Saturday, November 12, 2011

Byodo-In Temple @ Valley of the Temples, Kaneohe, Hawaii 11/11/2011

Established on June 7, 1968 to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii, the Byodo-In Temple is a scale replica of an over 900 year old temple at Uji Japan.  Built to represent the mythical phoenix, the Byodo-In Temple lays in the shadow of the Koolau mountains on Oahu's windward coast.  The temple is surrounded by a large koi pond fed by a mountain stream.  A large bell house or kanetsu-ki-do, which houses a five foot tall, three ton brass bell cast in Osaka Japan flanks the south-east end of the Temple.  The grounds are also home to black swans, wild peacocks and bamboo groves.