October 2005
VOLUME III ISSUE 10

a place where ancient traditions thrive

Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha
Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu
Autumn Thanksgiving Festival 秋季感謝大祭
The point of Thanksgiving is to remember the things we have to be grateful for. It's our special time to give
thanks... not just for the food we partake, but for the thousands of fortunate moments, the multitude of blessings that we
receive every day of our lives. Giving thanks is a powerful tool that can dramatically improve your life and the lives of
those around you.
The Autumn Thanksgiving Festival is a special day to express gratitude that will enhance every aspect of ourlives. The festival commenced at 3:00 pm on Sunday, October 23, officiated by Rev. Masa Takizawa and assisted bymembers of the Honolulu Shinto Renmei: Rev. Naoya Shimura of Hawaii Ishizuchi Jinja, Rev. Daiya Amano of Izumo
Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii and Rev. Akihiro Okada of Daijingu Temple of Hawaii. A Miko mai entitled Toyosaka noMai was performed by Shawna Arakaki.
Kyodan President Shinken Naitoh welcomed guests and invited all to join members for a time of fellowship. A
delectable array of Japanese delicacies were prepared by Fujinkai President
Miyono Shimoda, Vice-President Kumiko Sakai and the ladies of the women’sauxiliary club.
Adding to the enjoyment was classical Japanese dances by the studentsof Hanayagi Mitsuyuri of Hanayagi Dancing Academy, students of Harry Urataof Urata Music Studio, hula by Lillian Yajima of the Japanese Women’s Society,
Shigin by Kumiko Sakai and Hatsuko Nakazato, karaoke by Shawna Arakaki andan extraordinary rendition of Yasuki Bushi by Vice President, Robert Shimoda.
The special day was a memorable and enjoyable time of sharing. Mahalo
to all who helped in the planning, preparation and clean-up to make this event asuccess.

MAHALO SUPPORTERS for your generous donations

Diane Ogasawara

Thomas & Linda Agawa

Toshiaki Kimura

Mitsunobu & Mihoko Ohashi

Aisen Shiatsu Chiryo-in

Elaine Komatsu

Toshio & Gladys Okamura

Rev. Daiya Amano

Kotohira-gu

Fujie Sakai

Lois Arakaki

Matsuko Kubo

Richard & Kumiko Sakai

Toshiko Fujisaki

James Kunichika

Raymond Sekiya

Mitsuyuri Hanayagi

James & Melba Kurashige

Robert & Miyono Shimoda

Bob Harada

Kendra Marsh

Mitsuru & Umeko Suehisa

Nobuo & Mary Hayashi

Glenn & Karen Matsumoto

Alice Sugimoto

Kyoko Isa

Audrey Miyamoto

Sugimoto Family

Robert & Jean Ishihara

Shinken & Marilyn Naitoh

Denichi Tanaka

Hawaii Daijingu

Seikichi Nakama

Betty Totoki

Hawaii Ishizuchi Jinja

Masateru & Hatsuko Nakazato

James & Roberta Uesugi

Hawaii Izumo Taisha

Nakazato Fish Market

Eiko Wong

Honolulu Fukuoka Kenjinkai

Craig & Diane Nishida

Calvin Yamada

Japanese Kitchen Bamboo

Fumiko NishimuraThomas Yamamoto

Sachiko Kele

Axel Obara

Shigeo & Keiko Yoshinaga

Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha－Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit church. All contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extend allowed by law.

Give 5 October

MAHALO
Bob HaradaAxel Obara
Irene Takizawa

GIVE 5 is a program of theshrine to volunteer 5 hours a monthof your time and efforts in assisting tomaintain the shrine.
There’s always a place to plug in at the shrine.
Call Bob Harada at 383-7383 for volunteer opportunities.

SHRINE SCHEDULE
神社スケジュールNOVEMBER
1-30
6十一月

Shichigosan 七五三

Tsukinami-sai Monthly Service 月次祭

13 Hatsumode Preparations

初詣準備

20 Hatsumode Preparations

初詣準備

DECEMBER

十二月

4

Tsukinami-sai Monthly Service 月次祭

7Pearl Harbor Memorial Serviceパ-ルハ-バ-・メモリアル・サ-ビス

TBA Clean Up & Mochi Pounding

煤払いと餅つき30 Hatsumode Preparations

初詣準備

30 Toshi koshi no O-oharae 年越の大祓Autumn Thanksgiving Festival
MAHALO VOLUNTEERS

Rev. Daiya Amano
Shawna Arakaki
Bryson Goda
Linda Goda
Hanayagi Dancing Academy
Hanayagi Mitsuyuri
Hawaii Senbukan
Bob Harada
Nobuo Hayashi
Juston Isa
Kyoko Isa
Michelle Johnson

