Wahiawa Nichiren Mission
2112-B-1 Puu Place
Wahiawa, Hawaii 96786
Phone: +1-808-622-2707
Rev Myoryu Aniya
IN A REMEMBRANCE WRITTEN BY JODIE cHIEMI cHING, IN A fEBRUARY 6, 2019 ARTICLE IN THE hAWAII hERALD
“The Rev. Myoryu Aniya is Remembered With Fondness and Gratitude”
“In February 1948, a Lotus temple appeared at Pu‘u Place, Wahiawä, a block away from Rev. (Myoryu) Aniya’s residence. The members purchased two old military houses, and put them together to create a temple and living quarters.”
So begins the story of the Wahiawa Nichiren Mission as documented in “A Century of Nichiren Buddhism in Hawaii,” which was published in 2003 by the Headquarters of Hawaii Nichiren Missions.
A social media posting regarding a 33rd year memorial service:
“33rd Memorial Service for Rev. Aniya
Last Sunday, November 26, we were up at the Wahiawa Nichiren Mission where Rev. Yamamura conducted the 33rd memorial service for Rev. Myoryu Aniya, who founded the Wahiwa Nichiren Mission. Originally, she lived on a sugar plantation in Waipahu called Camp12, and had no priestly background. However, she became a fervent Nichiren Buddhist, and a lay leader of a group of plantation workers who chanted the odaimoku. In 1948, her group purchased two old military houses and put them together to create a temple and living quarters. Four years later in 1952, the temple formally became a branch of the Nichiren Mission of Hawaii. The current temple building is the original one built more than 50 years ago. Rev. Aniya later entered the priesthood as a disciple of Bishop Mochizuki of the Nichiren Mission of Hawaii. She is reputed to have had powers of psychic perceptions and telepathy, which enabled her to help people with various disorders. Rev. Aniya was also known for her anthurium garden on the temple grounds, and for offering them lavishly on the altar of the Wahiawa Nichiren Mission. Rev. Aniya passed away on November 29, 1985, at the age of 93.