#Hamakua #HamakuaJodo

By Sandy Takahashi, Hāmākua Jodo Mission Member and volunteer at Honoka‘a Heritage Center In early 2022, Dr. Patsy Iwasaki, an accomplished author, researcher and instructor of the English Department at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (UHH), contacted Hāmākua Jodo Mission (HJM) about scheduling a visit.  Dr. Iwasaki was making plans to bring a group of students on a field trip to the Hāmākua Coast to visit various historic points of interest, such as Laupāhoehoe Point, Waipiʻo Valley lookout, the Honokaʻa Hongwanji Mission, and wished to add Hāmākua Jodo Mission to the itinerary. The students were enrolled in a hybrid pilot course called "Kuleana & Community" which encourages students and instructors to develop and strengthen their connections with the University, the Hilo community and Hawaiʻi Island as a whole.  Reciprocity through community service is a key element. When HJM's President Masa Nishimori learned about Dr. Iwasaki's request, he was ecstatic; sharing Hāmākua Jodo Mission’s history with the younger generation was something he had been aspiring to do for years.  He arranged to give the students a tour of the facilities and a history lesson.  He had always hoped that the history of the Mission, along with the story of Katsu Goto, a Japanese immigrant turned labor rights activist, could be incorporated into Hawaiʻi's school curriculum.  Goto, a pioneer of his time, is buried at the Hāmākua Jodo Mission cemetery. Cemetery Tour Sandy Takahashi shared the story of Katsu Goto before his gravesite.                     Sadly, Mr. Nishimori passed away unexpectedly before the students' visit.  Dr. Iwasaki asked HJM member Sandy Takahashi if she could step in and provide the tour. Ms. Takahashi, who has done [...]