The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-11-18
YESTERDAY.

these vases were the gift to the tenn
pie of the Buddhist Association.
In the center of this lower part of
the altar was beautifully designed
brass censor. Thanking it on either
side was a tall brass candlestick, that
any housekeeper with a taste for ar
tistic brass designs might envy. Next
to each candlestick toward the end of
the altar was a beautiful brass vase
from which rose the stem of a lotus
bearing pink tipped bud and sur
mounted by the full blown white flow
er, these made of paper.
The lower portion of the altar rose
about four feet above the dais. The
rear and higher portion rose at least
two feet higher, and extended back to
the rear wall of the building. In the
center of it and well back against the
wall. reaching to the ceiling, was a
closed cabinet or alcove, containing
the image of Buddha, or in this case
of the divinity of Buddha known as
Amida. Although the cabinet was
closed, before it hung-though some
what awry-a white veil or curtain
family figured in gold thread. On this
rear and upper part of the altar. as
well as on the lower part, were bas-
kets of fruit, grapes, oranges, lemons,
lotus buds and flowers, the gifts OF the
season.
Suspended over the upper part Of
the aIar, two on each side, were four
handsome brass temple lamps. The
larger and lower-hanging two were the
we'll known hexagonal shape with fig
ured glass sides. The other two,
smaller and not hanging quite so low, |
We're more archaic in form and ar
rangement consisting essentially of a !
wick floating in a small basin of oil.
Behind these and hanging still a little
higher were elaborate brass temple
bells.
On either side of the dais is a small |
room. used for vestry or similar pur-
poses each extending from the dais to |
the outer wall on its side of the build |
ing. and partly enclosing, on each sidee |
the dais and its canopy. The dais |
however extended further out toward |
the center of the building than either |
of these rooms, thus giving effective |
ness to the handsome but plain pillars |
rising from the front corners of the |
dais. The two vestry rooms connect |
with each other by a passage way at /
the rear passing behind the altar and |
under the image of Amida. The entire
remainder of the upper floor Of the /
temple is in one room, furnished |
throughout with quite comfortable
benches for the congregation.
Along the whole front of the second |
story of the building runs a veranda
about ten feet wide reached by a
broad flight Of steps, the entrance /
from the steps to the veranda being
under a somewhat fiat but beautifully
carved archway, the carving here as
over the front of the dais and altar
being of the NEUROLOGICAL dragons of
Japan. Over the door from the YER
anda into the temple was another SIM
liar carved panel
The temple stands somewhat back
from the street, the entrance being
through a picturesque Japanese gate
way though quite distinct from the
tori, which is the distinguishing char
acteristic of the Shinto temple. Over
the gateway is inscribed in both Eng
ish and japanese ''Jodo Buddhist Mis-
sion"
As a. part of the arrangements and
decoration for the dedication of the
temple the grounds were strung with
Japanese lanterns; flags and streamers
loated from tall bamboo STATS: on one 4
side of the grounds there was a simple
Japanese stage from which Japanese
plays were presented Saturday night
and last night. Crossed at the gate |
way were purple flags with inscrip-
ions in Japanese characters. Over the :
entrance from the stairs to the veran-
la the Japanese and the American
Tags We're crossed. In front Of the {
-sTA 81
high board fence, were wooden slabs,
" boards. on which were inscribed
he names of donors to the funds with /
which the temple was built. Through {
nut the services of dedication in the I
emple other donations, as they were 8
eceived, were placarded in a similar
manner on white squares of paper
,asted up on the wall of the vestry
Dom at the left Of the altar so that a.