Remember Our Past & Predecessors

By Ty Wakahiro | Mililani Hongwanji Buddhist Temple

This past school year, I had the opportunity to conduct historical and genealogical research on a fallen WWII soldier from my home state, Hawaii. As an Asian American Buddhist, I wanted to use this opportunity to learn about a Buddhist WWII soldier. I chose to do my project on Technician Fourth Grade Wilfred Masao Motokane. 

This second generation Japanese American Jodo Shinshu Buddhist gave his life in the last days of WWII for the exact same country that suppressed his religion and viewed his community with suspicion and xenophobia. He was a postal worker, exempt from the draft, yet he volunteered for the Army and served in the Allied Translator and Interpreter Service in the Philippines. Motokane was set to be a part of one of the first groups of Americans to be in Japan post-WWII. However, a plane crash in Okinawa ended his life before he could reach the Japanese mainland, just days before the end of WWII.

Motokane’s story is truly inspiring and humbling. If you would like to read more about Technician Fourth Grade Wilfred Masao Motokane’s story, please visit the link to my published web page below.

https://nhdsilentheroes.org/profiles/wilfred-masao-motokane/ 

I wanted to share this story with the readers of the Young Buddhist Editorial to ensure Motokane’s life and sacrifices aren’t forgotten. Throughout this project I have learned just how much the generations before us have done so we can be both Buddhist and American.

There are countless stories like Technician Fourth Grade Motokane’s. So many stories of hardship, courage, sacrifice, and perseverance throughout America and especially within America’s diverse Buddhist communities. Each story unique, each story equally important. I hope my research and Motokane’s story inspires you to learn about your own Buddhist community’s history. 

The halls we sit in, the altars we offer incense at, the words we chant are all there because of the actions of our predecessors. I strongly believe, as the younger generation of Buddhists, that it is our responsibility to honor and remember these people, their work and their sacrifices, by ensuring the Buddhist teachings and our places of worship, community, and support are here for generations to come. 

I hope Technician Fourth Grade Motokane’s story and the stories you learn bring about a deep sense of gratitude that transforms into actions in your own communities. I also hope his story makes you at least a little proud, proud to be part of a religion that has made a meaningful impact on this country for generations. We all have a responsibility to give back to the Buddhist communities that have supported and taught us so much. Namo Amida Butsu.

If you’d like to reach me, please email me at wakahiro.t@gmail.com. I’d love to learn about more stories. 

In Gassho, 

Ty Wakahiro