DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Byodo-In Temple in the Valley of the Temples off Kahekili Highway is a duplicate of the original Buddhist temple in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.

Byodo-In Temple duplicate is a Windward attraction

One is generally influenced by something old when building something new, whether it's an example of great architecture or just adding a lanai onto the ol' homestead.

By any measure, the Byodo-In Temple in Japan is a classic example of Japanese construction, but you don't have to travel to the city of Uji in Kyoto Prefecture to see it -- we have a duplicate example on the Windward side, full-size and exact in virtually every detail.

If it looks familiar, that's because movies shot in Hawaii that need a scene set in Japan invariably use the temple as a backdrop.

The original, a Buddhist temple converted from a country estate, was built in 998 -- that's right, it had its thousandth birthday a few years ago. Byodo-In is a central great hall hosting a representation of Buddha, bookended by corridor-like wings and backed up by another corridor out back. Look up, and you'll see statues of phoenixes, and the great hall is called, appropriately, Phoenix Hall. Buddhists believe the creature accompanies Buddha when he plucks the souls of the faithful at the moment of death.

The whole thing rears up behind a ponded garden, and when the light and angle are just right, the temple is reflected in the water. Very yin-yang.

The original temple, during the 1,000th anniversary, had its pond dredged, looking for ancient artifacts.

The temple is not just a revered Japanese national treasure (look for it on the 10-yen coin), it is considered part of human heritage by the United Nations. During the war, Allied aircraft were under orders to steer clear. An ongoing restoration is due to wrap up next year.

The Hawaii Byodo-In twin on Kahekili Highway at the non-denominational Valley of the Temples also has a big, gold-covered Buddha inside, as it turns out, apparently the largest one carved and gold-leafed in the last millenium.

The site is not only a center of religious observance by Hawaii Buddhists, it is also a favorite wedding location for all religions.

It's not nearly as old as the Kyoto shrine. It was erected in 1968 as part of a centennial celebration marking the arrival of Japanese immigrants to Hawaii.