whe re ancientt r ad it ionst h riv eahsnJiairhtooaKshiinJiaaw
HaHawaii Kotohirgunamne
Tuifugazanam
Dniieaaii Dazaifu T
HaHwaw
Girl’s Day

Volume III

桃の節句

Issue 3
March 2005

桃の節句の起原は大変古く平安時代に遡ります。昔の日本には五つの節句（人日・上巳・端午・七夕・重陽）があり、当時この行事は貴族の間では、それぞれ季節の節目の身のけがれを祓う大切な行事でした。その中の一つ、上巳(じょうし)の節句が後に「桃の節句」となります。上巳はじょうみとも読まれ、本来は三月の最初の巳（み）の日という意味でしたが、かなり古い時代から3月3日に行われるようになりました
中国には、この日、水辺で身体を清め、宴会を催し災厄を祓うという風習がありました。こうした中国の節句の行事と、日本に古代から伝わる禊祓（みそぎはらい）の思想や、人形（ひとがた）を流す風習とが混じり合い、日本ならではの上巳の節句となりました. 平安時代、上巳の節句の日に人々は野山に出て薬草を摘み、その薬草で体のけがれを祓って健康と厄除けを願いました。この時のなでものを人形（ひとがた）と呼びます。この行事が後に宮中の紙の着せかえ人形で遊ぶ「ひいな遊び」と融合し自分の災厄を代わりに引き受けさせた紙人形を川に流す「流し雛」へと発展してゆきます。
室町時代になるとこの節句は3月3日に定着し、やがて紙の雛ではなく豪華なお雛さまを飾って宮中で盛大にお祝いするようになりました。その行事が宮中から武家社会へと広がり、さらに裕福な商家の家庭へと広がり、今の雛祭りの原型となっていきました。

In ancient Japan, priests would perform a purification ritual on Joshi-no-sekku or the first day of theSnake in March. Negative energies would be transferred onto paper dolls called hitogata, which were thenput in paper boats and sent sailing down the nearest river. The purification ritual originated in China andeventually crossed the sea to Japan, where it was observed by the imperial court from about the 8th century. It was during the 13th century that the purification ritual came to be observed on March 3 and thepaper dolls were made of more permanent materials, such as mud or clay, put on shelves inhomes and given offerings of food in exchange
for absorbing the negative energies.
During the 17th century, the Tokugawa
shoguns established Hina Matsuri and thetradition of displaying Hina dolls. The Hinadoll set represents an imperial wedding on aspring day at Heian Kyo, present day Kyoto.
The dolls' clothing and hair are representativeof the period, which spanned the years 7941185. The dolls are usually made of wood,covered by a substance made of oyster shells.
Hina dolls display a quiet beauty of expression
clothed in exquisite fabrics and rich colors.
Because they exhibit a high level of artistic
workmanship, Hina dolls have attained thestatus of a formative art, constituting a separate
genre within the field of handicrafts.

MAHALO SUPPORTERS
Omar & Joyce FaufataMichiyo Ninomiya

Noriko Fujisaki

Yoko Nomi

Hawaii Fukuoka Kenjinjkai

Doris Okawa

Hawaii Senbukan

Earl & Toyoko Okawa

Nobuo Hayashi

Lois Okawa

Kyoko Isa

Richard & Kumiko Sakai

Hatsuko Nakazato

Hair Salon - Studio 1128

James & Setsuko Kaneshiro

Alice Sugimoto

Henry & Shizu Kawai

Sugimoto FamilyMatsuko Kubo

Takashi & Tei Takizawa

Yasuo & Joyce Mito

Yoshiko Tanaka

Aisha Morgan

Jeffrey & Akiko Tash

Shinken & Marilyn Naitoh

Ashley Thompson

Masateru & Hatsuko Nakazato

Tina Yamamoto

SpringThanksgiving
Festival
春季感謝大祭SundayApril 24, 2005
3:00 pm

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

Honolulu Then…..
Kau Kau Corner was a 24-hour drivein at the intersection of Kapiolani Boulevardand Kalakaua Avenue. It opened in 1935 andwas replaced by Coco's coffee shop in 1960.
Currently the Hard Rock Cafe is at thissame location.

