Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ebisu Sama Shrine
Even though all of the original Ma'alaea Village has been bulldozed and rebuilt, there's
still one tiny piece of history quietly sandwiched between the Harbor Shops and the
Ma'alaea General Store. If you go to use the harbor restrooms next to the Coast Guard
Station, and you see a lonely, out of place shrine across the street, this is the
Ebisu Sama
Shrine,
a building erected by Maui's Japanese immigrant community in the early 1900s.
Though most Japanese laborers ended up working in the sugarcane plantations, others op-
ted for the job of commercial fishers, and this Shinto shrine is meant to bring safety to
those venturing out to sea. A festival is still held here on the second Sunday of January,
but other than that, this small shrine is mostly closed to the public.
Kihei doesn't have a defined city center or any real historical sites. Historically, however,
Kihei was known for being empty as opposed to full. During the days of the ancient
Hawaiians the Kihei area was referred to as “Kamaole,” a word which loosely translates
as “barren.” Even during World War II the soft, gently sloping beaches of Kihei were used
by the military as practice zones for amphibious landing craft. Nevertheless, there are still
a few places in Kihei to either get back to nature or catch a glimpse of the past.
