Hawaii Books

Na Ki`i Pohaku is the result of detailed research of the history and significance of Hawaiian petroglyphs dating from the time of the first arrival of the Polynesian people in Hawai`i. It explains the only "written" recording of Hawaiian history in a clear and concise format. Profusely illustrated with examples of Hawaiian petroglyphs from all the islands in the Hawaiian archipelago and dispels many misconceptions about the petroglyphs, and why and where they were etched in stone. Highly recommended.

Just finished reading this book and it was fascinating. Full of interesting facts about little-known historic sites in Hawaii and a great collection of photographs.

This book is an excellent source for those who wish to learn ancient Hawaiian chants and prayers. Translations of prayers and discussion of their individual usage helps to reconstruct daily life in ancient Hawaii. This is a must for your reference shelf if you are a student of the traditions of Hawaiian philosophy, huna or kahuna training.

This book of poems is spoken by 23 children (one poems each), their ages ranging from about 8-13. Both girls and boys are the speakers of the poems.The subects range all across the gamut of pre-teen and early teen experience. The poet himself, while Japan's best-known and most widely-read post-war poet, is also a translator of Mother Goose, Peanuts and children's poems abd stories, and thus has a whimsical side that is evident in some of the poems. et himsel

Nancy passed away peacefully in her condo in February of 2008. She was an iron woman and loved Hawaii with all her heart and soul - having lived there since 1948. She wrote a book about her saving Chinatown in Honolulu. This is what brought me to this website (Amazon) but I don't think Amazon carries it yet. I would be very interested in purchasing her historical writings about this successful endeavor. Thank you - and God rest your soul Nancy.

I've found it hard to get detailed maps of Kauai, and before looking harder, I went to Amazon.com which I should have done in the first place. Some day my family and I will get to Kauai, but we want to do a lot of planning first. Kauai related literature makes the island sound like a great place for a vacation, but this map will help us a great deal in connecting island information to a map.

New God, New Nation: Protestants and Self-Reconstruction Nationalism in Korea, 1896-1937 covers an important period in modern Korean history, that is unfortunately both highly pertinent and politicized. Wells investigates the historical, economic, and ideological confluence of protestant Christian theology and nationalistic movements in Korea between the end of the Choson dynasty and the Japanese colonial occupation. Examining various Christian nationalist leaders, such as Cho Man-sik, Yun Chi'ho, and Syngman Rhee, Wells concludes, that the relationship between religion and nationalism is problematic.

More than Wells's ultimate thesis, the book is a lucid, much needed study of the limitation of Korean nationalism in the face of Korean and Japanese resistance. The study includes a discussion of the March First movement and the rise of socialist alternatives to Christianity. Wells attempts to defend Korean nationalism for its apolitical nature, while stressing the difficult task of creating Christian communities by reconstructing moral individuals from the bitter, forlorn Korean masses. Wells also examines the practical sphere of cultural nationalists, like Kim Sonsu, who prospered in business, but were accused of collaboration with the Chosen Government-General. Briefly, he also examines the role of foreign missionaries in the major Korean communities.

Although the book is concerned with a theological subject, namely, the relationship between nationalism and religion, it is more helpful as a Korean history text. The dearth of good English-language materials with access to Korean-language sources frustrates a balanced and non-politicized discussion of Korean development. Wells's portraits of numerous Korean nationalists are fair and illuminating. Wells also advances the thesis, that both the New Village Movement (sae maul undong) and the Self-Sufficiency (juche) ideology are offshoots of the reconstruction ideology.

This book is for advanced students of Korean studies and theology, not for beginners. It is also well-written, but fortified with some precise argumentation only experts would appreciate. But for those with a good knowledge of Korean history history, theology, and economics, it is a fresh glance at a very important chapter in Korean history. It is also a window on current events on the peninsula, which does not seem to have advanced much beyond 1937.

This dictionary is and excellent, well researched text. It would benefit anyone trying to learn the language for the first time or for proficient speakers looking to improve their vocabulary. It's been a long search to find a comprehensive text like this one.

I really loved the horriffic tales with interviews and tragic details of lofe in a huge public housing project in St. Louis, the Pruitt-Igoe. Amazing insights & interviews with real people throughout the book make for a very impactful, well organized work.