SHRINE CALENDARAPRIL 四月
33:00 pm
Tsukinami-sai 月次祭

23

8:30 am
Clean-up & Mochi Pounding
掃除と餅つき

24

3:00 pm
Spring Thanksgiving Festival
春季感謝大祭

MAY

五月

15

3:00 pm
Tsukinami-sai 月次祭

29

7:30 amHonolulu Shinto Renmei
Memorial Day Service
ホノルル神道連盟
メモリアル・デー・サービス

2

3

Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi 草薙の剣
Kusanagi-no-tsurugi or Grasscutter, is a legendary
Japanese sword, as important to Japan's history as Excalibur
is to England’s. The history of this sword extends intolegend when the kami, Susano-o-No-Mikoto encountered
the grieving family of Ashina-Zuchi. Upon inquiry,
theelder lamented that his family was ravaged by thefearsome 8-headed serpent of Koshi who consumed
seven of the family's eight daughters. The creature wascoming for his final daughter, Kushi-Nada-Hime. Susano
proceeded to investigate the creature, and after an abortive
encounter, returned with a plan to defeat it. In return, heasked for Kushi-Nada-Hime's hand in marriage which wasagreed. Transforming her temporarily into a comb to have
Her company during the battle, he detailed his plan.
The three Imperial Regalia - mirror, sword andSusano instructed the preparation of 8 vats of sake tothe jewel are Japan’s symbol of divine authority
be put on individual platforms positioned behind a fencewith eight gates. The monster took the bait and put each ofits heads through each of the gates. With the necessary distraction provided, Susano attacked and slew
the beast, decapitating each of the heads and tails. In the fourth tail, he discovered a sword inside thebody of the dragon which he called Murakakumo-No-Tsurugi, literally “Sword of the Village of theClustering Clouds” which he presented to the goddess, Amaterasu. Generations later in the reign of the12th emperor Keiko, the sword was given to the great warrior Yamato Takeru by his aunt, Yamato
Hime to protect her nephew in times of peril.
The gift came in handy when Yamato Takeru was lured onto an open grassland during a hunting
expedition by a treacherous warlord. The lord trapped Yamato Takeru in a field and ignited the grassaround him. Desperately, Yamato-Takeru used Murakakumo-No-Tsurugi to cut back the grass, but indoing so, he discovered that the sword enabled him to control the wind around to make it move in thedirection he swung. Taking advantage of the magic, Yamato Takeru triumphed and renamed Murakakumo-No-Tsurugi to Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi or
Grasscutter to commemorate his narrow escape andvictory.
In historical times, the emperor possessed areal sword with this name. Along with the jewel andthe mirror, it was one of the three Imperial regalia
until the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185. The great
naval battle of Dan-no-ura was the final climax of along series of bitter wars between the Taira andMinamoto clans. The defeat of the Taira forces of thechild Emperor Antoku, resulted in the Emperor's
grandmother leading Emperor Antoku and his
entourage to commit suicide by drowning in theocean along with the mirror, jewel and Kusanagi-noTsurugi. Minamoto soldiers managed to recover theMirror and the Jewel of the Emperor, however
Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was never found.
Although the original Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi
was never recovered, a replica ordered centuries prior
to the battle of Dan-no-ura by the 10th Emperor Sujin
remains at Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya. It is chronicledthat the replicas of the Mirror and Kusanagi-notsurugi was made to enshrine their spirits while theoriginals might accompany the sovereign.

Mahalo
Hawaiian Dredging
and Honolulu Ford
Our sincere Mahalo goes out
to Hawaiian Dredging and our newneighbor, Honolulu Ford for theirefforts in graffiti eradication onOlomea Street.

It is important to remove graffiti assoon as possible, because left in place,graffiti adds to the deterioration of ourneighborhoods and like this case, will
invite response from rival taggers.
When neighborhoods become
involved in frequent removal of graffiti, it
sends a message to offenders that theirdestructive graffiti and other activities will
not be tolerated.

弥生 Yayoi
３月は弥生（やよい）ともいいます。
弥生の「弥（いや）」は「いよいよ」「ますます」などを意味します。弥生の「生（おい）」は、「生い茂る」と使われるように、草木が芽吹くことを意味します。
他に、花月(かげつ)、嘉月(かげつ)、花見月(はなみづき)、夢見月(ゆめみつき)、暮春(ぼしゅん)等の別名もある。
March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar andone of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days.
In ancient Rome, March was called Martius. It was named after thewar god Mars and was considered a lucky time to begin a war.
In the old Japanese calendar dating back to the Heian Period (794-1185),
March is called Yayoi (弥生). Yayoi, which literally means “grass growsdense” is said to be a month of growth.
Other names for March is Kagetsu, Hanamizuki, Boshun and Yumemizuki.

