Wakamiya Inari Shrine | |
 Main building | |
  | |
| Nearest city | Waipahu, Hawaii |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 21°23′9.6″N158°0′41.4″W / 21.386000°N 158.011500°W /21.386000; -158.011500 |
| Area | 1/4 acre |
| Built | 1914, 1918 |
| Architect | Haschun |
| Architectural style | Japanese |
| NRHP reference No. | 80001285[1] |
| Added to NRHP | 8 January 1980 |
Wakamiya Inari Shrine at Waipahu Cultural Garden inWaipahu, Hawaiʻi, is the last surviving example ofInari Shrinearchitecture onOʻahu. Unlike mostShinto shrines, which are unpainted, those dedicated to the fox deityInari, the god of the harvest, are painted bright red.[2] This shrine thus represents not just the religious heritage ofJapaneseimmigrants toHawaiʻi, but also their principal early roles as agricultural laborers onsugarcane andpineappleplantations. It was added to theNational Register of Historic Places on 8 January 1980.[1]
The simplewood frame building measures 19 by 26 feet, with wooden steps leading up to a raised floor with abalustradedverandah that wraps around thesanctuary. Long eaves of theirimoya (hip-and-gable) roof extend over both the front steps and the verandah. The sanctuary is enclosed bysliding doors withlatticework tops and contains an inneraltar behind a bell rope and a box for offerings. The building has been carefully restored but still lacks thechigi (forkedfinials) above the ornamental ridgepole.[1]
The shrine was founded by ReverendYoshio Akizaki, aShinto priest who had studied in Tokyo in 1912. Originally built in 1914 inHonolulu's industrial area ofKakaʻako by a Japanesearchitect known only as Haschun, it was relocated in 1918 to 2132 South King Street inMoʻiliʻili, the heart of the city's Japanese community. After the death of the founder in 1951, his son Takeo inherited both the property and the priesthood. After Takeo's death, the property was sold and the shrine was relocated to Waipahu Cultural Garden in 1979 to make way for asporting goods store.[1]
The relocated shrine is in a rural rather than urban setting and the surrounding garden lacks several of its original elements, including its water purification basin (chōzuya ortemizuya), its paired stone images ofguardian lions and fox deities, and its originaltorii, although a new torii has been reconstructed at the new site.[1] For its 100th anniversary in 2014, it received a new roof[3] and won a Historic Preservation Honor Award.[4]
