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PhotoBy: Jennifer Boyer National Trust For Historic Preservation
Kyoto Gardens
Home | International Market Place | Toyo Theater | Kodak Hula Show | Kyoto Gardens | Remembering Hawaii From The Past
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Home | International Market Place | Toyo Theater | Kodak Hula Show | Kyoto Gardens | Remembering Hawaii From The Past
Honolulu Memorial Park was established in 1958, and its Buddhist Kinkaku-ji memorial and Sanju Pagoda were constructed between 1964-1966 as part of the Nuʻuanu Memorial Gardens Funerary Home, adjacent to historic Oahu Cemetery. This name was changed to Kyoto Gardens in 1966 when the City of Kyoto, Japan, donated a bronze bell, with Abbot Jikai Murakami of Kyoto's Kinkaku-ji present for the opening.The three-tiered Pagoda, the Kinkaku-ji Temple, and the Mirror Gardens located within the Honolulu Memorial Park are significant for being among the best examples of Japanese traditional-style structures and gardens built outside of Japan. The Pagoda is one of three known inhabitable pagodas in the United States, and it is the largest of the three. Though currently in existence. It is currently being threatened with decay and lack of upkeep. the Sanju Pagoda – it’s discernible and it’s deteriorating. With over 20-years of neglect, the neoprene roofing material has sprung leaks, exposing the reinforced concrete rafters to weakening moisture and decay. (Historic Hawaii Foundation) Historic Hawaii Foundation listed it as one of Hawaiʻi’s Most Endangered Historic Sites in 2006. The pagoda is the only concrete pagoda outside of Japan and is built in the authentic fashion of a wood-constructed pagoda. The neoprene was supposed to be the best thing ever, but it turned out to be not so good. The eaves are in jeopardy right now, in bad condition and very heavy. At any point, one of those eaves could fall down. If one falls, it falls on the next, and the building would most likely collapse. (Historic Hawaii Foundation)
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