Hawaii Shingon Mission, Buddhist temple in Sheridan Street, Honolulu, United States.
The Hawaii Shingon Mission is a Buddhist temple featuring Japanese architectural elements, with a steeply pitched roof, ornamental carvings, and a raised platform with railings on three sides. The structure underwent renovation in 1978 and received additions in 1992 while preserving its original roof design.
Built between 1915 and 1918 by master temple carpenter Nakagawa Katsutaro, the mission was renovated in 1929 by Hego Fuchino, the first person of Japanese ancestry licensed as an architect in the islands. Further changes came in 1978 and a large augmentation in 1992. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 26 April 2002.
The round tomoe above the entrance roof stands for the cycle of life and is the traditional symbol of the Koyasan Shingon sect, though the temple has been independent of sectarian affiliation since 2004. Carved phoenixes represent death and rebirth, dragons power and good fortune. An English-language service was added in 2009, with a planned gradual shift to mainly English worship.
The temple is located on Sheridan Street in central Honolulu and can be reached without difficulty when planning a visit. As an active place of worship, it is worth contacting ahead to ensure arrival during appropriate times for visitors.
The temple holds the largest depictions of the Wind God Fujin and Thunder God Raijin outside Japan. Carved from Japanese cypress, each stands over ten feet tall and weighs more than 2,800 pounds; they arrived in 2007 and flank the entrance of the main hall.
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