Hawaii
How Can You Save What’s Already Gone?
Whenever Ai Hironaka, the resident minister of Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, looks at the widely published photo showing the temple burning, he thanks the photographer. After driving his family out of the fires, he tried to go back and save the Amida Buddha statue, but the wall of heat and smoke held him off. He thinks the photo was taken soon after his retreat, at the moment he looked back and saw the roof of Waiola Church, also in the frame, burning. To him, the picture shows the temple fighting to save what he could not. “You must be in pain,” he tells the temple in the photograph. “You did enough to protect this place. You did enough. You can lie down now.”
All three of Lahaina’s Japanese Buddhist temples, the oldest built in 1926, burned in the August blazes that swept Maui. With their dwindling congregations, rebuilding seemed unlikely. The Lahaina Jodo Mission, after all, had only about 10 families who regularly attended services, and the number of Hawaii’s Japanese Buddhist temples, many dating back to the 1900s, has been declining in the past decades.
In Hawaii, it often feels like we’re on the verge of losing everything. On small islands, so much can be easily wiped out, whether by tiny thrips or large corporations. I think that vulnerability is why a perpetual air of nostalgia pervades Hawaii, why we still give directions using a mango tree that has long been cut down, why in Hawaii alone Longs Drugs keeps its name even though CVS bought the chain more than a decade ago. The past is never gone. We are trying to hang on to what we have already lost, as if it could prevent more from slipping away. But in the beginning of August, we lost Lahaina. In a matter of hours, we lost lives, we lost homes, and we lost some of our most precious anchors to the past. Among them were the Japanese Buddhist temples.
History often focuses on how Christianity changed the islands, but in the early 20th century, Japanese Buddhism was also one of the main religions. Soon after laborers from Japan came to work on the sugar plantations in the late 1800s, the priests followed to bring spiritual comfort in the backbreaking conditions. Hironaka told me that the philosophy of the Hongwanji, a Buddhist sect, was that if the people asked for a temple, the organization would build it. By 1930, Hawaii had more than 170 Japanese Buddhist temples of various sects. But as the Japanese aged and their descendants turned to other religions, or none at all, attendance dwindled and temples shut down. About 50 now remain active.
The Lahaina Hongwanji’s membership, too, is a fraction of what it once was, and yet Hironaka said the Hongwanji will rebuild. People have asked, with skepticism, how many members will really come back. “Why don’t we make a place to go back to first?” he said. He sees the future temple as a beacon of hope, which Lahaina will need after the fire.
On the other side of the town, its grounds facing Baby Beach, the Jodo Mission was the most traditionally styled of Lahaina’s Japanese Buddhist temples. Established in 1912 and moved to its present site in 1931, the mission included a three-story pagoda and main temple that had been constructed using traditional Japanese carpentry, its wood beams joined without nails. A 12-foot-tall bronze Buddha cast in Kyoto survived the August fire.
In the days after the devastation, the temple received a large donation to help rebuild. Maya Hara, the daughter of the Lahaina Jodo Mission’s resident reverend, told me the money came “out of the blue from someone we didn’t know, but whose family was instrumental in building the temple in the first place.” To Hara, it’s proof of a deep spiritual and ancestral connection to the temple, even among those who don’t attend. She said, “I think because of our role and our history and legacy, there’s a lot of nostalgia and wanting to preserve a certain kind of lifestyle.” And yet to think about rebuilding is daunting, even if the intention is there. No one yet knows when they’ll be able to return to the property, or how long the cleanup will take. Months? Years? Long enough, perhaps, for this moment to become a memory, solidly in the past.
Many descendants of the plantation workers talk about the plantation era fondly; modern menus and architecture throughout Hawaii still reference that period—this, even though the conditions were often brutal, bordering on slavery. This, even though these same plantations helped to overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy, even though their land-use practices ultimately left Lahaina vulnerable to wildfires. Nostalgia can be complicated that way. Now some Native Hawaiians are calling for a return to a further past, when people coexisted more closely with the wetlands that once dominated Lahaina. How far back do we go? How far back can we go?
The hardships of the plantation era did help create this place, and some of its most valuable and beloved aspects—including the temples, which during that time also functioned as sites for labor-union organizing and social halls for homesick immigrants. Nostalgia for the Lahaina that no longer exists is already creeping in: Hironaka said that when he hitchhiked back to his car and family after trying to save the statue, he discovered that his son had left to look for him. Fearing that his son was now lost in the smoke, he was turning toward town again when his son emerged. His son had spotted one of the caretakers at Waiola Church, right next to Lahaina Hongwanji, Hironaka told me, and that caretaker had said that Hironaka had already turned back. “That saved my son,” Hironaka said. “How important, the neighbor knows me, knows my family. This is the power of Lahaina’s community.”
