In 1990, when Lynn Muramoto and her husband first came to the 32-acre site in Lawai Valley that is now the Lawai International Center, it was so overgrown, they had to use chain saws to cut a path so they could drive in. It took more clearing of thick jungle for them to catch a glimpse of the 88 shrines lining a winding path on the hill above them.

Built in 1904 by young Japa­nese immigrants who worked on sugar plantations in nearby Koloa, the 3-foot-tall shrines represent 88 Shingon temples that stand along a thousand-mile route around the island of Shi­koku in Japan. For more than 50 years, devotees from all over Kauai came to pray and place offerings at the shrines, which symbolize peace, hope and spiritual renewal.

"Some people walked barefooted all the way from Hana­lei," Mura­moto said. "Their journey to find comfort and healing at the shrines took several days."

When the neighboring pineapple cannery closed in the 1960s, many residents in the area lost their jobs and moved away. Over the years, weeds, shrubs and trees concealed the shrines, and they were forgotten to all but a few.

Muramoto heard about the site through an acquaintance. "He said it had touched him more than anything he had seen in Japan and that I had to see it," she said. "Even though no one had taken care of the land for decades, from the moment I set foot there, I felt its special energy. It was clear to me that I was meant to help this place."

At the time, Mura­moto was a teacher at Kapaa Elementary School. She quit her job, founded the Lawai International Center and embarked on a lifetime mission to, in her words, "reawaken the land and create a place of rest, recuperation and comfort for all."

She received permission from the landowner to recruit volunteers to clear several acres around the shrines. It soon became apparent to her, however, that for the center to accomplish its goals, it would have to own the property.

The landowner was willing to sell it for $6 million. It was a daunting figure, but the center’s supporters rolled up their sleeves and began raising money through sales of stew, noodles, malasadas and pickled mango seed at the county fair and other community events.

Amazingly, in 1998, board members were able to negotiate the $6 million asking price down to $250,000, but even after eight years of fundraising, the center’s bank account was nowhere near that.

"We said, ‘Universe, help us find someone who can lend or give us $250,000,’" Mura­moto said. "Five days later three people came forward to loan us the money to buy the property."

The center carried the loans for four years. "Then a couple from the East Coast read about us in a magazine article, called me, and a board member and I went to see them," Mura­moto said. "Miracles do happen. They gave us a $250,000 donation without setting foot on the land. In 2002 we were able to pay off our loans."

More and more people joined the cause, doing everything from pulling weeds and cleaning the shrines to building the Hall of Compassion and organizing the bake sale and silent auction for the Pilgrimage of Compassion (see sidebars).

"Lawai International Center is a nondenominational community project driven by volunteers whose earnest efforts are establishing it as an international center of compassion, education and cultural understanding," Mura­moto said. "It is a beacon to uplift all people with the warmth of aloha."

Pilgrimage of Compassion

The first public opening of the Lawai International Center was scheduled for October 2001. Then the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred, and the theme changed to a Pilgrimage of Compassion. The event has been held every year since.

» Date: Oct. 6
» Time: 1 to 4:30 p.m.
» Admission: Free
» Highlights: Cooking demonstration (lettuce wrap); bonsai, ikebana, mochi-pounding and taro-pounding demonstrations; performances by Taiko Kauai and Ke Kula Niihau o Kekaha, a children’s group from Niihau; blessing and dedication of the Hall of Compassion; a walk to the shrines accompanied by Riley Lee, a world-renowned shakuhachi (bamboo flute) player

Hall of Compassion

When the Hall of Compassion is dedicated at this year’s Pilgrimage of Compassion, it will culminate a year of heartfelt work fueled by the love and commitment of an entire community. Constructed primarily of interlocking pieces of notched yellow cedar, it mirrors a traditional 13th-century, hand-carved Japanese building. Structures built in this manner have been known to stand for more than a thousand years.

Three disciples of the ancient craft of wood joinery — one from Taiwan and two from Japan — spent between one month and three months on site, guiding local volunteers, most of them laymen, in the work.

"The artisans came by special international arrangement to help us," Lynn Muramoto said. "They have no need to leave their countries anymore; they have more than enough work to do there. This is the last temple of its kind that will be built in America. That is for sure."

Other artisans from Asia were supposed to assist but wound up unable to come. "Because of that," Muramoto said, "we reached out to the community for help."

More than 700 supporters responded by writing checks and picking up saws and hammers. Some volunteers worked on weekends, others came after they finished their regular workday, still others took time off from their job to kokua. They carved, sanded, chiseled, did whatever was asked of them.

Companies donated paint, sealant and other supplies. Experienced roofers, carpenters and painters provided their expertise at no charge. The cost of the Hall of Compassion totaled more than $1.3 million, about 50 percent of which was covered through in-kind services and materials.

"I have been holding the vision of a Hall of Compassion for 23 years," Muramoto said. "Now that dream has come to fruition. Visitors from all over the world will be welcomed at this sanctuary where they can be uplifted and comforted. The Lawai International Center is more than shrines and a new building. It is about creating a path of kindness and caring for all of humanity."

— Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi