Wakamiya Inari Shrine

Although Buddhism has a popular presence within Hawaii, another religion native to Japan is Shinto, which focuses around the idea that spirits/gods (kami) exist within everything: the trees, rivers, mountains, and nature itself. There are several Shinto temples today in Hawaii, albeit with a more modern appearance, that still perform services and do not require an exclusive membership in order to participate in it. While searching around though, I found that Hawaii has an example of the iconic Shinto shrine style of architecture known to Japan: the Wakamiya Inari Shrine. It is currently the last surviving example of Shinto shrines in Hawaii that are devoted to the Shinto kami, Inari. Inari is one of the chief kami of the Shinto religion and is commonly represented by kitsune (foxes; hence the iconic fox statues that can be seen in front of the shrine). She is also the patron goddess of many things, such as rice, agriculture, fertility, and prosperity. Many of her shrines can be seen around Japan, so her importance to the Japanese, as well as her presence in Hawaii, is of no surprise. Religion was one of the things the immigrants could turn to during the plantation days, which was around the time that the shrine was built (1914) at Kakaako by Reverend Yoshio Akizaki.

Like most Shinto shrines, the Wakamiya Inari Shrine includes wooden structures, verandas, and is immersed in nature, symbolizing the Eastern belief of nature being one with mankind rather than man being dominate over nature. But unlike most shrines, it is red instead of being unpainted, and sports a red torii gate. However, it was only until recently that the shrine was refurbished; in fact, it was also relocated two times from Kakaako to Moolii, then from Moolii to Waipahu, where it currently resides. The reason is unknown for the move to Moolii from Kakaako, but the shrine resided there for 70 years until the land got bought out by a sporting goods store in 1979. However, a professor from Kapiolani Community College initiated a group to save the shrine, thus canceling the demolition plans and moving it to the Waipahu Garden Park. It also just recently received a makeover once again in 2013, and now sports a newly tiled roof thanks to several generous donations (the torii was also replaced, but at an earlier time). Despite the passage of time, the shrine still seems to be in operation where it continues to hold a permanent home! It would definitely be an interesting place to see if anyone ever gets a chance to visit Oahu :)