One of the islands’ oldest Hawaiian Christian churches and one of its oldest Japanese Buddhist temples burned together. And Hironaka hoped they would rebuild together—to create something new and valuable, from another hardship that now defines this place.
Hawaii
Doctor accused of trying to kill his wife on Hawaii cliff was prone to ‘extreme jealousy,’ allegedly called son moments after attack
The doctor accused of trying to murder his wife while on a scenic hike in Hawaii had suspected her of having an affair months earlier and allegedly told his adult son he “tried to kill” her in a phone call after the near-fatal attack, according to reports.
Gerhardt Konig, a 46-year-old anesthesiologist, was charged Wednesday with second-degree attempted murder after he allegedly attacked his wife, Arielle Konig, 36, at the Pali Lookout, a famous panoramic vista on Oahu.
The couple had been married for six years, but over the months leading up to the attack, their marriage had started to fall apart, Island News reported.
Arielle, a renowned nuclear engineer, filed a restraining order against her husband Thursday and told the court that he had become prone to “extreme jealousy” and “has attempted to control and monitor all of my communications.”
She claimed that her husband, whom she wed in 2018, had accused her of cheating on him in December.
However, in an attempt to salvage their marriage, Arielle said they had been “participating in both couples and individual therapy and counseling.”
The couple’s relationship started to improve from the therapy, she said, and they decided to plan a weekend getaway to Oahu to celebrate Arielle’s 36th birthday with just the two of them, leaving their two young children, ages 2 and 5, at home.
The day after arriving on the island from their home in Maui on March 23, Konig suggested they hike the trail near Pali Lookout — where he allegedly flipped because his wife refused to take a picture with him.
He allegedly tried to push his wife off the trail, then punched her and hit her with a rock, and at some point, even tried to jab her with two syringes.
“I do not know what was in the syringe, but Gerhardt is an anesthesiologist and has access to several potentially lethal medications as part of his employment,” she wrote in the filing.
Konig was stopped when two women on the trail heard Arielle’s screams for help and intervened.
Arielle was rushed to The Queen’s Medical Center in critical condition with multiple facial and head injuries.
Konig was arrested later that evening near Pali Highway after a brief foot pursuit, cops said.
The nuclear engineer told the court that following the attack, she had learned that her husband had called one of his adult children from a previous marriage on FaceTime and allegedly confessed to trying to kill her, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
“I just tried to kill Ari, but she got away,” Arielle claims in the filing that Konig told his child.
Konig is currently being held at the Oahu Community Correctional Center.
His bail had previously been set at $5 million, but Arielle wrote to the court she is afraid for herself, her children, and the rest of her family if her husband is released and a judge ordered him to be held without bail on Friday.
Konig, who previously worked as a University of Pittsburgh professor and UPMC anesthesiologist, was employed by an independent contractor to provide medical services as an anesthesiologist in Maui.
“Maui Health is committed to patient safety and upholding the highest standards of care,” Maui Health said in a statement last week.
“We have been made aware of the allegations against Gerhardt Konig, MD. Dr. Konig has been suspended from the Medical Staff pending investigation. Dr. Konig is employed by an independent entity contracted to provide medical services at various medical facilities on Maui, including Maui Memorial Medical Center.”
Michele Malani Momi Arakaki, 80, of Hilo died Feb. 17 at Hale Anuenue Restorative Care Center. Born in Hilo, she was a manager for McDonalds and the former Karaoke Box and a YMCA member. Visitation 9-10:30 a.m. Saturday (April 5) at Dodo Mortuary Chapel. funeral service at 10:30 a.m. Cremation to follow. Casual attire. No flowers or koden (monetary gifts). Survived by husband, Garfield Arakaki of Hilo; children, Dyson (Michelle) Arakaki of Keaau and Lou-Ann (Channing) Tokeshi of Mountain View; brothers, Molyneaux “Joe” Henderson of Hilo, Ivan (Carol) Nakashima of Maui, Alden (Susan) Henderson) and Elden “Rocko” (Rob Coutts) Henderson of Oahu, Aaron (Iris) Henderson of Honolulu, Marvin “Pee Wee” Henderson, Darrin (Jenelle) Henderson and Shane (Shari) Henderson of Oahu; sisters, Maureen “Mona” (Michael) Oliver of California, Alison Uehara and Jamie (Paul) Dunlap of Oahu, Sharon Graves of Florida, Carmella (Earl) Long of Washington, Dawnzy Ogo of Guam; sister-in-law, Helen Henderson of Hilo; brother-in-law, Carey (Mary Look) Arakaki of Kurtistown; three grandchildren and a great-granddaughter; an aunt, nieces and nephews. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.
