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Japanese who built House of Prayer returns to Saipan
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Posted on Mar 19 2009
The Japanese man who built the Nanmeido or the Saipan International House of Prayer at the Sugar King Park in 1990 has moved to Saipan so he can maintain the temple until his death.
“I think it is my duty to preserve the temple to console the souls of the deceased soldiers,” according to 81-year-old Reverend Shinryu Akita.
After staying in Hawaii for almost 10 years, Akita and his 75-year-old wife came back on Feb. 26, 2009, to Saipan where they plan to stay permanently.
In an interview with Saipan Tribune yesterday, Akita said that, except for the Saipan Mayor’s Office, no one has really tried to maintain the temple for many years.
“When we first came to visit the temple, it was very dusty,” said Akita.
While he was then staying in Japan, Akita shouldered most of the expenses to build the temple. The rest of the money came from donations from relatives and friends of soldiers who were killed during the Battle of Saipan.
It took five years to complete the House of Prayer’s construction. Akita said it was built for the purpose of consoling the souls of American and Japanese soldiers who were killed during the war.
Akita said after its construction, a Japanese professor, a Sri Lankan Buddhist minister, and an African-American took turns maintaining the temple.
He said it’s been many years now that no resident minister has been maintaining the House of Prayers.
Since arriving on the island last month, the Akita couple commute every day from their house on Capital Hill to Sugar King just to clean the House of Prayer. Akita said he and his wife’s daily visits have paid off as they are almost done with the cleanup.
He encouraged visitors and local residents alike to visit the temple, which is open every day, and offer some prayers.
“I decided to stay here on Saipan permanently to preserve the temple as long as I live,” Akita added.
