LIHU‘E — For Moriyama, Japan, exchange students and their chaperone, the group had no idea on Thursday that one of their instructors, Mrs. Hiroko Kunioka, was a survivor of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima that led to the end of World War II.
LIHU‘E — For Moriyama, Japan, exchange students and their chaperone, the group had no idea on Thursday that one of their instructors, Mrs. Hiroko Kunioka, was a survivor of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima that led to the end of World War II.
The realization that Kunioka, who moved to Kauai from Hiroshima, was from the city triggered the realization for the Japanese group that Thursday was celebrated as International Peace Day, as well as A Day of Aloha at the Kaua‘i Museum.
It was a demonstration of this year’s Peace Day — Uniting the World With Aloha. A bit further down from the Japanese group, a Kaua‘i Museum staff member thrilled visitors with a rendering of the doxology in Hawaiian.
Peace Day triggered a series of events around the island, starting with St. Catherine’s School in Kapa‘a blessing the Peace Pole that is planted on its Kapahi campus with the start of the day.
During the blessings, St. Catherine School students and parishioners wrote peace expressions that were placed in the pole’s hollow before everything was sealed and blessed.
With a moment of silence at 9 a.m., the Buddhist temples of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai‘i broke the silence at 9:01 a.m. Peals from temple bells echoed in the morning stillness for five minutes, the acts at all of the temples being united through Zoom connections.
On the westside, Kaua‘i Soto Zen Temple, The Storybook Theatre of Hawai‘i, Interfaith Roundtable of Kaua‘i, and ‘Ele‘ele Elementary School celebrated 10 years of collaboration with the presentation of United Nations International Day of Peace.
The presentation celebrated the legacy of Kaua‘i native son and Hanapepe boy, Sen. Spark Matsunaga, for his tireless efforts in promoting peaceful resolution of conflicts without resorting to war, said Kaua‘i Soto Zen Temple President Gerald Hirata.
The peace statue Kannon was decorated with strings of paper cranes created by ‘Ele‘ele School students. The paper cranes were joined with borrowed peace flags to create the setting that welcomed “The Parade of Peacemakers,” who left The Storybook Theatre after listening to speakers and creating first aid kits intended for people in need.
Taiko Kaua‘i provided the sound that pierced the afternoon and welcomed “all species, and children, too.”
