The Izumo Taishakyo Mission is a

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

shrine located in downtown

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. It is one of the few active

shrines A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

in the United States. The wooden A-frame structure was inspired by

Shimane Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguc ...

's classical Japanese shrine

Izumo-taisha , officially Izumo Ōyashiro, is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god , fam ...

. It was designed by architect Hego Fuchino and built by master carpenter Ichisaburo Takata. The primary ''

kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

'' of this shrine is

Ōkuninushi Ōkuninushi ( historical orthography: ''Ohokuninushi''), also known as Ō(a)namuchi (''Oho(a)namuchi'') or Ō(a)namochi (''Oho(a)namochi'') among other variants, is a ''kami'' in Japanese mythology. He is one of the central deities in the cycle ...

and Hawaii Ubusuna-no-

Kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

. Also enshrined are

Okinawa Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Established at the end of the Taishō period on the site of Shuri Castle, the main hall of which was reused as the haiden (hall of worship), the shrine buildings were destroyed in May 1945 d ...

Naminoue Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, the ''ichinomiya'' (primary shrine) of the prefecture. It sits atop a high bluff, overlooking Naminoue Beach and the ocean. Originally a sacred space of the native Ryukyuan religion, du ...

, Futenma Shrine, Inari Shrine, and Ebisu Shrine, and

Waianae Waianae () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 13,614. Its name means "waters of the mullet". Its etymology is shared with the far northern Wellington subu ...

Ujigami An is a guardian god or spirit of a particular place in the Shinto religion of Japan. The ''ujigami'' was prayed to for a number of reasons, including protection from sickness, success in endeavors, and good harvests. History The ''ujigami' ...

. The shrine is the site of the annual New Year's Day ''

hatsumōde is the first Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine visit of the Japanese New Year. Many visit on the first, second, or third day of the year as most are off work on those days. Generally, wishes for the new year are made, new ''omamori'' (charms or ...

'' as well as other events throughout the year. A replica of the

Hiroshima Peace Bell is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui ...

is on view. The annual Hiroshima Commemoration and Peace Service is held at Hawaii Izumo Taisha to commemorate the

atomic bombing of Hiroshima The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the onl ...

History

Hawaii Izumo Taisha was founded in 1906 when Rev. Katsuyoshi Miyao opened a temporary worship site on Aala Street near Aala Park on 26 September 1906. A temporary shrine building was completed on 25 August 1907. A permanent shrine building was completed in 1922. By 1941, there were branches of Izumo Taishakyo operating in

Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...

Wailuku Wailuku is a census-designated place (CDP) in and county seat of Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 17,697 at the 2020 census. Wailuku is located just west of Kahului, at the mouth of the Iao Valley. In the early 20th centur ...

Waipahu Waipahu () is a former sugarcane plantation town and now census-designated place (CDP) located in the Ewa District on the island of Oahu in the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 43,4 ...

Pearl City Pearl City is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Ewa District and Honolulu County, Hawaii, City & County of Honolulu on the Island of Oahu, Oahu. As of the United States 2010 Census, ...

, Honouliuli, Ewa Lower Camp,

Aiea The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 195 ...

, and Kakaako. The shrine was closed on 7 December 1941 at the outset of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The shrine was illegally acquired by the

City and County of Honolulu Honolulu County (officially known as the City and County of Honolulu, formerly Oahu County) is a consolidated city–county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The city–county includes both the city of Honolulu (the state's capital and largest city ...

in June 1942. After

internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

on the mainland, the priest and family returned to Hawaii in mid-December 1945. A temporary shrine was consecrated in a residence-like warehouse in McCully area of Honolulu and served as a worship site from 1946-1968. The original shrine property was returned to the shrine organization in October 1961 as a result of lengthy legal and legislative appeals. The shrine building was moved in 1963 to its present location to make way for

Federal Housing Administration The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), also known as the Office of Housing within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is a United States government agency founded by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, created in part ...

redevelopment. The shrine was restored from 1968-1969 at a cost of $170,000. Funds were donated entirely by the people of Hawaii. The shrine was rededicated on 22 December 1968.Miyao, Richard T. Izumo Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii Centennial Anniversary Saga of a Church in Hawaii, 1906-2006. Hawaii Hochi, Ltd. Honolulu, Hawaii. 2006. p. 92.

External links

Izumo Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii
on Facebook

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Izumo Taishakyo Mission Of Hawaii Japanese-American culture in Honolulu Shinto shrines in the United States Religious buildings and structures in Honolulu Izumo Grand Shrine 1906 establishments in Hawaii Religious buildings and structures completed in 1922 Religious buildings and structures completed in 1963 20th-century Shinto shrines

History

See also

External links

References