Robert Johnson
Sachiko Kele
Audrey MiyamotoMarilyn Naitoh
Shinken Naitoh
Hatsuko Nakazato
Craig NishidaDiane Nishida
Jill Nishida
Fumiko Nishimura
Axel Obara
Mihoko Ohashi

Mitsunobu Ohashi
Kumiko Sakai
Richard Sakai
Miyono Shimoda
Robert Shimoda
Rev. Naoya Shimura
Rev. Akihiro Okada
Irene Takizawa
Betty Wakatake
Eiko Wong
Lillian Yajima

Local Kine Grindz 寿司 Sushi
すしの起源は、紀元前4世紀頃の東南アジアにさかのぼります。貴重なタンパク質をおぎなうため、米の中に塩味をつけた魚を漬けて発酵させた魚肉保存法だとされています。内臓を処理した魚を米飯に漬け、米飯の自然発酵によって魚の保存性を高めた食べ物でした。このすしを「なれずし」と呼び、数十日から数カ月たったところで魚をとりだし、食べるのは魚だけ、米は捨てられていたのです。
やがて中国に伝わり、平安時代日本にも伝わります。日本人は米飯好きの民族だったので、室町時代後期に魚だけでなくご飯も一緒に食べる「生成ずし」が盛んになりました。魚は半生の状態で米飯もまだ飯として食べられる内に一緒に食べてしまうもので、すしは保存食から料理へと変わるのです。
ご飯が最初は発酵を助けるためだけであり、貯蔵を目的としていたのですが、江戸時代になると、日本独特のご飯そのものをおいしく食べる「早ずし」へと変わっていきました。自然発酵を待たずに、飯に酢を混ぜ、魚だけでなく野菜・乾物などを用いて作り、この形態は、日本各地にその土地の産物と強く結びついたものとして今でも見受けられます。
19世紀初め頃、東京が江戸と呼ばれていた時代、江戸の町には、屋台を中心とする外食産業が軒を列ねていました。その中で「にぎり寿司」が世に登場しました。江戸前、すなわち東京湾でとれる魚介・のりを使うことから「江戸前寿司」とも呼ばれています。すし商、華屋与兵衛の改良により、そのおいしさ、その簡便さが江戸中の評判になっていったのです。

Japan is an island nation, its surrounding seas warmed by Kuroshio, the plankton-rich Japan Current, and abundantwith an astonishing variety of fish and shellfish. Japan has always fed its dense population from the sea and the rice fields,
its cuisine emphasizing what nature provides. Sushi, the combination of raw fish and seasoned rice that seems so exotic toforeigners, is a supremely logical food in Japan.
It is said that the origin of sushi is in Southeast Asia. Cleaned, raw fish were pressed between layers of salt andrice and weighted with a stone. After a few weeks, the stone was removed and replaced with a light cover, and a few
months after that, the fermented fish and rice were considered ready to eat.
It wasn't until the 1900's that a creative chef named Yohei decided to forego the fermentation and serve sushi insomething resembling its present form. It became very popular and two distinct styles emerged. Kansai style, from the cityof Osaka in the Kansai region, and Edo style, from Tokyo, which was then called Edo. Osaka has always been the commercial capital of Japan, and the rice merchants there developed sushi that consisted primarily of seasoned rice mixed withother ingredients formed into decorative, edible packages. Tokyo, located on a bay then was rich with fish and shellfish.
Although the ornamental sushi of the Kansai region is still very popular, it is the Tokyo-style nigirizushi that foreigners arefamiliar with.

Some rules to remember when eating Sushi:
••
••
•
•

Never pass food to someone using chopsticks. This act parallels passing cremated bones of a deceased relative at aJapanese funeral. If you must share food, pass them the plate so that they can pick from it instead.
If you take food from a shared plate, use the reverse ends of your chopsticks - not the ends which go in your mouth.
Never bite into a piece of food and then replace the other half on your plate. Once you have picked something up you
should eat all of it.
When not using your chopsticks, you should place them in front of you, parallel to the edge of the sushi bar, with thenarrow ends on the provided hashioki; never place them directly on the bar.
Never leave rice after a meal. Leaving any kind of food is considered rude, but leaving rice is especially so.
Don't make wasabi soup with your shoyu! Sushi chef's cringe at this spectacle that Americans often make. Most
westerners eat sushi by dipping it rice-side-down into the shoyu, letting the soy soak up into the rice. However, thepurpose of the shoyu is not to flavor the rice, but the fish. As such, the sushi should be dipped rice-side-up in the shoyu
and then carried to the mouth.

Dances with Lions

Bryson Goda performinga shishimai at the Autumn
Thanksgiving Festival.