45歳祝い Toshi-iwai - Celebrations of LongevityIn Shinto, there are many passages of later life and rituals that support and guide people through the spiritual
dimensions of those passages. The shrine offers private blessings for these auspicious celebrations of longevity.
還暦からの長寿を祝う儀式を「年祝い」といいます。これらの歳には無事に人生を送れたことへの感謝と喜びを神さまにご奉告し、ご家族そろってお祝いするとよいでしょう。
KANREKI- 60 years Kanreki is observed at the completion of the zodiac cycle and is a joyous occasion whichcelebrates the beginning of a new cycle and evaluation of the meaning and purpose of one’s life.
暦十干、十二支の周期が60年で一巡するため60歳になると自分の生まれた年の干支に戻ると考えられ、新たに生命が再生されることを表して、赤子の姿になることを習わしとしているのです。還暦はその家の家系が代々続き、家業が繁栄することを願う儀式です。
KOKI - 70 years Koki is a word derived from a poem by the Chinese poet Tu Fu. It is also a time for a new focus inlife - to see the quality and meaning of our lives even in the face of illness or declining physical or cognitive capacity.
古希は中国の詩人、杜甫の「曲江の詩」の一節「人生七十、古来稀なり」の語句に由来します。
KIJU - 77 years

The kanji character for Ki means happiness and is written using the characters for 7 - 10 - 7 or 77.

喜寿は喜の字のお祝い。喜の字を草書で書くと（七十七）と読めることに由来します。
BEIJU - 88 years of age Bei, the character for rice is written using the character for eight, ten, eight and is often
referred to as the “rice birthday”. Ju means longevity.
米寿は米の字を分解すると八十八になることから88歳は米の祝いともいい、米文化の日本と末広がりの八の字と二重ねでおめでたいものです｡

HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY - James Kaneshiro

President Emeritus
James Kaneshiro
celebrated his 80thbirthday at thePagoda Las Salle
Restaurant onSunday
February 20,
surrounded bywife Setsuko,
family and friends.
James Kaneshiro rockin’ to therhythm of the Macarena

Setsuko Kaneshiro dancing the“Chicken Dance”

Robert Shimoda, 2nd placewinner of the Jankenpo gameAhi - The King of Fish
魚の王様マグロAhi, an excellent source of lean protein,vitamins and minerals is a wonderful way to excite
the palate while maintaining a balanced diet.
However, ahi has more to offer than just great tasteand nutrition. Fresh ahi or canned tuna can also helpKama
lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Research hasO-Toroshown that omega-3 fatty acids, found in abundancein fatty fish like ahi can help lower the risk of heart
Chu-Torodisease, ease the pain of arthritis, reduce asthma
complications and is essential in the growth anddevelopment of young children.
The American Heart Association recommends
that people eat "at least 2 servings of fish per week" for its cardio benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids have beenshown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Protein is essential to building lean muscle mass and providing the body with energy. Ahi is so high inprotein, that just one 6 ounce serving yields a third of the recommended daily allowance. Both canned and fresh
tuna helps the body eliminate bad fats consumed from eating other foods. What's more, eating tuna and foods
rich in omega 3 fatty acids can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of stroke. Besides being cardioprotective, a growing body of research links omega-3 fatty acids with optimal brain function and cognition,
improved eye and skin health, protection against certain cancers, and a therapeutic effect on depression
depression and specific autoimmune diseases such as lupus and arthritis.
まぐろは世界中の海に分布しています。現在、多くのまぐろは海外の海で遠洋漁業によって捕られ、冷凍で送られてきます。マグロは，最も高級で，魚の王様と言われ，マグロの中でも特にクロマグロは500Kgまて成長する超大型で超高級な魚です。マグロの仲間には大きさの順にクロマグロ，ミナミマグロ，メバチ，キハダ等の種類があり，その味はそれぞれに特徴があります。 クロマ
グロ，ミナミマグロは味も色も濃く身は固めで，冷たい海を好むことから大トロがとれます。
メバチは，身はクロマグロに比べ柔らかめですが，味色は濃く，脂の乗りも良くおいしい魚です。
キハダは身は固めで色は薄く，味は淡泊です。このように味にはそれぞれ特徴があります。
マグロは人に必要な栄養を豊富に含み、話題の高度不飽和脂肪酸のDHA（ドコサヘキサエン酸）が目玉の周辺に多く含まれ学習機能を高める効果があるそうです。
マグロの脂身のDHAは100g 当たリ 2,880mgで，魚類中最も多く、血栓病や脳卒中、心筋梗塞を予防すると言われております。
Fresh ahi is especially popular during the holiday season in Hawaii. Pictured
above are chunks of fresh ahi at Nakazato Fish Market in Kekaulike Market