Byodo-In, Buddhist temple in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, United States.
Byodo-In is a Buddhist temple in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park on Hawaii, replicating an 11th-century structure in Japan. The main hall contains a golden Buddha statue surrounded by shallow water features with swimming koi fish.
The temple was built in 1968 to mark the centennial of Japanese immigration to Hawaii. The original in Uji dates back to 1052 and appears on the Japanese 10-yen coin.
The Phoenix Hall name belongs to the original hall at Uji, not to this Hawaiian replica, whose Japanese name is Byōdōin Tenpuru. The hall's roof carries two fenghuang birds with outstretched wings, the detail behind the name. Inside, the wooden Amitābha is covered in gold and lacquer, and the walls display symbols of the Buddhist, Shinto and Christian groups that supported the building.
The site sits at the foot of the Koolau Mountains and opens daily from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM for visits, photography, and quiet moments. Paths lead around the ponds and allow different views of the architecture.
The three-ton peace bell is made of brass, not bronze, and hangs in its own pavilion; visitors strike it with a wooden log before entering the temple grounds. The original Byōdō-in near Kyoto is wooden and was built without nails, while this 1968 replica is largely concrete.
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