Haw ai i Ko t o h i r a Ji n sh a
Haw ai i Dazai f u Ten m an g uAugust 2016

Kak igor i - Sh ave Ice? Kakigori or shave ice is themost popular treat during thesweltering Japanese summers
and here in Hawaii.
Kakigori, is ice that is shaved
ultra-thin with a plane andtopped with a sweet syrup.
This results in fluffy, airy icethat gently melts as you spoon it
into your mouth.
In 27 BCE, the Roman
Emperor Nero is said to haveeaten snow from the mountains
flavored with fruits and honey.
The history of kakigori inJapan goes back about 1,000years to the Heian Period.
A dish made of finely shaved
ice served with a sweet tree andflower syrup is recorded in?Makura no Soshi" (The PillowBook) by Sei Shonagon, a lady ofthe Imperial court serving

Empress Teishi. This refreshingdessert was available only toaristocrats since ice was such arare commodity in summer.
A custom that started aroundthe Meiji period was the hanging
of a colorful banner called ahyoki (ice flag) outside a store toannounce the arrival of kakigori
for the season.
The banner is white with alarge red character for ice withblue waves and flying birds inthe background.
Shave ice is now enjoyedglobally. Here in the islands,Japanese plantation workers
brought their traditional dessert
with them, creating shave icefrom large blocks of ice, using
Japanese swords which werefamily heirlooms.

20 year-old Mystery Solved

MAHALO for your generous donations
Tom & Linda Agawa
Bill & Keiko Doughty
Mamiko Fujimoto
George Fujisawa
Bob Harada
Kyoko Isa
Arthur & Sharlene IsoshimaRodney & Sharon Isa

Regan & Kimberly Iwao
Ronald & Kathleen Iwao
Mike Lee
Shinji Misu
Shinken & Marilyn Naitoh
Craig & Diane Nishida
Akiko Sanai
Gary & Linda Shinsato

Risa Sugawara
Irene Takizawa
Kengo Terai

20 years ago, a local traveler saw a
Chinowa ring at Heian Jingu in Kyoto andfinally learned what it was about after
seeing our Chinowa for People & Pets eventin the Star Advertiser.

Pokemon Go
Virtual creatures aretaking over the shrine.
Since July 16, thisusually peaceful location
has turned into a
Pokemon Go haven.
Hopefully, theexploratory nature ofthis game will provide afun battleground and anexperience of cultural
relevancy for theplayers.
This is a religious
institution, so hopefully,
players will be respectfulof the shrine and othervisitors while on theirquest to "Catch 'Em

View Event Pics at:All"www.flickr.com/kotohira-dazaifu

Tan abat a St ar Fest ival

Tanabata was celebrated at the shrine on Sunday, July 3 along with the monthly
Tsukinami-sai.
Many visitors wrote their wishes on Tanzaku strips of paper and hung them on thebamboo so they may one day achieve their wishes.
A legend from ancient China has it that two heavenly lovers, Hikoboshi and Orihime, isallowed to cross the Milky Way in the night sky only on July 7 of each year.
People began to pray to the stars in a ritual called "kikkoden" during early July so they
may be as skilled in weaving, singing, and writing as Orihime. This tradition was imported
to Japan during the 8th cenury , when it merged with an indigenous Japanese celebrationof weaving and ancestral spirits. This merger is said to be the origins of the current
Tanabata festival.

Isosh im a Oh an aby opening Isoshima Bazaar and Isoshima'sWaikiki.

The Kunosuke Isoshima clan visited theshrine for a private blessing on July 9.

He went on to becoming a successful
entrepreneur, philanthropist and patron of
the arts - especially traditional Japanese
performing arts.

Kunosuke Isoshima came to Hawaii in
1890 at age 23 from Suma, near Kobe andthree years later opened K. Isoshima Shoten
at 30 South King Street.
The popular store sold hats but also
advertised Japanese dry goods. By 1905,
Isoshima Shoten was so successful that heopened another store - The Japanese Bazaar
on Fort Street across Our Lady of PeaceCatherdral, which, like Isoshima Shoten,
was an emporium of Japanese goods.
Isoshima Shoten prospered andeventually sought help from their relatives
in Japan - the Tsukiyamas.
Seinosuke Tsukiyama, a graduate of Keio
University arrived in Honolulu in 1911 tohelp at Isoshima Shoten. Seinosuke was thefather of renown Japanese-American activist
and attorney, Ted Tsukiyama.
Isoshima Shoten pioneered some early
Aloha Shirts in the late 1930's with Japanese
prints and patterns printed on Kabe crepe
fabric. The shirts were made in a pulloverstyle, with 3 coconut buttons, a small chest
pocket and a large collar.
Born in 1899, Takeo was the first son ofKunosuke & Michi Isoshima.
Takeo eventually took over Isoshima
Shoten and expanded the family business

Several paintings, including the two
below, from the Isoshima's Isami Doi
collection were donated to the State ofHawaii.

