Jizo, one of the most beloved of Japanese deities, is the guardian of children, women, and travelers. In coastal areas, fishermen and swimmers also look to him for protection. He is portrayed as fearless and is a powerful image of hope and solace. A ceremony was held recently to bless the shrine on Kalanianaole Highway, between Hanauma Bay and Sandy Beach.

In the late 1800s, the issei (first-generation Japanese) set up shrines along the windswept shoreline to protect them as they surf-cast for deep ocean fish like the ulua. The Shinto belief in nature and spiritual deities places great faith in shrines and “mamori,” very common in old Japan. The Umi Mamori Jizo (literally the sea-image of Jizo) watches over everyone who fishes, swims, and surfs on East Oahu's beaches and sea cliffs. He is also a companion to those who have passed away in the area and to those whose ashes have been scattered there, including those of the mother of President-Elect Barack Obama. The annual ceremony honors the memory of those who have died and asks for protection for everyone who visits the area.

The ceremony, on November 9, 2008, was conducted by Reverend Sumitoshi Sakamoto, from Shingon Shu Hawaii, a Japanese Buddhist temple on Sheridan Street in Honolulu. Priests from his temple held the first service when the original Jizo statue was erected in 1932 and have held services there every year, except during World War II. The ceremony was their annual service at the Umi Mamori Jizo, the Ocean Protector Jizo. After the original statue was vandalized, it was replaced with the current lava rock sculpture, by Sentaro Otsubo, and installed by members of the Honolulu Japanese Casting Club in 1940.

Ann Marie Kirk took photos and video, which will be uploaded to Maunalua.net. Also in attendance was author John R.H. Clark, who wrote Guardian of the Sea: Jizo in Hawaii, which tells the story of the protective shrine and explores statues of the Buddhist deity erected by Japanese fishermen on Hawai'i sea cliffs. You can see more of John Clark and a video of the Jizo at Maunalua.net. Clark is a former lifeguard and retired deputy fire chief of the Honolulu Fire Department. His research went into the compiling of Hawaii's Best Beaches and Hawaii Place Names: Shores, Beaches and Surf Sites. In this latest book, he conducted hundreds of interviews and went through Japanese and English references to seek out little-known details.