Honohina Hongwanji
The Little Kitchen That Could*
by
Bob Nishimoto, Honohina Hongwanji
1947 map of Honohina Upper Camp showing the original location of the Honohina Hongwanji. The Honohina Cemetery still exists across Old Mamalahoa Highway near the Hongwanji.
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Photo taken in 1954 of the Honohina Hongwanji. Photo courtesy of the University of Hawaii-Manoa Hamilton Library, Hawaiian Collection, Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association Plantation Archives.
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Honohina Hongwanji...in Ninole between Mile 19 and Mile 20 along Hawaii Belt Road. Picture captured from Google Maps.
In a short stretch along the Hamakua Coast, between mile marker 19 and 20, is a red-roofed, green building painted with white trim. It resembles a well-kept sugar-plantation home, until you enter the building. The hand-made sign and the wooden double-hanging wisteria crest identifies it as a Nishi Hongwanji branch of the Jodo Shinshu sect. This is the smallest temple of the 4-Temple Council members (Papaikou, Honomu, Honohina and Papaaloa) in the South and North Hilo Districts. The Honohina Hongwanji is one of two remaining “public” places in old Ninole. The other is the US Post Office, started in 1937.
Why is the Honohina Hongwanji in Ninole? In the early 1900’s, our founding congregation members were organized as a branch of the Honomu Hongwanji, established in 1899. As its members grew with the expansion of the sugar plantations along the coast, the congregation built their own temple in Honohina town in 1916. In 1927, a branch temple was built in Ninole to accommodate the growing community. The main Honohina temple thrived, even hosting a Japanese language school after regular school hours, including Saturdays. As the sugar industry waned in the 1960’s, membership dwindled and the temple was closed. However, the remnant Honohina Cemetery, located makai of the original temple site, still exists and is maintained by its church members. Graveside Obon services are still held there. Honohina town ceased to exist when Hilo Coast Processing (originally Hakalau Sugar) shut down its operation. Many plantation families moved to Pepeekeo and other neighboring towns. The homes were demolished and converted to sugar cultivation. Fortunately, the branch temple in Ninole withstood the closure of the sugar industry along Hamakua. This building still stands today, a symbol of the close relationship between Buddhism and plantation life in Hawaii. The grounds and building are impeccable, much like plantation homes during the heyday of the sugar industry along this coast.
One enters the second-floor temple up the steps and through a porch adorned with matching wooden benches and the symbolic bell hanging from the ceiling on the left. The temple is about the size of a typical living room with 3 rows of wooden pews, a wooden lectern and a simple altar. Hymnal music is still played on a battery-powered CD player during services. There is a pedal-powered organ, but it doesn’t work. There is a storage room in the back, mostly empty, but with a porcelain sink and a single spigot, even fitted with a Bull Durham tobacco bag, presumably for water filtration. The white cotton pouch, with its yellow tie-string, can still strain out the occasional pebbles, but not much else. Ever wonder why it is still there?
The soul of our temple is the social hall on the first floor. There are folding tables and metal chairs. Ventilation is by opening glass louvered windows to the ocean breeze, assisted by 4 wall fans and a large exhaust fan. There is a plain, home refrigerator and a single sink on the kitchen counter. There is a small alcove accommodating a coffee urn and a small microwave oven. In recent years, we finally purchased an electric, 2 1/2 gallon water heater, mostly for washing dishes. Space is limited, one person washes and two can dry, but one person will need to move since it blocks the entry to the men’s bathroom.