Takeo (top left) pictured with Japanese Finance Minister
Hisato Ichimada and daughter Tomoko. Pictured on thetop right next to Takeo is Consul-General Masahide
Kanayama

and backgrounds flocked to her popular
cooking classes at the YWCA.
Takeo married Yoshie Umeda, who wasborn in 1909 in Kamakura and moved toHonolulu when she was 5 years old.
After giving birth birth to their fourthchild, Yoshie returned to Japan to care forher ailing mother-in-law in Kobe, leaving her
children with Takeo.
A graduate of St. Andrews Priory and theUniversity of Hawaii, Yoshie was known as
an accomplished cook. Women of all ages

Over five decades ago, a group of about
60 women sought to establish anorganization dedicated to helping Hawaii'selderly.
They called themselves the Japanese
Women's Society, an organization that has
grown to over 300 members.
Yoshie was one of the founding members
and served on the Board for many decades.
continued on the next pageand led the way in business andphilanthropy - well into their 80s.
Behind the Central Pacific Bank i n
Kaimuki is the Isoshima Building built
in 1977 on the site of the former
residence of the Isoshima family.
Takeo passed away in 1985,
followed by Yoshie in 2008. Takeo andYoshie were blessed with 4 children, 9
grand-children and 11 great grandchildren.
? The patriarch of the Isoshima Clan
today is Takeo and Yoshie's son Arthur, who resides in Kauai with hiswife, endearingly known as Grandma
Shar.

Yoshie is pictured on the bottom right. Sitting
next to Yoshie is Alice Noda - first U.S. citizenpresident of the Japanese Women?s Society ofHawaii. She is also the wife of the former State
Senator Steere Noda and the mother of Lillian
Yajima.

They initiated plans for and raised
more than $850,000 for Kuakini's
geriatric care home - Hale Pulama Mau.
Takeo spent years spear heading andfundraising to build the Kaimuki
Recreation Center.
Takeo and Yoshie were the pillars ofthe Japanese American community

Ohana members gathered from theMainland, Big Island, Kauai and Oahu
to celebrate their family and heritage,connect with seldom seen family
members, meet new ones and sharethe joys of a multi-generational
gathering.
Bringing together family members
whose paths have taken them todistant places is truly a special
occasion.
A special blessing was performed tobridge the five generations of theKunosuke Isoshima Ohana and to
impart the Japanese traditions that will
provide a source of identity,
strengthen bonds and create lasting
memories.
?

The Isoshima "mon" or family crest - as seen on their
Tshirts - is the Maru ni Tachibana or Orange in a circle.
Mon or family crests indicates one's origin, lineage
and social status from ancient times.
Tachibana is the family crest of such warrior families
as the Tachibana, Ii, Nakai, Yakushiji, Nojiri, Yamasaki,Kuroda, Matsudaira, and Kuze. The official mon of theNichiren sect of Buddhism is a tsuru crane. However,Nichiren's family mon was the Tachibana orange.
It is written that there was a legendary Tachibana tree
in the inner courtyard of the ancient capital of Heiankyo(Kyoto) that bore an abundance of fruits. The belief that
the Tachibana orange symbolized longevity, luck andstatus was a Taoist concept that was imported to Japan inthe 6th century.

Cal endar
AUGUST
61 pm
Educat ion Blessing Pr ep

710 am - 2 pm
Educat ion Blessing
9 am - 4 pm
Ot aku Sum m er Fest ival

SEPTEMBER
1Reservations accepted for
Shichigosan & Jusan Mair i

43 pm
Tsukinam isai Mont hly Ser vice

253 pmAut um n Thanksgiving Fest ival

Hatsumiya Mairi is an ancient tradition for those who have been
blessed with the miracle of a child. It is a special ritual that allows thenew parents to convey appreciation to the kami for the birth of theirchild and to express their wishes for the child to become good natured,kind hearted, true of spirit, respectful of all around and lead to theirinner strengths to find their own path in life.
One of the oldest Ujiko (families that live near and support theactivities of the shrine) is the Mansaku & Shige Kaizuka family. The fifth
generation of the Kaizuka clan was blessed on July 23. Congratulations
on your little bundle of joy!!