Alan Kiyomori Arakaki, 64, of Hilo died Feb. 21. Born in he retired from Oahu Sales, was a member of the Plumbers-Fitters UA Local 675 and taught refrigeration classes at Honolulu Community College. Celebration of life at a later date. Online condolences: homelanimemorialpark.com. Survived by wife, Debra “Debi” Arakaki; stepdaughters, Heather Clarke and Stephanie (Nathaniel “Nate”) Letro; brother, Alton (Lisa) Arakaki; sisters, Joy Arakaki and Jayne (Rick) Arakaki; three grandchildren. Arrangements by Homelani Memorial Park.
James “Kimo” Stanley Hodgins Jr., 82, of Waimea died Feb. 25. Born in Lihue, Kauei, he was retired from Hawaii Electric Light Co., member of Lions and Civitan Clubs blood donor for the Blood Bank of Hawaii; volunteered for the Liquor Commission, was on the delivery collection team for the Office of Elections and a U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard veteran. Private services held. Survived by wife, V. June Hodgins; sons, Kimo (Rose) Hodgins and Peter (Kayla) Hodgins; sister, Deborah (Gus) Garcia; three grandchildren. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.
Craig Alexander Kuegler, 71, of Pahoa died March 17 at home. Born in Glen Cove, N.Y., he was a farmer. Private services held. Survived by sons, Waylon (Abigayle) Kuegler of Pahoa, Jesse (Danielle Kealoha) Kuegler of Montana, Ace Baldwin of California and Gulliver Brown of Kona; hanai sons, Soloman (Jessica) Swart of Hilo and Adam McAnish of Oregon; hanai daughter, Maggie (Jon) Roberts of Keaau; sister, Carol (Jerry) Blackburn of New York; six grandchildren; nephews. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.
Harue Ono, 94, of Hilo died March 8 at Hale Anuenue Restorative Care Center. Born in Hilo, she was a retired registered nurse for the former Hilo Hospital. Private services held. No koden (monetary gifts). Survived by son, Rodney (Sunok) Ono of Hilo; daughter, Arleen (John) Ono-Desa of Hilo; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.
Dustin O’Toole, 56, of Hawaii Island died March 16. No known family. Survivors are asked to call Hilo Benioff Medical Center at (808) 932-3500, option 4.
Robert Pratt, 76, of Hilo died Feb. 8 at Hilo Benioff Medical Center. Surviving relatives please call Ballard Family Mortuary Hilo at (808) 935-8445.
Catherine V. Zamora, 53, of Kailua-Kona, died March 11 at Kona Community Hospital. Born in the Philippines, she was a food and beverage cashier at Hilton Waikoloa Village. Visitation 4-6 p.m. Thursday (April 3) at Dodo Mortuary Chapel. Wake service at 6 p.m. Visitation 8-9 a.m. Friday (April 4) at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Mass at 9:30 a.m. Burial to follow at Hawaii Veterans Cemetery No 2. Light-colored casual attire. Survived by husband, Almar Zamora of Kailua-Kona; son, Alika Zamora of Kailua-Kona; parents, Nicanor and Nancy Valiente of Philippines; brother, Noel Valiente of Waimea; sisters, Noeme Valiente of Waikoloa and Lilly (Keith) Germain of Waimea; aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.
How a Brief and Inexplicable NYC Altercation Escalated to Manslaughter
No. 9: Savoy’s creative approach to Southern and Creole dishes makes it a soulful standout
The coveted visa keeping SF’s elite restaurant kitchens running
Dallas Cowboys still looking at QB options in NFL free agency
Jevon Holland Shocking Comparison of Oregon Ducks’ Facility to NFL’s Miami Dolphins
-
News1 week agoHow a Major Democratic Law Firm Ended Up Bowing to Trump
-
Education1 week agoICE Tells a Cornell Student Activist to Turn Himself In
-
News1 week agoWere the Kennedy Files a Bust? Not So Fast, Historians Say.
-
News1 week agoDismantling the Department of Education will strip resources from disabled children, parents and advocates say | CNN
-
News6 days agoWashington Bends to RFK Jr.’s ‘MAHA’ Agenda on Measles, Baby Formula and French Fries
-
News5 days agoTrump Is Trying to Gain More Power Over Elections. Is His Effort Legal?
-
Politics1 week agoEXCLUSIVE: Groundbreaking new prayer book designed for demographic most targeted for abortion
-
Politics1 week agoStudent loans, Pell grants will continue despite Education Department downsizing, expert says