DLNR HISTORIC SITES CALENDAR 1991

Hawai`i's Japanese Architecture

 

Cover: Nechung Drayang Ling, Wood Valley, Hawai`i Island. Originally built in 1926 by the Japanese immigrants of Pahala, today this temple serves as a nonsectarian retreat in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The vibrant color scheme, reflective of Tibetan architecture, has been applied to the original Mission’s Japanese Form.

Religious buildings not only embody a spiritual or holy function, but frequently transcend a specific faith to stand as a tangible image for a particular community as a whole. Such has been the case with the religious builds constructed by Hawai`i’s Japanese community in the early twentieth century.

Serving as religious, social and cultural centers for an immigrant population assimilating itself into the larger cosmopolitan culture of Hawai`i, many Japanese temples and shrines combined the seemingly "pure" architectural motifs of the old country with materials and construction methods prevalent in Hawai`i to create new, unique local architectural forms.

Far from their native country, immigrants not only clung to memories of their homeland, but also accepted Hawai`i’s tropical island environment, fostering a new hybrid building style. Buddhists details and ornaments, for example, were placed onto local plantation structures creating a design not to be found elsewhere in the world. Such buildings have come to represent the immigrant’s transition from old Japan into Hawai`i’s way of life.

Whether faithful to the architecture of Japan or adaptive responses to a new environment and commitment to Hawai`i, these buildings maintained some Japanese sensibilities. Today, such shrines and temples remain as quiet reminders of the American immigration experience in a national context. These buildings reflect our Asian architectural heritage in a dominant Western-based society.

Shinto Architecture
Shinto, or the "Way of the Gods," is defined as the indigenous faith of Japan which was present before Buddhism arrived from China. Unlike Buddhism, Christianity or Islam, Shintoism does not have a founder, but instead merely suggests a "way." The shrine is the manifestation of the people’s faith in kami, a particular spirit of divine sense. These shrines provide a dwelling place for one or more kami, and are not constructed to propagate the faith or teach doctrine. A good indication of a Shinto shrine is the torii, or symbolic entrance into the spiritual world. The Early Shinto shrines are simple and constructed of wood. They are elevated above the ground, built of natural materials and may have a few ornate details. Typical features include chigi, end beams which cross and extend toward the heavens, and katsuogi, short logs of finished wood tapered at each end.

Buddhist Architecture
Most of the religious Japanese buildings in Hawai’i represent various Buddhist sects such as Hongwanji, Jodo, Shingon and Zen. The architectural derivation of these Hawai`i temples, however, is as varied as Hawai`i’s population. Buddhist architecture was introduced to Japan from China and Korea. As the religion spread throughout Japan, these buildings began to develop regional characteristics. The earliest prototype of Buddhist buildings in Japan is the Horyuji complex built in ca. 600 AD Introduced from China, these buildings typically consist of the irimoya, or hip and gable roof system, intricate bracketing to support the roof and construction on an elevated, platform base. As Japan became more confident, new variations of Buddhists architecture evolved, reflecting the numerous Japanese sects, and also incorporating the original Shinto love of nature and simplicity.

Hawai`i’s Japanese temples and shrines may appear as insignificant material relics of a distant ethnic culture. To many people it is difficult to embrace such buildings in an environment which often reduces Asian architectural themes as exotic, foreign clichés or stereotypes. Our historical Japanese buildings, however, are precious and gentle reminders of Hawai`i’s complex and diverse past. These buildings inform us about a process which continues to impact Hawai`i as a place and home.

excerpt from introduction

 

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