I'm a friend of Akira Otani (Matsujiro Otani's son), and my great grandfather was Kamekichi Hayashi, who came to Hawaii from Okikamuro.
I recently visited Okikamuro for the first time this past April (on my birthday!), thanks to the Asahi reporter Yusuke Ogawa, who I met in Hawaii this past February, as he was writing about Akira Otani, who was a member of the Varsity Victory Volunteers, the sempai gumi of the legendary 442nd Regimental Combat Team of WW2. I organized the 73rd anniversary commemoration ceremony of the VVV's formation at the University of Hawaii.
I wrote a manga about the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team (there is a Hawaii Imin museum on Oshima, and my friend Kunio Fujimoto is at the front in an exhibit).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgHT2d_jw4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxafzvQouE4
Anyway, my relatives are all from Okikamuro, it seems! Yano and Fukuda are my other relatives from Okikamuro. I used to be on the board of Jodo Shu Makiki for several years so I was so bummed I hadn't heard about the Okikamuro party in February! But, it's ok because I met Ogawa-san, at least, and then was able to meet Reverend Niiyama in Okikamuro at the temple.
Here's an interesting story: Eddie Yamasaki, my dear friend, is a 442nd RCT veteran -- I put him in my manga, he is the character with glasses. His father Noboru Yamasaki was able to negotiate the loan so that the temple Jodo Shu Makiki could be built! Before the war, it was very difficult for Japanese to obtain loans, but he did it! Then, when WW2 broke out, all the temples and shrines in Hawaii were seized by the government, but Mr. Yamasaki kept them out of the main temple and charged the US Army rent! So when the war was over, the loan was repaid -- by the US Army! So we all owe Mr. Yamasaki quite a bit. I also put Eddie's real omamori in the manga.
Anyway, I showed Akira Otani the photos of the Kinjiro statue his father gave to the school, and he said there was another one in Hawaii. So I took a picture of it and met the rest of his family as well (I already knew his wife and daughter).
I also recently was able to meet Prime Minister Abe in Los Angeles and Caroline Kennedy and here is a photo of him with my manga.
I started an Okikamuro group on Facebook if anyone wants to check it out:
https://www.facebook.com/okikamuro
It's really just a place to find people who are also from Okikamuro.
Looking forward to going back to Okikamuro!!
Aloha,
Stacey
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