Honolulu, Hawaii

Founded in the late 1970s, Koganji Temple Buddhist Temple has been a place for those seeking spiritual guidance and community. Our temple has evolved over the years to meet the changing needs of our members and the broader community.
The Japanese Tendai School was introduced to Japan in 806 A.D. by Dengyo Daishi (767-822 A.D.), founder of the school. In introducing Tendai, he also harmonized and combined it with Esoteric and Zen Buddhism, as well as Mahayana precepts. The successors of Dengyo Daishi, such as Jikaku Daishi and Chisho Daishi Enchin went to China and further studied Esoteric Buddhism.
In the Kamakura Period (1190-1333), new Japanese Buddhist schools developed out of Tendai, namely the Yuzunembutsu, Jodo, Jodoshin, Ji, Rinzai Zen, Soto Zen, and Nichiren schools. The founders of all these schools studied on Mt. Hiei, near Kyoto, where the head temple of the Tendai School is still located. Thus Mt. Hiei has long been the leading center of Buddhist studies in Japan. Also Japanese literature and many of the arts were influenced by the teachings of Tendai.
Shomyo (traditional chanting), for instance, greatly influenced the later development of Japanese music. The tea ceremony and flower arrangement is also derived from the ritual services before the image of Buddha. At present, Tendai has over 3,500 branch temples in Japan. The branch temple opened in Hawaii is the first in a foreign country and, currently, there are three Tendai sect temples in the State of Hawaii.
When Bishop Rose was a little girl in Japan, she went to a Buddhist temple to pray before a figure of Buddha known as Jizo, the protector of people, especially children who were troubled. Thousands of people came to that temple to pray and she recalled not knowing anything about Buddhism and watched the people who entered the temple and copied their actions.
One day, a priest of the temple approached her and told her that someday she would take care of a lot of people. He looked at her very seriously and said that she would get married, move far away to another land and have a very happy life. She really didn’t believe what the priest told her, however everything he said eventually came true.
In 1953, she got married in Japan to, Lester Rose, a young American officer working in Japan after the war. For their honeymoon they went to Nikko where they had their picture taken before the famous Kegon waterfall, as many young couples did. However, when the picture was developed several Buddha figures were visible in the background, although none existed at the time of the picture taking. Mrs. Rose went to the photo shop to find out why the images appeared in her picture. The photo developer proceeded to inform her that the images in the photo were not a result of developing the picture and even consulted with his colleagues about the strange figures. Everyone he talked to, who developed pictures from Nikko, knew of no other photo that developed with those images. Perplexed, Mrs. Rose went to consult with a Buddhist priest who told her that many people killed themselves at the waterfall. Perhaps, said the priest, the Buddha figures represented those who had died at that spot and Mrs. Rose had been born to pray for their souls. At that, the priest urged her to become a Buddhist priest.
Mr. and Mrs. Rose left Japan in 1957 and lived in various places on the mainland before moving to Hawaii in 1963. Mr. Rose was a real estate broker and Mrs. Rose owned a dress shop. While she ran her dress shop, Mrs. Rose discovered that she had a gift of being able to help people who had personal problems through her prayers. By word of mouth, people came to consult with Mrs. Rose to ask for help and spiritual guidance for their problems. Soon, word spread of her ability to help people and her following grew. The people who sought her out for guidance fondly referred her to as “Sensei”.
One day, an archbishop of the Tendai Buddhist sect visited Hawaii and Mrs. Rose confided in him about the strange things that happened to her and of her great interest in Buddhism. He strongly encouraged her to become a priest. In February of 1973, Sensei made a decision to receive formal training and instruction as a minister to serve her followers properly. She wished to one day have a temple that would be officially recognized and respected as a member of the religious community.
In September of 1973, Sensei returned to Japan to the Enryaku-ji Temple on Mt. Hiei near Kyoto for severe and rigorous training under the discipline of Archbishop Haba of the Tendai sect. After three months of training, she attained the degree of Ajari, The first level of priesthood and in 1975 she was ordained as a Buddhist minister, the Reverend Jikyu, of the Tendai sect.
Sensei soon discovered that her property in Moanalua, the meeting site, was becoming extremely crowded and she actively began to work toward the formal establishment of her temple as an official entity. In August 1976, she purchased a parcel of land in Manoa Valley to build her temple. In November 1976, His Eminence Chief Abbot Etai Yamada honored the congregation by coming to Hawaii to bless the site of the future temple.
In 1980, Sensei decided to name the new temple Koganji Temple. In October of that year a groundbreaking ceremony was held to commemorate the start of construction. By 1982, the Koganji Temple was formally dedicated on March 28 with special services led by His Eminence Chief Abbot Etai Yamada. On that day, 125 members of the Koganji Temple were baptized. In 1991, 16 years after being ordained as a Buddhist minister, Sensei was bestowed the title of Bishop by the Archbishop Etai Yamada.
Today, the Koganji Temple has a membership of over 500 people and offers classes to the public that teach Lotus Buddhism, Heart Sutra, Esoteric Buddhism, and Zen meditation. Currently, Bishop Rose single-handedly manages the Temple’s day-to-day operations and conducts all religious services and consultations. The addition of another religious worker will allow her the flexibility to pursue her dream to expand the Koganji Temple and include other activities and services.
Nestled in the lush Mānoa valley in Honolulu, Hawai'i, the Koganji Temple is a hidden treasure.
Koganji Temple
2869 Oahu Ave
Honolulu, Hawaii 96822
(808) 988-7214
Koganji Temple
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