- Established: 1898
Hilo Daijingu (properly, Hilo Daijingû), originally known as Yamato Jinja, was the first Shinto shrine to be established in Hawaiʻi. It was built in 1898 in the ʻŌlaʻa neighborhood on the island of Hawaiʻi.
Members of the community donated a total of $1200 to fund the construction of the shrine, which was completed on November 3, 1898. It was built by a number of professional miya daiku (shrine carpenters) who came from Japan and instructed members of the local Japanese community in traditional construction techniques. These local Japanese shrine carpenters would go on to build other shrines, and to pass on their skills, profoundly influencing Shinto architecture in the islands.
References
- Franklin Odo and Kazuko Sinoto, A Pictorial History of the Japanese in Hawaii 1885-1924, Bishop Museum (1985), 78, 108.