Kailua Hongwanji awaits word on temple

The Kailua Hongwanji Mission hopes to begin construction next month on a new temple at its current location on Kuu­lei Road to better serve members and to provide day care to senior citizens.

Keiji Kukino, president of the Kailua Hongwanji board for the past 10 years, said his temple is the only representative, for residents of Kailua, Kaneohe and Wai­ma­nalo, of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, a statewide organization that follows the Western belief system of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. (The Higa­shi Hongwanji, which follows the Eastern beliefs of Shin Buddhism, has a temple in Kaneohe, he said.)

"We hope that with the new building we will be able to have more activities and service more of the needs of our potential members," Kukino said in an interview Thursday, adding that current attendance amounts to about 80 people.

Kukino said many members of the Buddhist sect who live on the Windward side choose to attend the large betsuin, or main temple, in Hono­lulu because it offers extracurricular activities for their children, such as a Boy Scouts club or Sunday school.

The new Kailua temple will be able to seat up to 90 people in its main hall, which will be used primarily for day care for up to 22 senior citizens. A smaller hall, with a seating capacity of 50 to 60, will be used for weekly and memorial services most of the time, he said. The temple also plans to expand its services to provide counseling for service members from Marine Corps Base Hawaii suffering from combat fatigue or stress, he said.

Construction of the one-story, 3,368-square-foot building will cost $1.6 million. The temple now has a little more than $1 million. Most of that was from a donation of about $900,000 by late members Dorothy and Tadaso Ono, while the sect’s headquarters at the Betsuin has donated $10,000, Kukino said.

"We need to raise big money. We need to raise approximately $400,000, and we’re not quite halfway there yet," Kukino said. The additional funding would cover kitchen appliances, chairs for two temple halls, air conditioning units, security, sound systems and altars.

Groundbreaking on the current site — about a 10,000-square-foot parcel — at 268-A Kuu­lei Road was held in early October. "The building permit is in its final stage, so we could be getting word within the next week or so of its approval. It has been taking much longer than we had expected," he said.

"Construction is expected to take one full year. In the interim we have made arrangements with Kailua High School to rent their music room twice a month for our Sunday services. We will be visiting other temples or do other activities on the other Sundays."

An old renovated house has served for decades as the Kailua temple.

Donations for the new building may be mailed to 30-D Malu­nui Ave., Kailua, HI 96734; or turned in to the Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin headquarters at 1727 Pali Highway. Make checks payable to Kailua Hongwanji. Call the Kailua Hongwanji pastor, the Rev. David Naka­moto, at 847-4763 or Kukino at 247-5734.