This is a fascinating account of Ippen (1239-1289) - a Japanese hijiri (holy man)who led an itinerant life, spreading the 'Pure Land' path among the people, reaching all levels of society. While well known in Japan, Ippen has - until of late, remained a relatively obscure figure in Western accounts of Buddhism. Dennis Hirota's book about Ippen will certainly alter that. The material here has been translated authoritively and yet sensitively, accompanied by some delightful illustrations. All in all, a very pleasing work.

It is worth noting that Matsuo Basho, the esteemed poet, saw figures such as Ippen and Saigyo as role models, their itinerant lifestyle, lived close to the elements, informing his own ideal of the 'furabo' - that of the homeless monk, with sleeves flapping in the wind. Thus, one might say that Ippen and Basho were fellow travellers on the pathless-path, their poetry informed by a kindred feeling.

Still, Ippen is primarily remembered for the way he propagated Pure Land Buddhism among the people, his poetry an unmistakable expression of his faith.

Say the Name (Amida)
And there is neither
Buddha nor self;
Namu Amida butsu,
Name Amida butsu.

- a paradoxical truth. Among other things, Ippen was noted for chanting the Nembetsu with a measured dance, rather like certain followers of Krsna. Ippen's Buddhism is by no means easy to categorize. On one view, Kamakura Buddhism comes over as a rather entrenched body of schools. However, there is nothing closed about Ippen's Budhism. While idiosyncratic, based on Pure Land ideas, advocating the nembetsu etc, Ippen's Buddhism had much in common with other Buddhist schools. The idea of 'yugyo' or 'travel as practice' tied in with certain Tendai/Shingon practices. Moreover, it is said that Ippen received 'inka' or approval from (Shinchi) Kakushin - a noted Zen master who had travelled to China.

The title of this book - No Abode,' can be taken in two ways. On one level, it alludes to Ippen's chosen mode of life as an itinerant monk, yet insofar as 'yugyo' or 'travel as practice'
necessarily involves the spiritual dimension, 'no abode' might also be said to signify the 'pure land' as the realm of prajna. Thus, despite its surface simplicity, Ippen's understanding of Pure Land reached directly into the heart of Mahayana Buddhism. As Hirota-sensei notes in his well informed introduction, even the adopted name of 'Ippen' (one-time/once) carries a number of meanings. 'Ippen-nembutsu' meaning 'one time nembutsu/one utterance nembetsu' - could be said to signify the temporal event, Ippen's exchange with a passer-by, at which time Ippen would hand out a fuda or printed inscription of Amida's name. But as Hirota sensei points out:

"One utterance, does not, however, refer to a numerical
count; rather, it indicates the instant of the
immediate present that becomes, through utterance,
the point in which the person's salvation and Amida's
enlightenment are both fulfilled simultaneously. The
'one utterance nembetsu' never becomes two or three
utterances, but is always the present moment rooting
itself in Amida's enlightenment that transcends time
. . .

Reading this account, the genius of the artisan who carved the famous statue of Ippen - on display in Kyoto, becomes even more evident. He had endeavoured to illustrate the 'ippen-nembetsu' by carving a succession of 'Amidas' linked by a single thread, thus suggesting a continuous presence and standing 'now.'

This rather bare review does scant justice to Dennis Hirota's
book. It is veritable treasure trove of material about a fascinating Buddhist figure. Besides Ippen's own material, his letters, poems etc., we also find 'Words Handed Down by Disciples' and 'Passages from Other Texts' - illustrating Ippen's life and teaching. The main text is supplied with copius notes and a map etc., but these are placed unobtrusively outside the main text.

A word about Dennis Hirota. Although a Professor with the best of academic credentials, Hirota-sensei comes from a family background which has enjoyed long-standing links with Buddhism. Thus, he writes as one familiar with Buddhism - from the inside. This has enabled him to pick out the subtle nuances of Ippen's poetry. But - unlike some Japanese Professors, Hirota- sensei has a perfect command of English and is a gifted translator - as the poems in this book will show. This text is a classic. It is not just another, dry study, but conveys the living spirit of a whole tradition.