Celebrating 120 Years of a Community Gathering Place
By Susan Forbes
Hakalau Jodo Mission, located on Old Māmalahoa Highway in Hakalau, Hawai‘i Island, is the community’s gathering place.
Supported by an HHF Preservation Grant, Hakalau Jodo Mission completed a five-year rehabilitation project in 2024, just in time for a milestone anniversary.
Founded by Japanese plantation workers in 1904, the Hakalau Jodo Mission, of Japanese Buddhism’s Jōdo-shū sect, follows the Pure Land Teachings of Honen. The current Mission building, built and dedicated in 1936, stands near the cliffs overlooking Hawai‘i Island’s Hāmākua Coast on an acre of land provided by the Hakalau Plantation in Hakalau Upper Camp (aka Up Camp).
PRESERVING A HISTORIC PLACE
The Mission is significant for its association with historical events and is a good example of an East-West Buddhist temple built in Hawai‘i during the 1930s incorporating Renaissance, Mughal and Japanese elements.
After being listed in the Hawai‘i Register of Historic Places in 2018, the Mission secured funding from the Freeman Foundation in cooperation with Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, and embarked on what would become a five-year capital improvement project to safeguard its legacy for generations to come. The initiative aimed to address critical issues such as structural damage, water infiltration, and the deterioration of decorative elements.
From repainting the social hall to replacing colored glass window panes, each accomplishment brought the congregation closer together as volunteers and professionals meticulously restored the temple, social hall, and parsonage. Today the water and termite damage have been repaired, the exterior façade restored, plywood panels replaced, and roofs fortified against the elements.
A significant achievement was the replacement of 1970s jalousie windows along the breezeway between the parsonage and the temple. Inspired by the original 9-pane colored glass windows of the adjacent temple, the new windows were custom made using clear glass to enhance the architectural integrity of the site while improving functionality, ushering in a new era of innovation and growth.
STORY OF LONGEVITY
The history of the Hakalau Jodo Mission is a story of longevity and community engagement amidst a mix of people, cultures and values. This history also reflects the Japanese American experience in Hawai‘i, beginning with Japanese immigrants and their families in the Hakalau area in the early 1900’s. Over time, the community expanded and became more diverse, reflecting the mix of individuals on the plantation regardless of religious beliefs or philosophies. The demise of the sugar industry resulted in a dramatic shift in both the size of the population and its composition.
The Mission began in 1904 with a Japanese Language School in “Down Camp” when the Japanese immigrants, primarily workers on the Hakalau Plantation, asked ministers to teach their children Japanese. Early immigrants thought they might be returning to Japan and needed their children to be able to communicate. The school facilitated communication and cultural transmission within the Issei family and provided a child-care center for working families.
By 1905, the Hakalau Plantation provided a stipend for the minister and his wife plus one acre of land in “Up Camp”, the current location of the Mission. The population of both Down Camp and Up Camp was primarily Japanese immigrants.
Down Camp 
Up Camp
Maps of Down Camp and Up Camp
The maps were copied from a book entitled Hawaii Ichiran which means “a table of Hawaii”. The book by Nekketsu Takei was published on 5/15/1914. Takei was from Kudamatsu-shi, Yamaguchi-ken and lived in Honolulu. He visited and drew maps of areas on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i and Maui where many Japanese lived.
This book was discovered at the Hakalau Jodo Mission in September 2017 by the Thirteenth Minister Junshin Miyazaki, (2009-present).
Hakalau Japanese Language School circa 1918-1920. Rev. Tachikawa is sitting in the front row to the right of center. Assistant Ministers Yamaguchi Ryukai and Soga Tetsuzui stand behind him. Note: men wore Western attire, while many of the women chose to wear traditional Japanese attire in their official Japanese Language School picture. Photo courtesy of Jaime Yugawa, great grandson of Tetsuo and Yae Yugawa.
DECLINING POPULATION
The demise of the sugar industry led to cutting costs and the end of camp housing. The Hakalau Plantation became part of the Pepe‘ekeo Sugar Company in 1963. The Hakalau Mill closed in 1972. Camp houses were purchased and relocated or workers purchased or rented other housing elsewhere. The Pepeʻekeo Sugar Company, in conjunction with the ILWU, developed the Kulaimano Subdivision in Pepeʻekeo where many of the Hakalau sugar workers moved. People had to move. By the 1980s, all the camps were gone. The membership of the Mission moved away.
Aerial views of Up Camp and Down Camp: Another perspective on the demise of the camps circa 1944-1945. Photo courtesy of Akiko Masuda.
Circa 1995-1996. The camps are gone. Photo courtesy of Akiko Masuda.
Google Earth view of Hakalau (what were previously known as Up Camp and Down Camp) taken on January 7, 2023.
The Mission’s 10th Minister Hakushi Tamura, who served our mission from 1979-1996, describes the situation at this time:
Unfortunately our future is not the brightest due to the lack of creative actions taken immediately following the closedown of Sugar Cane Plantation a dozen years ago, even though there were many understandable reasons why the actions were not taken at that time.
Photos of the Mission’s celebrations illustrate the changes, going from large groups (in the 100’s) gathering to a large group defined in terms of 30-50. At Obon, we attract about 200 people.
1936: The current Mission buildings dedicated.
