A Story of Community Engagement

The history of the Hakalau Jodo Mission is a story of community engagement, a mix of people, cultures and values. This history also reflects the Japanese American experience in Hawaii, 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. 

​This history is organized into four "periods":
​The Early Years, 1904-1921: The emphasis of the early years, during the time of Ministers Soma, Suzuki, Matsui and Tachikawa, was building the Japanese Language School, recruiting students and supporting the educational mission.
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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
​The role of the Japanese language schools in Hawaii changed over time and is described in Kodomo no tame ni: For the sake of the children: ​
One of the first language schools had been founded in 1896...Soon the idea of teaching the Japanese language to Nisei became extremely popular, especially since the schools facilitated communication and cultural transmission within the Issei family and provided a child-care center for working parents.  With the proliferation of Buddhist institutions, the Japanese language schools came under the control of a more "Japanesey" leadership. Besides instruction in the language, reverence for the emperor and a strong attachment to things Japanese dominated the curriculum of the Buddhist-operated language schools. Many young Nisei would therefore attend not only public school, learning American culture and language, but would study the ways of Japan at the language schools. (Source: Dennis M. Ogawa, Kodomo no tame ni: For the sake of the children, The University of Hawaii Press, 1978,  p. 141)
The Years between World Wars, 1921-1937:  During the years between World Wars, under the leadership of Ministers Soga, Itakura, and Yamanaka, the Hakalau Jodo Mission continued to grow and support the community through the Japanese Language School and Church. In the 1920's, Japanese language schools across the Territory came under attack in during a surge of "America First" mentality that began during World War I. This started with the Federal Commission on Education noting that Hawaii had 163 Japanese language schools educating nearly 20,000 students. The sentiment among haoles in the early 1920's was that such education was detrimental to the health of Nisei children and their progress in American schools was retarded and their loyalty to the United States was confused and neglected.  Japanese immigrants felt that continuation of the Japanese language schools was essential:
  • Uneasy parents saw their offspring becoming cultural hybrids in Hawaii without knowledge of Japanese culture or language; they felt their children needed a proper Japanese education. After all, the possibility still existed, no matter how remote, that the family would one day leave Hawaii and return to Japan. Other Japanese spoke in support of the language schools because of a belief that such institutions were valuable for the Americanization process. (Source: Dennis M. Ogawa, Kodomo no tame ni: For the sake of the children, The University of Hawaii Press, 1978,  p. 142-143)
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1929 picture of the Hakalau Jodo Mission and Japanese Language School and students from the Waichi Ouye Collection, courtesy of his family.
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Dedication of the new Hakalau Jodo Mission, December 6, 1936, located on the site of the earlier Japanese Language School and Church. Photo from the Waichi Ouye Collection, courtesy of his family.
A compromise position between the Federal Commission’s recommendations and the concerns of the Japanese community was the Irwin Bill (1920) which required that language school teachers receive a permit from the Department of Public Instruction and pledge to teach nothing which would contradict American ideals or institutions. Over the next few years, a tax and additional restrictions were placed on Japanese language schools. Finally, Frederick Kinzaburo Makino, editor of the Hawaii Hochi, contested the language school control bill in the courts...and won:
  • In an unexpected maneuver, the defenders of the language schools in 1925 took the litigation out of the Territorial courts and filed in the United States District Court. After legal battles and appeals, the United States Supreme Court rendered a decision on February 21, 1927, which struck down the Territorial Legislature’s language school control laws as unconstitutional. The decision was based fundamentally on the fact that the “Japanese parent has the right to direct his own child without unreasonable restriction” and that the Territorial laws sought to control the schools “for no adequate reason. (Source: Dennis M. Ogawa, Kodomo no tame ni: For the sake of the children, The University of Hawaii Press, 1978,  p. 146)
The Mamiya Years, 1937-1975: During the tenure of 8th Minister Mamiya, community engagement expanded and, after World War II, reflected the diversity of the population surrounding the Mission--Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, Portuguese, Scot, German and others. During World War II, the Mission was closed and Rev. Mamiya interned. After the War, community activities flourished, ranging from baseball, boy scouts, aikido to feeding workers and their families during strikes of the 1940's and 1950's. At the end of 1962, Hakalau Plantation ceased to exist as a corporate entity and the camps, sugar cane lands and production facilities became part of Pepeekeo Sugar Company. In the 1960's and 1970's, camps were dismantled, and homes sold on a removal basis. Church members moved to Pepeekeo, Hilo and elsewhere. Church membership declined as the population moved away. ​Nevertheless, the commitment to support the community remained strong.
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Boy Scouts in the Hakalau Jodo Mission Social Hall, circa late 1940's-early 1950's. Scout Master Toraichi Morikawa at far left.
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Aikido class run by Takashi Nonaka and Takashi Yugawa sponserd by the Hakalau Jodo Mission, circa 1963. From the Waichi Ouye Collection, courtesy of his family.
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The Voice of Hakalau, July 1947
​​The Later Years, from 1975-present:  Dismantling of the plantation community continued and Church membership dwindled during the time of Ministers Tanaka and Tamura. The Big Island sugar plantations closed. The Hakalau Jodo Mission transitioned from a full-time minister to a part-time minister, with Minister Sawaguchi serving as the last resident Minister, followed by part-time Ministers Wansa and Miyazaki. Nevertheless, the commitment to the community continues. New neighbors have moved into the area offering new opportunities for community engagement.
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Centennial Celebration, 2004. Photo Courtesy of Jay Ishimoto
Two sources provided much of the content for this historical account of the Hakalau Jodo Mission:
  • A short history compiled by the 10th minister, Tamura Hakushi (1979-1996), details the history from the first minister through the tenth and are included in their entirety in the detailed sections on each period.
  • Light on the Ocean, published in 1934, celebrates the Hawaii Jōdo-shū, acknowledges the hard work of members, and encourages continued effort. Most of the content from this translation is included in the detail relating to the Years between World Wars.

​Both historical documents were translated by Yumiko Bamba, in consultation with Rev. Junshin Miyazaki. We are grateful for their work. 

In addition, Dennis Ogawa's book on the Japanese American Experience in Hawaii, Kodomoa no tame ni: For the sake of the children, provides a vivid description of the social and political context in which the Japanese in Hawaii lived. The history of the Hakalau Jodo Mission reflects the changing environment described by Mr. Ogawa.
For the Hakalau Kuleana, our responsibility is to care for the land, the people, and the culture. We are guided by cultural values of YESTERDAY: Engage in collective effort. Look out for each other. Honor hard work. Show respect for those who came before us. Aloha and Mālama `Aina. In 2021, Akiko Masuda added two more values to the list: Consistently show up. Whatever has to be done, jump in and do it!