The back-to-school season is a time filled with capturing the last days of summer, assembling school supplies, coordinating
new wardrobes and adjusting to new schedules. This is a time that brings about a variety of emotions for parents, teachersand students as a new school year begins.

Haw aii Kotohir a Jinsha
Haw aii Dazaifu Tenm angu

September 2016

The shrine offered a special blessing seeped in ancient tradition honoring students of all ages so they may be blessed withthe spirit of learning, persevere in their studies and be safe and free from violence and crime. The Otaku Summer Festival
was combined with the annual blessing with Anime-related vendors, entertainment and delicious by the Animaid Cafe.
Kicking off the event was a service officiated by Rev. Takizawa and attended by President Shinken Naitoh, Kell Komatsubara- chair of the Otaku Summer Festival and volunteers.

MAHALOVount eer s
Pr epar at ion s
8-6-2016
Jessica Fishel
Victoria Hallett
Galen Komatsu
Kell Komatsubara
Mike Lee
Matt Maeda
Marilyn Naitoh
Shinken Naitoh
Craig NishidaDiane Nishida
Gary Shinsato
Linda Shinsato
Jonathan Sison
Wayne Takenaka
Val Tsutsumi

Back -To-Sch ool
Blessin g & Ot ak u
Su m m er Fest ival
8-7-2016

Shinken Naitoh
Mei NakaiMarvin Nakajima
Craig NishidaDiane Nishida

Lois Arakaki
Nick Arakawa
Renee Carlyle
Puna Choo
Gayle Fujihara
Victoria Hallett
Kathy Hamada-Kwock
Bob Harada
Stacie Hata
Odie Kepo'o
Kien Kicho
Asami Kobata
Robert Kono
Canaan Kutzen
Milton Kwock
Matt Maeda
Marilyn Naitoh

Ryukyu Matsuri Daiko

Rich Salcido
Nicolo Santos
Danielle Sato
Bethany Schwartz
Gary Shinsato
Linda Shinsato
Jonathan Sison
Sharon Toma
Pam Verrey
Kaede Yanagiharaw w w.f lick r .com / k ot oh ir a-dazaif u

M AHALOCALENDAR

f or you r don at ion s

SEPTEM BER

Tom & Linda AgawaJames Brown
Bill & Keiko Doughty
Pat Fujisaki
Hanae Gouveia
Bob Harada
In Memory of Kama &Kamado Isa
Kyoko Isa
Rodney & Sharon Isa
Kell Komatsubara
Cory Kubota
Kunishima Ohana
James & Melba Kurashige
Mike Lee
Shinken & Marilyn Naitoh
Jeanette Nakata
Jon Nakata
Akiko Sanai
Tatsu Sasaki
Gary & Linda Shinsato
Wayne & Corrine Takara

A blessing w as per for m ed on July 28 for theW indw ar d Laundr om at Expr ess, opening inm id-August in Kaneohe.

1Reservations accepted for
Sh ich igosan & Ju san M air i

43 pm
Tsu k in am isai Ser vice

25

3 pm
Au t u m n Taisai Fest ival

OCTOBER
23/29/30

9 am - 1 pm

Sh ich igosan & Ju san M air i
23

Graffitti season is here !!!!

3 pm
Tsu k in am isai Ser vice

In 1920, a Gobunrei (spirit of thedeity of the main shrine) from
Kotohira-gu in Kagawa-ken, Japanwas brought to Hawaii by Rev.
Hitoshi Hirota, Yasubei Motoyasu,
Bunichi Tanaka (a carpenter who
lived on Kama Lane), Kyujiro
Taguchi (owner of JapaneseAmerican Groceries on Akepo Lane)
and Gennosuke Okamoto.

legitimate branch of the famous
shrine in Kagawa-ken.
On February 20, 1924, the shrine
was acknowledged by the
Territorial government as a
non-profit church and officiallybegan its religious activities as thefirst Kotohira-gu on American soil.

Many Japanese farmers, flower
growers and poultry and hog
farmers worked and lived near
Kam IV Road while those inbusiness and industrial ventures
worked and lived along North KingStreet.

