Guardian of the Sea

by Clark, John R. K.

• ISBN13: 9780824831585
• ISBN10: 0824831586
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-11-01
• Publisher: Univ of Hawaii Pr

Summary

Jizo, one of the most beloved Buddhist deities in Japan, is known primarily as the guardian of children and travelers. In coastal areas, fishermen and swimmers also look to him for protection. Soon after their arrival in the late 1800s, issei (first-generation Japanese) shoreline fishermen began casting for ulua on Hawai'i's treacherous sea cliffs, where they risked being swept off the rocky ledges. In response to numerous drownings, Jizo statues were erected near dangerous fishing and swimming sites, including popular Bamboo Ridge, near the Blowhole in Hawai'i Kai; Kawaih#x0101; pai Bay in Mokul#x0113; 'ia; and Kawailoa Beach in Hale'iwa. Guardian of the Sea tells the story of a compassionate group of men who raised these statues as a service to their communities. Written by an authority on Hawai'i's beaches and water safety, Guardian of the Sea shines a light on a little-known facet of Hawai'i's past. It incorporates valuable firsthand accounts taken from interviews with nisei (second-generation) fishermen and residents and articles from Japanese-language newspapers dating as far back as the early 1900s. In addition to background information on Jizo as a guardian deity and historical details on Jizo statues in Hawai'i, the author discusses shorecasting techniques and organizations, which once played a key role in the lives of local Japanese. Although shorecasting today is done more for sport than subsistence, it remains an important ocean activity in the Islands. In examining Jizo and the lives of issei, Guardian of the Sea makes a significant contribution to our understanding of recent Hawai'i history.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Prologue	p. 1
Casting for Ulua	p. 4
Stores, Clubs, and Tournaments	p. 13
Jizo the Protector	p. 19
Jizo on O'ahu	p. 27
Jizo on Kaua'i	p. 32
Jizo on Maui	p. 38
Jizo on Moloka'i	p. 42
Jizo on Lana'i	p. 43
Jizo on Hawai'i (the Big Island)	p. 46
Jizo and Ebisu	p. 49
Jizo in Japan as a Guardian of the Sea	p. 51
Jizo on the North Shore	p. 57
Kawaihapai Jizo	p. 59
Kawailoa Jizo	p. 71
Wahiawa Kawamori Jizo	p. 77
Wahiawa Ryusenji Soto Mission	p. 80
Hale'iwa Jizo	p. 80
Warning Signs	p. 90
Honolulu Japanese Casting Club	p. 90
Zensaku Uchibori	p. 97
Jizo on the South Shore	p. 107
Statue Ordered	p. 107
Statue Erected	p. 109
Statue Destroyed	p. 114
Statue Replaced	p. 117
Sentaro Otsubo	p. 118
Palolo Kwannon Temple	p. 123
Pilgrimages	p. 127
Eighty-eight Temples of Shikoku, Japan	p. 127
Lawa'i International Center, Kaua'i	p. 129
Waimea Shingon Mission, Kaua'i	p. 132
Kona Koyasan Daishiji Mission, Big Island	p. 134
Shingon Shu Hawai'i, O'ahu	p. 134
Hichi Kasho Meguri, O'ahu	p. 137
Hawai'i Jizo Meguri, O'ahu	p. 141
Drownings in Hawai'i	p. 152
Epilogue	p. 167
Timeline of Events	p. 171
References	p. 177
Index	p. 187
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.