I always wondered what a first-time visitor would think when they visit our temple. Some may feel sorry for us and others may be shocked with our humble abode. We don’t have the large Sub -Zero refrigeration units, not the expansive commercial-grade deep stainless steel triple sinks or the large walk-in pantries with an abundance of stainless steel cookware. Yet we survive and somewhat flourish. In spite of being assigned to the last day of the Obon season and usually sharing the date with Pahoa Hongwanji, our celebration continues to be immensely popular and well-attended. The food, still member-prepared in our kitchen using plantation recipes, is often the highlight for our Obon guests. Frequently, abundant vegetables and cut flowers are also there for anyone to take home. This little kitchen is the “little engine that could”. It shows the generosity and dedication of its members, 21 small. Honohina Hongwanji is truly a remnant of our Issei and Nisei generations when it comes to giving and sharing. It is because we are forever grateful for what we have—a place to worship and a reminder of the historical connectivity between sugar workers and the arrival of Buddhism in Hawaii. Honohina Hongwanji stands on their shoulders.
*Title suggested by W. Piper, The Little Engine That Could.
Why is the Honohina Hongwanji in Ninole? In the early 1900’s, our founding congregation members were organized as a branch of the Honomu Hongwanji, established in 1899. As its members grew with the expansion of the sugar plantations along the coast, the congregation built their own temple in Honohina town in 1916. In 1927, a branch temple was built in Ninole to accommodate the growing community. The main Honohina temple thrived, even hosting a Japanese language school after regular school hours, including Saturdays. As the sugar industry waned in the 1960’s, membership dwindled and the temple was closed. However, the remnant Honohina Cemetery, located makai of the original temple site, still exists and is maintained by its church members. Graveside Obon services are still held there. Honohina town ceased to exist when Hilo Coast Processing (originally Hakalau Sugar) shut down its operation. Many plantation families moved to Pepeekeo and other neighboring towns. The homes were demolished and converted to sugar cultivation. Fortunately, the branch temple in Ninole withstood the closure of the sugar industry along Hamakua. This building still stands today, a symbol of the close relationship between Buddhism and plantation life in Hawaii. The grounds and building are impeccable, much like plantation homes during the heyday of the sugar industry along this coast.
One enters the second-floor temple up the steps and through a porch adorned with matching wooden benches and the symbolic bell hanging from the ceiling on the left. The temple is about the size of a typical living room with 3 rows of wooden pews, a wooden lectern and a simple altar. Hymnal music is still played on a battery-powered CD player during services. There is a pedal-powered organ, but it doesn’t work. There is a storage room in the back, mostly empty, but with a porcelain sink and a single spigot, even fitted with a Bull Durham tobacco bag, presumably for water filtration. The white cotton pouch, with its yellow tie-string, can still strain out the occasional pebbles, but not much else. Ever wonder why it is still there?
The soul of our temple is the social hall on the first floor. There are folding tables and metal chairs. Ventilation is by opening glass louvered windows to the ocean breeze, assisted by 4 wall fans and a large exhaust fan. There is a plain, home refrigerator and a single sink on the kitchen counter. There is a small alcove accommodating a coffee urn and a small microwave oven. In recent years, we finally purchased an electric, 2 1/2 gallon water heater, mostly for washing dishes. Space is limited, one person washes and two can dry, but one person will need to move since it blocks the entry to the men’s bathroom.
I always wondered what a first-time visitor would think when they visit our temple. Some may feel sorry for us and others may be shocked with our humble abode. We don’t have the large Sub -Zero refrigeration units, not the expansive commercial-grade deep stainless steel triple sinks or the large walk-in pantries with an abundance of stainless steel cookware. Yet we survive and somewhat flourish. In spite of being assigned to the last day of the Obon season and usually sharing the date with Pahoa Hongwanji, our celebration continues to be immensely popular and well-attended. The food, still member-prepared in our kitchen using plantation recipes, is often the highlight for our Obon guests. Frequently, abundant vegetables and cut flowers are also there for anyone to take home. This little kitchen is the “little engine that could”. It shows the generosity and dedication of its members, 21 small. Honohina Hongwanji is truly a remnant of our Issei and Nisei generations when it comes to giving and sharing. It is because we are forever grateful for what we have—a place to worship and a reminder of the historical connectivity between sugar workers and the arrival of Buddhism in Hawaii. Honohina Hongwanji stands on their shoulders.
*Title suggested by W. Piper, The Little Engine That Could.