Recalled to Life

Nishi Temple

The awning of the famed Buddhist Temple

by Denise Reich

The checkered past of the Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple

One of the current exhibitions at the Japanese-American National Museum in Little Tokyo is entitled American Tapestry: 25 Stories from the Collection. The 25th piece of the collection is not, by any means, the least. To view it, a visitor has to peer out the window, across the pedestrian plaza and look at the museum’s Historic Building, formerly known as the Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple.

At first glance, the Nishi is not immediately recognizable as a temple. Its architecture encompasses several distinct styles. One side of the exterior is a utilitarian, early-twentieth-century office building; the other is lavishly decorated. It is only on closer inspection that one realizes that the patchwork design is perfectly suited to a place that has a fascinating, varied history.

The Nishi Hongwanji, or the Western Temple of the Original Vow, was not the first Buddhist temple in Los Angeles, but it was the first to be built specifically as such. It was designed by Edgar Cline and constructed in 1925. The painted arch over the main doors resembled the seventeenth-century Karamon Gate at the Nishi Hongwanji temple in Kyoto, Japan. However, that was where the exterior’s traditional design ended. A series of ancient Egyptian-style columns, complete with lotus capitals, were embedded in the brick wall adjacent to the entrance. These design elements spoke to the era in which the temple was constructed. It was only a few years after the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, and ancient Egyptian motifs were the height of popularity.

Within the temple, Japanese and American architectural and cultural conventions were seamlessly blended. Unlike most Japanese Buddhist temples, which tended to be single-story, the Nishi Hongwanji was built with several floors. A wide, winding staircase in the lobby led upstairs to the hondo, or main worship area. When the temple was active, the hondo contained long wooden pews. This was a direct nod to American culture, and a departure from the arrangements found in most Buddhist temples. Another blending of Eastern and Western architectural styles was found on the elegant ceiling, where the exposed wooden beams, a typical feature in Japanese buildings, were lavishly painted and decorated.

From its earliest days of operation, the temple served as both a religious center and a social destination for the Japanese-American community. The front of the building housed several floors of office space, which were rented out to local professionals. Even today, some docents at the Japanese-American National Museum recall visiting doctors or dentists at the Nishi. A meeting hall on the first floor hosted classes, dinners and dances. The YMBA, or Young Men’s Buddhist Association, met there. Children put on plays such as “Mickey’s Journey Under the Sea.”

In 1940, the temple’s name was changed to Hompa Hongwanji. In 1942 its status changed again, for the worse, when it was named as an assembly point for the Japanese-American internment program. A photograph of the relocation taken by Jack Iwata depicted throngs of men, women and children crowding on the sidewalks around the temple and buses lined up at the curb. Some members of the community, including another celebrated photographer, Hiromu Kira, left their prized possessions at the temple for safekeeping before they were transported to camps.

The Nishi’s story could have ended in 1942, if not for the fact that one of the Buddhist ministers on staff was a Caucasian convert from Judaism. Since he was not Japanese, he was not subject to imprisonment. He was thus able to continue to reside in the priests’ quarters and serve as a caretaker for the building. His continued presence probably prevented the property from being seized, resold or re-purposed.

After the war ended, the temple served as a different kind of safe haven: it temporarily sheltered those who had lost their homes and businesses. The temple was a source of emotional healing and a cornerstone on which the community could rebuild itself. Religious services and social events resumed and continued until 1969, when the Nishi Hongwanji congregation moved to a larger building at 815 E. First Street.

The vacant building was purchased by the city of Los Angeles in 1973 but was not returned to use. In 1985, the temple received a new lease on life when it was selected as the location of the Japanese-American National Museum. After an enthusiastic fundraising campaign, the building underwent a $5-million restoration, headed by Christine and James Nakaoka. The museum opened its doors to the public in 1992, and restored the Nishi Hongwanji Temple to its place as a cornerstone of the Japanese-American community. The temple was designated a National Historic Landmark as part of the Little Tokyo Historic District in 1995.

In 2002, the Japanese-American National Museum moved its main exhibits to a state-of-the-art building across the pedestrian plaza from the Nishi. Since 2005, the temple has housed the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy. Classes, presentations and exhibitions are held in the social hall and hondo. A new section, which houses a small theater, an elevator and other support faculties, has been added to the rear of the building.

The original Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple remains a vital cultural and spiritual resource for Little Tokyo and Los Angeles as a whole. The entrance gate and Egyptian columns still watch over First Street. Inside, the teaching facility presents students with an array of activities to help them learn about diversity, tolerance and compassion, which will hopefully help ensure that there will never be another “assembly day” on sidewalks anywhere in Los Angeles, for anyone.

 

The old Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple is part of the Japanese-American National Museum, 369 East First Street. Through April 17, tours of the temple are given Tuesday through Friday at 1 p.m., and Saturday through Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

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