Hawaii Books

This is a small volume, but has many wonderful pictures of the Hawai'ian islands. Great for anyone who has visited or would like to.

Shigeo Kikuchi was the wife of a Shin Buddhist minister. They came from Japan and settled in Hawaii shortly after the turn of the 20th century. Mrs. Kikuchi wrote her memoirs at the advanced yet alert age of 90.

This book is of interest on several levels: (1) for those interested in the history of Hawaii generally, (2) for those interested in the Japanese in Hawaii, (3) for those interested in Buddhism, and specifically Shin (or Pure Land) Buddhism, and (4) those who want to hear first-hand what it was like as a pioneer of Buddhism in the remoteness of Hawaii around 1900 and in the first part of the 20th century.

This book, about 75 pages, makes up for its brevity by its intensity and penetrating insight, as well as its first-hand value.

A few years after their arrival in Hawaii, the Kikuchi's were asked to move to a remote village on the Big Island (Hawaii), about 100 km to the interior via dangerous back roads. They had been running a temple in a more 'civilized' area but were now deprived of many of what we consider essentials today - including medical care, communication, transportation (they had one horse) and adequate housing (they lived in little better than a log cabin). But they eked out a living somehow. She taught Japanese and did other jobs. The Temple they had was small but somehow they kept it going.

A tragic interruption occured when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. This meant internment in concentration camps for many Japanese Americans. Mrs. Kikuchi's husband was deported to a concentration camp in California for the duration of the war. She was left holding the entire responsibility of the temple as well as surviving the deprivations accorded Japanese living in the U.S. Her husband returned safely, if undernourished, after the war and they gradually rebuilt their sangha.

The story is really about the introduction of Shin Buddhism into the West. Hawaii has been the springboard for Pure Land Buddhism to be introduced into the continental United States. Shin Buddhism, foun! ded by Honen and Shinran in the 12-13th centuries in Japan, is based upon faith in a great Buddha, Amida, upon whom one relies totally for one's eventual enlightenment in the "Pure Land" after death. It is the dominant Buddhist faith in Japan.

Pure Land Buddhism is centered around saying the Nembutsu - "Namu Amida Butsu" - a Japanese phrase which expresses one's aspiration to be saved by Amida Buddha. Throughout her book, Mrs. Kikuchi comments on how her faith in the Nembutsu got her through the most trying of circumstances and hardships. She remembered with great warmth all the favors and support - even the tiny ones - that helped her to carry the task of spreading the 'gospel' of Pure Land Buddhism in her backwoods environs, particularly during the war years.

This is a very well written book and I found it impossible to put down until I had finished it. It is published by the Buddhist Study Center Press, an outreach arm of the Shin Buddhist Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii. The BSC Press has several books about Shin Buddhism written by contemporary people of our time, relating the deep faith of Shin Buddhism (also called Jodo Shinshu) in terms readily accessible to 20th (and soon 21st) century people.

I have three of her books in this format and they are all Excellent! Beautiful pictures and patterns - typical 18" and 24" designs as well as large patterns for whole quilts. She breaks the patterns apart to give you single and mutli color options, very nice. There are pictures in several color schemes and close-ups of the quilting. Information and meaning about the particular flower or design element is given for each pattern. Instructions for those who don't know how to applique' are very clear. You will want to grab some fabric and start cutting and sewing right away.

I bought this so that I could make a money lei as a gift for my daughter's soccer coach. There were quite a few styles to choose from, some easier than others. We went to the party store and bought the hacky sacks that look like soccer balls and included them with ribbons in the team colors. It went over big!

I'm not usually a big fan of guide books. But this one helped immensely on my trip. It is so accurate in its advice that I often felt the strange feeling of walking in the footsteps of the author. For example, it describes a hidden path at a lookout point, and sure enough its there. Or when it says that a parking lot is going to be full at 8 am in the morning; it will be.

But the most valuable information to me was the "Highlights" page at the beginning of each section. Here the author tells you the "must see parts of the island." In my experience he is right every time. For example, I never would have thought to visit Limahuli Botanical Gardens. But it turned out to be one of the best parts of the trip.

I highly recommend this book if you are going to Kaua'i for even just a few days.

I loved this book! I was totally taken in by the histories, stories and experiences of the members and missionaries of Hawaii. It provides an in-depth look at their struggles, their successes, and much, much more!

This book really helped me on all my rides in Hawaii. Best of all, the book had sections on all 6 visitable main islands. The maps and trail descriptions were always right on... don't ride in the islands without this!

This is a brilliant book with beautiful pictures and really fascinating writing. The author clearly knows exactly what shes talking about but never bored me. This book is great for anyone interested in art and/or japanese culture.

For anyone familiar with mushroom gathering in temperate zones, Hawaii would seem to offer scant picking . . . until you pick up MUSHROOMS OF HAWAII. Unbelievable! The mushrooms in Hawaii are harder to find, yes. Some are very different from what you're likely to encounter on the mainland. Some are old friends: morels. Others are well known, colorful enemies: Amanita muscaria. All are beautifully illustrated. Even if you aren't a hunter of wild mushrooms, the photographs alone will have you entranced. And there's a lot else in these pages as well, from recipes, to descriptions of the places where the elusive fungi grow. The bibliography is excellent, providing plenty of further reading for the aficionado and testimony to the careful research that went into this work. Is there anything wrong with it? I do have one complaint. It's much too nice to pack on a field trip. Maybe the authors will come out soon with a small field guide to take along. That way I can leave this volume safe at home where I can go over those great photos at my leisure and not worry about what might happen to the book when stuffed into a knapsack.

Sue is an amazing poet! My students loved all of her poems! You won' be disappoinmted with her words!