Hanayagi Mikami-san(Diane Ogasawara)

Mahalo to Hanayagi Mikami-san (Diane Ogasawara) of Hanayagi Dancing
Academy for breathing new life into the shrine’s Shishi Gashira lion head.
The relic was sleeping in storage for over 30 years until it was revived by Bob
Harada a few years ago for use in his Shishi Mai performances.
The Shishi is a mythical beast thought to exorcise demons and bring happinessand is a popular attraction, especially during New Years. The lion's dance steps arethought to exorcise epidemics and disaster and having your head bitten by the lion issaid to bring good health and positive energies for the new year.
The lion is usually manipulated by one person, a performance called hitoridachi. When it is performed by two people, it is called futaridachi.
The shrine’s Shihi Gashira or lion head is made of Kiri or
Asian Paulonia wood and coated with lacquer. Unfortunately,
the Shishi gashira suffered the ravagesof time with severe damages to thecloth and mane.
Hanayagi Mikami-san handpainted the traditional arabesque Karakusa print onto a new piece of clothand painstakingly attached it to thelion’s head along with new strands ofhair.

Let There Be Light
Drug dealers openly roamed Olomea
Street 24 hours a day selling illegal drugs. Stolenvehicles were being stripped and constantly left in
front of the shrine and prostitutes were plying theirtrade at night.
Although the number and frequency ofillegal activities have plummeted over the years
due to aggressive advocacy by the shrine, there
was one element of environmental design that wasnever implemented due to prohibitive costs- exterior lighting on Olomea.
Volunteer Axel Obara defined three primary objectives for the lighting project - safety,security and aesthetics. Materials were assembled,
work began on September 19 and was completed
on September 26.
The new lights on the freeway side of the shrine have sharply cut criminal behavior and at the same timeincreased pedestrian visibility, making neighbors feel safer at night. According to HECO, lighting a45-watt bulb for 10 hours a night costs about 11¢ a night, about $40 a year.
Mahalo to Axel Obara for undertaking this project and assisting in the shrine’s efforts of building community, generating support for anti-crime programs and enhancing the quality of life in our island state.

KOKORO Cherished Japanese Traditions in Hawaii
KOKORO was written in commemoration of the Japanese Women’s society ofHawaii’s 50th anniversary and has generated interest in the Japanese culture since it’spublication in 2004.
Tidbits about Japanese beliefs and practices are abound and will give both Japanese and non-Japanese deep insight into the local Japanese culture. The book hilights
traditions such a Obon, Shogatsu, Shichigosan, craft ideas and tried and true recipes.
The book came to life in an exhibition of the same name at the Japanese
Cultural Center of Hawaii in spring of this year, showcasing a wide range ofcultural arts featured in the book.
Proceeds from book sales will go to scholarships for graduate students inthe field of gerontology.

Sanshu no Jingi (The Japanese Imperial Regalia)
In recent weeks, the shrine has received numerous inquiries as to theJapanese Imperial Regalia Sanshu no Jingi. For those who watch Yoshitsune onTV, the battle of Dan no Ura concluded with the defeat of the Heike Clan. Upon
realizing their defeat, the grandmother of the child Emperor leads the Emperorand his entourage to commit suicide by drowning in the waters along with thethree Imperial Regalia. The Minamoto managed to stop a few of the Heike andrecovered the Jewels and Mirror. However, the Kusanagi no Tsurugi sword
was lost at sea.
The Japanese Imperial Regalia or Sanshu no Jingi consists of theKusanagi no Tsurugi (sword) Yasakani no Magatama (jewels) and the Yata noKagami (Mirror) and are sacred relics that are symbols of the legitimacy andThe Sanshu no Jingi - mirror, sword and jewel
authority of the Emperor. According to Shinto thought, the mirror as reflecting
everything properly is a symbol of honesty, the sword for courage and the jewels
for affection.
According to legend, these treasures were brought by Ninigi no Mikoto ancestor of the Japanese Imperial
line, when his grandmother, Amaterasu the Sun Goddess sent him
to pacify Japan. The mirror was used to lure Amaterasu from her
hiding place when she hid in a cave from her unruly brother,
Susano no Mikoto. When she emerged from the cave, the deitiesof heavens presented her with the Jewels. Magatama jewels are
pear shaped pieces of crystal, agate, jasper and other semiprecious stones. The Sword, originally named Ame-noMurakmumo-no-Tsurugi was removed from the tail of a serpent
slain by Susano no Mikoto and presented to his sister, Amaterasu
as a sign of submission.
The sword is stored at Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya, the mirror
in the Grand Shrines of Ise in Mie and the Jewels at the Imperial
Palace in Tokyo. There are many theories surrounding the Sword.
Some say the Sword was lost at sea during the Dan no Ura battle
and a replica is stored at Atsuta Jingu. There are also
stories that in 668 C.E., a Korean monk named Dogio stole theSword from Atsuta Jingu, but his ship was lost at sea.
Ninigi-no-Mikoto with the Yata-no-Kagami mirror