Japanese immigrants buried in a common grave in Makiki will be remembered at an obon service set for Saturday, with dozens of ministers from various Buddhist sects gathering for sutra chanting.
The service, which begins at 9 a.m. at Makiki Cemetery, on Pensacola Street, is sponsored by the United Japanese Society of Hawaii. The event is open to the public.
"Some of the immigrants died all alone, without anyone to care for their graves or even remember they existed," said United Japanese Society President Rika Hirata in a news release.
"At this service during the obon season, we not only remember these forgotten pioneers, but also give thanks to all the generations before us, who made our lives and the standard of living we enjoy today possible," Hirata added.
Also to be remembered at the ceremony are 16 imperial Japanese navy sailors from the 19th century who are buried in an adjoining grave site, and the "gannenmono" — the 141 original Japanese immigrants who arrived in 1868. A memorial was erected for the latter in 1927 in the same section of the graveyard formerly known as Makiki Japanese Cemetery.
The service will be held at the 12-foot memorial tower, which sits atop a "yosebaka," or common grave, the final resting place for 289 pioneer immigrants whose remains were collected from untended grave sites at the cemetery.
Also officiating at the service will be Hawaii Buddhist Council ministers Bishop Ryokan Ara of Tendai Mission of Hawaii, Bishop Gensho Hara of Jodo Mission of Hawaii and Bishop Sohko Kuki of Koyasan Shingon Mission of Hawaii. While denominations normally chant their own distinct sutras, the bishops will lead the joint chanting of the Maka Hannya Haramitta Shingyo (The Heart Sutra).
The Rev. Takamasa Yamamura, resident minister of Honolulu Myohoji Mission and a classical opera tenor, will provide a vocal tribute. Masago Asai and her two daughters, Maya and Mika, will dance the mele "Aloha Aina" to express gratitude toward the ancestors and deities, and the mele inoa "He‘eia" to honor King David Kalakaua, who traveled to Japan to encourage Japanese immigration to Hawaii. Kalakaua ruled from Feb. 12, 1874, until his death in 1891.