1952: Major renovation, 50th Anniversary Celebrated. There were many families with children.
1962: 60th Anniversary
1972: 70th Anniversary
No anniversaries were celebrated in the 1980s or 1990s, a time of upheaval.
2000: The Mission was in disrepair.
Renovations were complete in time to celebrate the centennial in 2004.
2004 Centennial
Most attendees were elderly. The influx of newcomers had just begun.
110th Anniversary
120th Anniversary
The Bodhi Day Service and the 120th Anniversary celebration were well-attended by those who grew up here and later moved away and current members, friends and neighbors. Among our friends present were several members of the neighboring Hongwanji temples in Papaikou, Honomū, and Honohina-Papa`aloa.
CHANGING POPULATIONS AND ADAPTATION
Today, most of our members live elsewhere: Hilo, Pepeʻekeo, Wailea, Ninole, O‘ahu, Kaua‘i. Wyoming, California, Washington State, Massachusetts. Most of our activities engage the broader community. Our Social Hall is the major meeting space, in the Wailea/Hakalau/Umauma/Ninole area, a 6 mile stretch along the coast.
The population in the Wailea/Hakalau area is older, with more seniors and a slightly higher than average number of families. The Hakalau Jodo Mission offers a great space to meet and we encourage families to participate. Initially classes (for any age) were recruited by members of the Mission. These include yoga, tai chi, and bon dance. Instructors also approached us wanting to teach karate, Japanese language, and bonsai workshops. Parents are beginning to recommend programs for their children.
Here are some photos from our karate class, both in practice and volunteering to clean, plus some of our favorite dancers at Obon.
Programs geared to the predominantly older residents of the area include yoga, tai chi, bon dance practice, Japanese language classes, and Kūpuna Lunches. These all provide the opportunity to learn new things, exercise, and socialize. These are happy events!
FOUNDATIONAL VALUES LEAD THE WAY
As part of the 120th anniversary, Rev. Miyazaki and I presented the history of the Mission, going back to the 17th century when the Tokugawa Shogun government ordered all Japanese to be members of Buddhist temples. In the 1880s, King Kalākaua went to Japan requesting the government to send workers to the Kingdom. Japanese immigrations started in 1885 and continued until banned in 1924.
Japanese immigrants asked ministers to teach their children Japanese because they expected they would return to Japan and their Hawai‘i-born children needed to be able to speak the language. The start of a Japanese language school in a rented room in a bakery in Hakalau “Down Camp” was the beginning of the Hakalau Jodo Mission.
Emphasizing the struggles of the early Japanese immigrants and contributions of each minister and his wife, particular emphasis was placed on Ministers Tachikawa, Yamanaka, and Mamiya for their significant contributions to bringing the community together during difficult times. The Sangha played a major role in the development of the Mission and sustaining the well-being of the community.
In 1947, Toraichi Morikawa led a capital campaign to restore the Mission, stating:
“It is the aim and desire of those connected with the Mission that this building and its facilities be available to all interested to use, irrespective of race, color or creed. As a result, up to the present day, convenient use of same has been made by all. We intend to continue offering its facilities for the ultimate good of the community.” (Voice of Hakalau, July 1947)
We continue in this spirit, honoring our Sanga today (members, friends, neighbors, community) as well as those who came before us.
The foundation of the Mission’s legacy is twofold: Buddhism and plantation values. The Mission’s purposes are: to share Jodo Shu Buddhist teachings and principles; to act to improve the condition of mankind; to promote happiness among members and the community; and to preserve this designated historic site and honor those who came before us.
Plantation values of engaging in collective effort, looking out for each other, honoring hard work, and showing respect for those who came before us provide the framework for our social norms. Buddhism and plantation values, taken together, describe the legacy we’re working to preserve:
- Continuing commitment to the community
- Openness to all
- Honoring those who came before us
- Working hard and collaboratively
- Sharing traditions and honoring the traditions of others
- Nurturing the children
- Honoring the kūpuna
- Following the [Buddhist] Eightfold Path
Our facilities, including the Temple, Social Hall, and Dining Room, are tools to be used in sharing our legacy, perpetuating cultural values, and carrying out the purposes of the Mission.
These plantation and Buddhist values provide guidance. Examples have long existed in the Wailea/Hakalau Community:
- Toraichi Morikawa, President of the Hakalau Jodo Mission for many years, and member Waichi Ouye demonstrated leadership in fostering boy scouts at the Mission.
- The Hakalau/Wailea Recreational Council led by Jack Ouye nurtured the community, insuring inclusiveness and kindness. Beginning in 1965, they sponsored Memorial Day ceremonies at Hakalau Veterans Park, honoring those who died in WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. The Recreational Council no longer exists and the Mission now sponsors the Memorial Day ceremonies.
- In the 1990s, Akiko Masuda, President of the Wailea Village Historic Preservation Community started an annual mochi pounding to celebrate the new year. Since 2012, she has hosted Kūpuna Lunches at the Hakalau Jodo Mission, our gathering place. The annual Wailea/Hakalau Kumiai, led by Akiko, now takes place in the Mission’s Social Hall.
We’ve been fortunate to have examples to follow to help us enrich our community.
For more history see https://www.hakalauhome.com/hakalau-jodo-mission.html
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
