Note: In 2022, the ceremony could not be held in person due to precautions surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. Her Holiness Shinso Ito instead gave the following words of inspiration and hope via a video message.

“At last we are in Honolulu. We headed directly to Pearl Harbor. We wanted to visit the Arizona Memorial, to pay our respects.”
–Excerpt from the journal of Master Shinjo Ito, founder of Shinnyo-en, October 20, 1970.

I joined Master Shinjo on his travels to the North American mainland and Hawaiʻi. That was my first trip outside of Japan.

“On December 7th, 1941, war broke out between the United States and Japan. Our naval air troops made a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, sinking many ships. The USS Arizona was one of them. The Arizona remains under sea; above it stands a memorial as white as alabaster. The names of the fallen entombed in the ship are engraved on one wall. We offered a wreath of flowers and prayed in silence. I am truly and deeply sorry. This was all I could say in prayer. Any attempt for words beyond that failed. But I extended to the fullest my sincerest prayers to the fallen.”

Shinjo writes in his journals that on reflection, our travels this time to the United States were marked with offering prayers transcending notions of “us” versus “them.” He returned to Japan inspired with his wish to offer an opportunity for all of us to pause and show our care equally for all humanity.

All of us may harbor feelings of bitterness, conflict or animosity, but Shinjo’s conviction was that, in the tradition of Shinnyo-en, we should practice caring for others and pray that the fruit of our positive thoughts and actions will reach others equally.

“That night, as I listened to the sound of waves along the shores of Waikiki, I continued to think about what we hoped to accomplish in Hawaiʻi. What remained in my mind’s eye was the Arizona Memorial. I’m ready to work so that we might have a deeper understanding of each other’s backgrounds and experiences. In regards to Hawaiʻi, the focus of our efforts must always lie in extending our prayers equally and in oneness to all spirits. In this respect, the prayers we offered at the Arizona Memorial will always remain central to what we wish to achieve.”

Shinjo had an ancestor who erected a stone memorial for all war dead, regardless of the side that they fought on. Masters Shinjo and Tomoji[, his wife and co-founder of Shinnyo-en,] continued to look for ways to help people to find healing and comfort in a world filled with conflict. I feel very thankful for their profound wish and for the path they left for us to fulfill it.

“Together with our spiritual community, I hope to work tirelessly for the healing and reconciliation of all souls. As this wish filled my mind, my heart leapt at the thought of it.”

This is what led to Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi. But this could not have happened overnight. We had to first build relationships within the community and create a space where all could come together in a shared spirit of remembrance. As a Shinnyo-en community, we began our efforts by engaging in rites at our local temple. We could never have imagined doing something oceanside. I believe that Shinjo’s intent, that all of us come together for a single moment without any distinction between friend or foe, has been brought to its fullest fruition today. Holding the lantern floating in the ocean expresses transcendence of boundaries, offers space to build harmony for all, and allows our efforts to ripple outwards in boundless ways. I had always hoped that if we were to hold the lantern floating, we could do it in the ocean.

“Imagine crossing the oceans to conduct a rite of healing and comfort for the repose of all, equally and without distinction. I believe that our efforts will steadily bear fruit from here in Hawaiʻi.”