Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha - Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu
M AY 2018

Th e f ir st Sh ich igosan blessin g of 2018 w as per f or m ed on M ay 10

M AHALO
f or you r don at ion s
Thomas & Linda Agawa
Marshall Cadelina
Kathy Castillo
Ai Conrad
Hideki Daimon
Bill & Keiko Doughty
Eientei Animations
Kumiko Futatsuiwa
Keith Hakoda
Bob Harada
Elaine Harano
Eric & Nozomi Heenan
Mike T. Lee
Steve Miwa
Cary & Kazuko Morita
Shinken & Marilyn Naitoh
Craig & Diane Nishida
Glenn & Esther Nishio
Akiko Sanai
Gary & Linda ShinsatoAllan Takeshita

New Sh r in e Logo
The shrine finally has its own visual identity,
created by the icon of Aloha wear - Sig Zane ofHilo.
Sig is a child of Hawaii and has lived in therhythms of nature with an intimate knowledgeof the relationship of nature and mankind andof traditional Hawaiian culture. His
philosophies echo those of Shinto.
The shrine's new visual identity is a tangible
form of the traditions of the shrine represented
by the sacred Sakaki
which symbolizes aSense of Place,
Offering, Balance,
Growth, Purity,
Sincerity,Gratitude and Family.
These importantprinciples are thefoundation of ourshrine.

Shrine Director Br yson
Goda aka Hanayagi
Mitsujyuro left for Japanon April 22 to train for ayear in Nihon Buyoclassical dance andShamisen.
He presently has a Shihan
Dance Master 's license
and will be pursuing aShihan in shamisen fromthe Kineya school ofNagauta. Ganbatte!!!

See events photos at: www.flickr.com/kotohira-dazaifu

Baby Blessin gChildren are the fulfillment of the dreams of many
generations. Few things are as profound and life-changing as
welcoming a child into your life, whether by birth, marriage oradoption.
Honor these milestones with ceremonies to help you step into
parenthood, feel the support of our loved ones and recognize
the role others will play in your child's life.
A Baby Blessing was performed for Micah on May 6.

4 Japan ese t each in gs f or r aisin g a ch ild
Research reveals that American children lag behind in academic
achievement, happiness and wellness.
The Japanese child reading practices are based on the dependencyof the child on their mother, contrary to American culture where
the child needs to be independent.
Here are some tips from the Japanese in child rearing:
1. Keep your newborn by your skin
2. Let a baby leave your skin, but do not let them leave your hands
3. Let a child leave your hands, but not your sight
4. Let a youth leave your sight, but not your heart

A House Blessing was
performed in Halawa on
April 16.
The land and home was
symbolically purified andcleansed of old negative
energies, making way for
positive and a balanced
atmosphere of peace,protection and happiness.

A Kanreki and Beiju Birthday blessing was
performed on May 11.
In Shinto, there are many passages of later
life and rituals that support and guidepeople through the spiritual dimensions ofthose passages.
The 88th birthday is the occasion of beiju(? ? ) or "rice birthday", because theChinese character for rice, ? , looks like thecharacters for eight tens plus eight (? ? ? ).

The annual raising of the Koi
Nobori in celebration of Tangono Sekku or Boy's Day wasdone on April 20. The koi carp
is thought to be the most
spirited of fish - full of
courage, power anddetermination that it can fightit?s way up swift runningstreams and cascades.

Visit our website: www.jinja.us

CALENDAR
M AY
12 11 amPain t Pr oject
27 8 am
Sh in t o Ren m ei M em or ial
Day Ser vice

JUNE
Welcome to Hawaii !! Eight members of theFukuoka-ken Sosaigyo Kyodo Kumiai Seinenbu(Fukuoka Prefecture Funeral Directors Co-op Young Entrepreneurs Division) was greeted witha Seishiki Sanpai ceremony on May 6.
The Co-op is part of the All Japan FuneralDirectors Association which was established 63years ago and boasts a membership of 1327Funeral-related businesses throughout Japan.
The eight visitors are from the Yame CityChapter.

Tobaya Sanemon III,deemed a Living
National Treasure by theJapanese government
visited the shrine onMay 9.
Tobaya Sanemon III isan iconic Nagauta artist
who will be performing
in a Kabuki productionin Honolulu next March.

View even t ph ot os: w w w.f lick r .com / k ot oh ir a-dazaif u2

1 pm
Clean u p an d pr epar at ion

3

9 am ~ 2 pm
Ch in ow a f or People & Pet s

JULY
13 pm
Tsu k in am isai

1- 7 9 am ~ 4 pm
Wr it in g of Tan abat a Wish es

Rice an d Japan ese cu lt u r e
Rice cultivation is a timeless part ofJapanese history and culture.
It is still not clear as to where andwhen rice originated from. Most
scholars theorize that rice was first
cultivated in China and went
overland to Korea and then by sea
to southern Japan.
The oldest remains of rice paddies
in Japan are found in Miyakonojo inKyushu and is said to date back to
the 4th or 5th century BCE.
Rice cultivation required intense
communal labor. Eventually,villages began to form, consistingof farming families which evolved
into the Japanese societalstructure.
Here in Hawaii, rice farms once
occupied more than 25 percent of
the usable agricultural lands.
Rice planting expanded to 9,400
acres and output reached 42

million pounds in the early 1900s.
Rice paddies stretched from theKeeaumoku area all the way intoWaikiki. The area around Sheridan
Street was called "Pake Patch"because of the rice farms operated
by Chinese immigrants.
In 1890, the Islands exported morethan 10 million pounds of rice andmore than 5,000 laborers worked
in rice fields on all the islands.
In 1899, Hawaii was the thirdlargest producer of rice in the US,
behind Louisiana and SouthCarolina.
A decline in rice production
occurred in the 1920s and mostrice farmers left the businessbefore World War II. Higher landcosts, the need to invest in newtechnology and the arrival of therice weevil brought an end toIsland-grown rice.

Japan is one of the mosturbanized countries in the world,
However it still retains Shinto
values evolved from riceproduction.
MAHALO NUI LOA to Allan
Tak esh it a for cultivating rice
plants for all the shrines in Hawaii
and offering stalks at every Taisaifestival.
The rice offering is a constantreminder of our values that areembodied in rice production andthe cycles of nature, the value offamily, hard work and harmony
with others.

M ain t en an ce

M AHALO
Volunteers

The Painting project continues with paintingof the rankan banisters. Banisters on theDazaifu-side were painted on 4/21 and 4/27

Midori Abe
Bob Harada
Arthur Isa
Craig Nishida
Gary Shinsato
Linda Shinsato

The rankan banisters were last painted inFebruary 2002 by:
Hit osh i Fu jisak i
Ar t h u r Isa
Jam es Ku n ich ik a

Bob Har ada
Jam es Kan esh ir oM asa Tak izaw a

Mahalo Nui for the great exterior paint job
that lasted 16 years !!

MBACGL