Bishop Mitsumyo Tottori was born Motosuke Tottori on May 6, 1898, on the island of Shikoku, Japan. He was the sixth of seven children born to Shoji and Nami Tottori. At the age of 11 he received his tokudō (desire to entire priesthood) and his kaimei (priest name), Mitsumyo. At 15 he received his dochō (certificate) signifying his commitment to become a Shingon priest.

On Feb. 2, 1914, Tottori completed his final ordination ceremony (Denpo Kanjo), entitling him to communicate the doctrines of Shingon Buddhism. Tottori enrolled in the Shingon Shū Kyoto University. He graduated on March 12, 1924. Due to his excellent academic record there, he was recommended to undergo study at Koyasan for missionary work. After completing his training at Koyasan, Tottori was sent to Korea for a brief period. However, he was ultimately assigned to assist in Hawaii.

On Dec. 20, 1925, Tottori arrived in Hawaii. He was assigned to assist Bishop Kō-ō Kameyama at the Hawaii Shingon Shū Betsuin (head temple) in Honolulu. In June 1927 he was reassigned to the Komyōji Temple in Wailuku, Maui. There he met and married Aiko Fujitani of Lahaina, Maui. After spending nine years in Wailuku, the Tottori family moved to Japan so that the now Reverend Tottori could serve at the Hōrakuji Temple. But on Feb. 3, 1940, Tottori returned to Hawaii to serve at Shingon Shū Koshōji Temple in Haleiwa.

At the onset of World War II, agents of both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the local military extensively interrogated Reverend Mitsumyo Tottori. While all other Japanese Buddhist ministers were interned, the Tottori family was allowed to stay on Oahu due to articles Tottori had written prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which encouraged Nisei to remain loyal to the United States. Tottori was not permitted to hold group services during the war, but he conducted private memorial services throughout Oahu, which spurned requests by Japanese Americans for Tottori to pray for their family members away at war.

Reverend Tottori kept notebooks during the war in which he transcribed the names of all the soldiers whose families requested his prayers. In addition, he also made tōba (religious memorial tablets) for the Hawaii Nisei who died during the war. He prayed for them in his personal prayers and at o-bon and o-higan services. A total of 420 tōba were created. Today they remain enshrined on the main altar of the Liliha Shingonji Mission. Tottori kept similar notebooks during the Korean Conflict (“Prayer Book of Names”). He recorded the names of all the Hawaii Nisei who served, continuing to update it until 1958.

At the end of World War II, Reverend Tottori was appointed the sixth bishop of the Hawaii Shingon Shū Betsuin in Honolulu. In 1947, Tottori was appointed the Director of Missionary Work in Hawaii. On Jan. 21, 1958, Bishop Tottori attained the rank of Dai Sōjo (Archbishop). That same year, he retired to Daigo Bun Kyo In Temple, which he renamed Liliha Shingon Mission (now Liliha Shingonji Mission). During this time, Tottori attended night school to study English and took citizenship classes at McKinley High School. On Jan. 8, 1959, Bishop Tottori became an American citizen.

In October 1961, Bishop Tottori was invited to participate in the Gaku Shū Dai Kanjo Ceremony to receive the highest rank and recognition for scholarly achievement. He was conferred the title of Dentō Dai Ajari (Abbot). During the Centennial Celebration of Japanese Immigration to Hawaii in 1968, Tottori was presented with the 6th Order of Merit with the Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Japanese government for his contributions to the United States. In 1973, the All Japan Buddhist Headquarters awarded Bishop Tottori the Mikkyo Kyokasho (Shingon Buddhism Missionary Award) in recognition for his dedication to missionary work.

Throughout his life Tottori pursued interests in calligraphy and poetry writing. He was a member of the Honolulu Poetry Club. His pen name was Nichigu Dōnin (“House of the Sun” or “Haleakala”).

Bishop Tottori died on Jan. 6, 1976, at the age of 77 after a brief illness. Hundreds whose lives Tottori had touched with his dedication to the Hawaiian Buddhist community attended the ceremony.

Adapted from: “Bishop M. Tottori, Hawaii AJA, 1943-1958,” Bishop M. Tottori Papers, Archives & Manuscripts Department, University of Hawaii at Manoa Library.