Okinawa Peace Memorial, Irei no Hi

Remembering Wars Past for Peace Today is an Okinawan Tradition at Kālihi Temple The Jikoen Hongwanji, an Okinawan community Shin Buddhist temple, will hold its Annual Irei no Hi Okinawa Peace Memorial this June 23, 2024 in its social hall on 1721 N. School St. and Likelike Hwy, Honolulu. Irei no Hi is a modern Okinawan holiday to pray and remember the numerous lives lost in the hellish Battle of Okinawa, and extol the value of peace for the world today through stories and the arts. Almost one-third of Okinawans were killed in the bloodbath between Imperial Japan and the USA in WWII and has shaped Okinawan aspirations for peace that continues into the 21st Century. June 23rd marks the end of the battle in 1945 in Okinawa, though this year attention will be also be given to the 80th Anniversary of the sinking of the Tsushima Maru, a cargo ship evacuating hundreds of students and other noncombatants from Okinawa, by the USS Bowfin, now retired in Pearl Harbor. As living survivors dwindle, it’s critical to remember such tragedies of wars continue unabated, like this human disaster in which more evacuees died than that of the Titanic, yet remains largely unknown. Tsugiko Taira, a descendent of a Tsushima Maru survivor, will be speaking remotely from Okinawa on behalf of the Tsushima Maru Museum in Naha, Okinawa. Irei no Hi is not merely a historical observation, as it is a meditation on the preciousness of life evoked by the Okinawan expression and value— “Nuchi dū Takara: Life is Our Treasure.” In Okinawa, Irei no Hi is an occasion for peace education and its imperative today, as many in tiny Okinawa feel the war never ended as “hosts” with almost 2/3 of US military in Japan after first being colonized by Imperial Japan in 1879 similar to Hawaiian Kingdom history. Setsuko Yamazato will be relaying a message from the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa that has been preparing for war again including the build up of yet more military bases for Japanese armed forces. Irei no Hi is unique in that unlike other memorial days that honor only national military casualties, it honors all those who were killed in war regardless of nationality or civilian status as a testament to the dignity of each human life, and the indiscriminate lethality of modern warfare. Jikoen board member Pete Doktor, veteran and son of survivors on opposite sides of the Battle of Okinawa, reasons ”unless we remember such horrid histories like the Tsushima Maru, we will continue seeing such routine killing of noncombatants just like in Palestine today, but mistakenly call them accidents rather than the ugly reality of modern wars we cannot excuse as accidents.” The program will integrate the arts including live music and dance. The event is free, open to the public, wheel chair accessible, and live-streamed on the Jikoen Buddhist Temple Youtube and Facebook pages. This grassroots event is co-sponsored by: Jikoen Hongwanji, Hawai`i Okinawa Alliance, and Ukwanshin Kabudan. ###

Event Links

YouTube: https://go.evvnt.com/2492999-0

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