A residence at 1256-A North King
Street was converted into a shrine
where Rev. Hirota performed thetraditional rites and rituals
embraced by the first generation
Isseis.

Rev. Hirota, the first Chief Priest
was born in 1883 in Shikinobumura, Hiba-gun, Hiroshima andmoved to Hawaii on August 17,
1917 at the age of 34 to serve at
Izumo Taishakyo Mission.

Kotohira-gu, long known as theguardian deity of fishing, prosperity
and commerce, quickly grew inpopularity and membership.
On November 3, 1920, the shrineon the corner of Wolter Lane andNorth King Street was recognized
by Kotohira-gu, Japan as aKapalama was developed as oneof the first residential areas ofHonolulu and in the 1920s,
consisted of mixed ethnicneighborhoods bound by pasturelands. The area around theKapalama Post Office waspredominantly Japanese.

Reverend Hitoshi Hirota

His wife Kotome and daughter
Miyora arrived in Hawaii on May
30, 1918 and lived with Rev. Hirota

Photo of Rev. Hirota's son - Robert
Shigemaru Hirota Awaya taken in 1958.
According to Robert's son who resides in
California, Robert was never able toreunite with his mother and sister after
the adoption. He remembered little of hisbirth parents or Hawaii, being a 1- year
old at the time of Rev. Hirota's death.

at 1039-E Pua Lane inPalama.

paternal aunt and lived
in Hiroshima.

In 1919, stricken withillness and no longer able
to fulfill his duties, Rev.
Hirota retired from
Izumo Taishakyo Mission.

Kotome and Miyora
returned to Japan in April
1926, never to be heard
from or to be reunited
with Robert.

At the insistence ofnumerous community
members, Rev. Hirota
helped to establish
Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha in
1920, where he served as
Guji until his untimely
death in 1925, at the ageof 42.

Robert was married in1949 in Tokyo andbecame muko-yoshi or
the adopted son of hiswife's parents Atae andSumi Awaya - former
residents of Palama who
returned to Tokyo tostart a thriving
dressmaking business.

The Hirotas second
child, Robert Shigemaru
was born on 4/12/1924, ayear before Rev. Hirota'spassing.
Photo taken in 1926 at Kotome Hirota's Farewell party at the shrine.
The woman wearing a kimono in the first row is Kotome, Rev. Hirota'swife. The young girl standing on the right of Kotome is Rev. Hirota's
13-year old daughter Miyora, carrying her 1-year old brother Robert .

Upon Rev. Hirota's
death in 1925, Robert
was adopted by hisRobert, his wife
Yoshiye and two children
emigrated to California in1960.
Robert passed away at
the age of 82 on April 9,2007.

Tr opi cal St or m Dar by w r eak ed h avoc on
Oah u on Ju l y 24 w i t h t or r en t i al dow n pou r s.
Dar by f l ooded Kal i h i st r eam , cr eat i n g a l ak eof m u d on Di l l i n gh am Bou l evar d an d ot h er
ar eas of Kal i h i an d Kapal am a. Heav y pon di n gcl osed t h e Sch ool St r eet ex i t of H-1 an d Ni m i t zHi gh w ay al on g M ar u k ai .

TROPICALSTORMDARBYTh e sh r i n e's 200 gal l on su bt er r an ean t an kf i l l ed u p w i t h i n 15 m i n u t es, r esu l t i n g i n apot en t i al f l oodi n g of t h e basem en t m eet i n gr oom .

Rev Tak i zaw a an d t h e sh r i n e's n ei gh bor s Ru dy, Sh er r i e an d Ju st i n San t i ago u sedbu ck et s t o bai l ou t w at er f r om t h eover f l ow i n g t an k f or n ear l y 2 h ou r s, i n adesper at e at t em pt t o m i n i m i ze dam age t o t h em eet i n g r oom .

M ain t en an ce
Mahalo to Mike Lee and Craig Nishida for installing a new submersible pump in
front of the meeting room. The old pump was replaced with a larger, faster sump
pump on July 31 to ensure sufficient power to pump the water out before it canback up and overflow.
Mahalo Bob Harada, Kell Komatsubara, Galen Komatsu and Rev. Takizawa forcleaning up the hall on July 30.