Hello and Welcome!
Taiheiji is a Soto Mission of Aiea Temple located in Aiea Hawaii on the island of Oahu. One of nine Soto Mission of Hawaii Temples, Taiheiji welcomes new and existing members of our community and offers a variety of regular Buddhist services and other events for both members and non-members. Rev. Shuji Komagata heads our Temple and performs most services in English or combined English with traditional Sutras, making our Temple a very comfortable place for newcomers.
To learn more about our history, checkout our history timeline and our Soto Mission page. For those completely new to Buddhism, we have provided some basic information as an introduction. You will also find information on visiting the Temple (relevant for all of our Soto Mission Temples) to make that first visit much easier.
SOTO MISSION OF AIEA
The Soto Mission of Aiea is a branch of the Soto Mission of Hawaii, comprised of nine temples throughout the Hawaiian islands and originating from Japan. With a long history in Hawaii, the Soto Mission has provided Buddhist services for lifelong and new members alike. Taiheji and the Soto Mission welcome newcomers from all walks of life, whether familiar with Buddhism already or a complete newcomer to Buddhism. The Temple also offers a variety of services and events for members and non-members.
About
Taiheiji has been a member of the Soto Mission of Hawaii since 1904, when the head office of the Soto-shuu (sect) in Japan sent Rev. Sogyo Ueoka to Hawaii as a visiting minister. Rev. Ueoka’s primary focus was to bring comfort to the Japanese immigrants living and working in Hawaii, and he established a temporary temple at the Aiea Plantation.
Eventually, permission was received to build a more permanent temple and the main hall was finally completed in 1924 when the temple was named Taiheiji. This was Soto Zen’s first temple in Aiea, Hawaii.
In 2008, we celebrated our 90th Anniversary as the Soto Mission of Aiea temple, Taiheiji. Ninety years of serving those Japanese families and their descendants and 90 years of seeing new and familiar faces as our community continues to grow and diversify. What started with a few determined ministers and Japanese immigrant workers has grown into a diverse melting pot that has maintained traditions while creating a few of our own!