Memorial Day services at Evergreen Cemetery remember and honor loved ones as well as those unknown.
By MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS
RAFU STAFF WRITER
Memorial Day was overcast but mild at Evergreen Cemetery in Boyle Heights, and Rev. William Briones, rinban of L.A. Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, used the occasion to explain how meaningful the annual observance is for him.
Briones cited “Sen no Kaze” (A Thousand Winds), a Japanese translation of an American poem, and its message of comfort to those who mourn.
“This poetically expresses the idea that our loved ones’ thoughts, deeds and love are still with us,” he said.
Briones was joined by six representatives from temples within the Los Angeles Buddhist Temple Federation, for their annual muen-to and irei-to services.
“Muen-to is to honor those who didn’t have families locally, and had no one to mourn them when they passed,” explained Bishop Noriaki Ito, rinban of Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple. “All have been placed in a grave together, with the ashes of others, even though we might not know their names. We make sure to honor and remember them, because they are included as a valued part of our community.”
Some 50 attendees offered incense and prayers at the marble marker for these unknown neighbors, set in a corner of the cemetery that boasts row after row of headstones bearing Japanese names, many with birthdates reaching back to the 1870s.
“Evergreen was one of the only cemeteries that would accept Japanese people before the war,” Ito said. “Most of the larger, more established mortuaries wouldn’t allow it.”
The oldest cemetery in Los Angeles still in existence, Evergreen holds a unique place in many hearts, having never banned African Americans, as well as being a welcoming resting place for Japanese, Mexicans, Armenians and early white settlers.
Following the service for the unknowns, the gathering took a short walk to the Irei-to monument, to offer prayers to late family and loved ones. Again, amid chants by the Buddhist reverends, survivors queued up to pay respects before the large obelisk that was erected in 1937.
“It is so good to see so many people here, even though this is in truth, a sad occasion,” said Rev. Shumyo Kojima of Zenshuji Buddhist Temple, who thanked Nikkei Fujinkai for maintaining the muen-to marker and again touched upon how many of those buried at Evergreen endured racial discrimination in their lives.
Scouts from Troop 479 at Koyasan assisted in the service, helping to move flower arrangements and providing the playing of “Taps.”
For Ito, this Memorial Day comes with added emotion, as he plans to retire in September, after 50 years of ministry.
“It’s interesting – Memorial Day is a time to honor those who served and gave their lives in the armed forces,” he said, noting how his own father-in-law was a veteran of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team that fought in World War II. “But for many Japanese Americans, this is also a day to honor everyone who has passed on, soldiers or not.”