the wood of the tree)," Komogata said. "'I just removed the rest of it.'"
What we're excited about: This year, the Hawaii Soto Mission celebrates its centennial.
Events being planned for fall will include a Japan tour Oct. 15 to 24, a goodwill golf tournament and panel discussions. For a banquet on Oct. 26 at the Sheraton Waikiki , about 500 out-of-town guests are expected — including, from Japan, the archbishop of Soto-shu, who will officiate.
As part of the centennial, they have published a hardback book, "History of the Soto Sect in Hawaii," as well as a new "Hawaii Soto Mission Cookbook."
Our history: Soto Buddhism first came to Hawai'i 100 years ago, when two priests from the head temple arrived to help first-generation Japanese immigrants, or issei, who worked at the sugar plantations. One priest went to Kaua'i; the other to Waipahu.
A temporary betsuin (branch temple) was built in 1913 on Hall Street, and Soto Mission of Hawai'i temple was completed and blessed at the corner of School and Nu'uanu streets in Honolulu in 1921, but it looked nothing like today's Nu'uanu landmark.
The current building went up 50 years ago, after a decades-long drive to raise money. The land for the temple was purchased in June 1934.
At its height of popularity in the 1950s, some 3,000-plus families were members of the mission.
Today, there's the Soto Academy, as well as the K-6 elementary school, and Wakei Gakuen, one of the largest Japanese-language schools in Honolulu. It's also the site for the Young Buddhists Association of Honolulu, which offers cultural and martial arts programs, Komogata said.
Cultural activities at the mission include tea ceremonies, flower arrangement classes, kimono sewing, calligraphy, kyudo, karaoke and minyo (folk dance).
Contact: The Rev. Shugen Komagata, 537-9409.
If you would like to recommend a faith organization for a Where We Worship profile, send e-mail to faith@honoluluadvertiser.com, call 525-8035 or write: Where We Worship, Faith Page, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802.
