Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha
Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu
Rice stalk from
Allan Takeshita

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 10 OCTOBER 2014

Autumn Thanksgiving FestivalOn Sunday, September 28, a solemn
ceremony was held at the shrine toexpress gratitude and to reflect on themany gifts that we receive fromnature.
Rev. Takizawa, joined by thepriests of the Honolulu Shinto Renmei - Rev. Naoya Shimura of Hawaii
Ishizuchi Jinja, Rev. Akihiro Okadaof Daijingu Temple of Hawaii andRev. Jun Miyasaka of Izumo Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii, officiated inthe Autumn Thanksgiving Festival.
Have you ever stopped to think of
the enormous value of all the things
that nature provides for free?
How much would you be willingto pay for breathable air, drinkablewater, or sunshine if they were notavailable?
Despite the scientific and technicaladvancements, we humans are still
dependent on nature and others tolive life on this earth.
"Itadakimasu (I humbly receive)"and "Gochisosama (I give thanks)”
are words that the Japanese say
before and after meals.
These two phrases are short andsimple yet difficult to translate, asthey capture the special relationshipbetween the Japanese and the spiritsof the land.
All living things used in thepreparation of our meals arerespected for their connection
to our own life.
This feeling of gratitude fornature's bounty – from seed toplate - is contained in these twophrases.
However, it is not only food that
we should be grateful for.
The Autumn Thanksgiving
Festival is a time to remember thefriendships, kindnesses, generosityand guidance received from peoplein our lives, from those who havegone before us, and everyone whohas touched and shaped our lives.

MAHALO for your generous donations
Thomas & Linda Agawa
Lois Arakaki
Daijingu Temple of Hawaii
Doughty Ohana
Yasumi Gojo
Miyoko Hanahara
Hanayagi Dancing Academy HI Fdn
Bob Harada
In Memory of Charles T. Hasebe
Hawaii Ishizuchi Jinja
Hawaii Senbukan
Arthur K. Isa
Arthur MJY Isa

Kyoko Isa
Izumo Taishakyo Mission of HI
Lorraine & Elsie Kadota
Toshiaki Kimura
Elaine Komatsu
James & Melba Kurashige
Mike Lee
Rev. Takakazu Maeda
Natsumi & Hiroki Mori
Shinken & Marilyn Naitoh
Masateru & Hatsuko NakazatoCraig & Diane NishidaDiane Ogasawara

Jay & Pauline Sakashita
Yukiko Shishido
Aoi Sugihara
Alice Sugimoto
Sugimoto Ohana
Charles & Carolyn Swartz
Kalani & Eri Quiocho
Yuko Takahashi
Allan Takeshita
Naoki TeradaJensen Toma Ohana
Sharon Toma
Pam Watanabe

Hanayagi Dancing Academy Hawaii
Foundation Annual Garage Sale
The Hanayagi Dancing Academy Hawaii Foundation held
their annual Garage Sale on Sunday, 9/21 at the shrine.
Thousands of items donated by supporters were priced anddisplayed by instructors, students, and parents under the direction of event chair, Kris Yoakum.
Mahalo to Bob Harada and Rev. Takizawa for helping
HDAHF with a shave ice booth.

Jusan Mairi - Blessing for 13 year olds
In most countries around the world, the coming of age ceremony is ananticipated celebration for those who are moving from childhood to adulthood.
These celebrations are often tied to the 13th or 16th birthdays.
Jusan Mairi is a celebration for 13 year olds who have returned to theirChinese zodiac sign for the first time since their birth. .
The Jusan Mairi blessing is meant to bless the teen with 13 key virtues :Authenticity
Humility
Spirituality

Creativity
Integrity
Tenacity

Curiosity
Maturity
Unity

Flexibility
PurityGenerosity
Responsibility

An old Japanese superstition claims the teen receiving a Jusan Mairi blessing should not physically turn back tolook at the shrine after the blessing has been completed. It is a reminder that nothing is certain in life. Anyone has
the ability to do amazing things; just don’t let your past control where you need to go and your future success
So, after your Jusan Mairi blessing, don’t look back - physically or emotionally, keep moving forward - opening
new doors and doing new things.

Shrine Visitors
Mr. Naoki Terada, 6th generation
President of the Todaya Ryokan inToba visited the shrine on Tuesday, September 9.
Mr. Terada is the President ofKotohiragu Toba shrine and also
serves as the President of the Toba
City Tourist Association and various organizations throughout Japan. He has been a regular participant in the Honolulu Marathon andfinished under 3 hours last year.
The Kotohira-gu Toba shrine
was established at the request ofnumerous supporters in the Tokai area and was built in August1956 in Toba city. Toba boasts a thriving fishing industry andthe Mikimoto pearl farms.
The Toba shrine, like the main shrine in Kagawa has aspiritual heritage of imparting marine safety, prosperity and easein releasing unwanted ties or unfavorable relationships.

Dr. Jay Sakashita and students of hisReligion class at Leeward Community
College visited the shrine on Thursday,
September 18.

Kapalama - Home to the shrine
The name Kapalama comes from ka pā lama in the Hawaiian language whichmeans "the enclosure of lama or ebony wood".
In ancient days, Ali’i gathered from across the island for Hoonoho ia in
Kapalama to be paired up for marriage. Hoonoho ia means to be placed under thecare of a guardian or chaperone. Such an establishment was surrounded by anenclosure, called “pa” made of the sacred “lama”. Hence this guardianship wascalled “palama”
It is said that an establishment of this kind was placed at the suburb of Honolulu which to this day bears the name Kapalama. The area around the shrine was aforest of Kukui, Ohia, and Koa trees. There were also over 30 taro patches andponds surrounding Kapalama.
Niuhelewai Stream or Kapalama Canal was the location for a famous battle inthe late-1700s between Kahahawa‘i, the war chief of Kahekili, king of Maui, andKahahana the ruling chief of O‘ahu. In this battle, chief Kahahana was defeated and slaughtered at Niuhelewai(Kapalama Canal). Legend say the waters of Niukelewai stream turned black from the blood of the warriors.
After Kahāhana’s death, the chiefs of Maui took over O‘ahu. Some of the chiefs from the O‘ahu districts of‘Ewa and Kapalama conceived a plot to murder their new overlords, but the Maui chiefs were forewarned.
As a result, the districts of Kapalama and ‘Ewa were attacked, and men, women, and children were massacred,
and the streams of Makaho, Niuhelewai in Kapalama and Kahoa‘ai‘ai in ‘Ewa were choked with the bodies of thedead. All the Oahu chiefs were killed and the chiefesses tortured.
On a more pleasant note, “lama” also means light and knowledge in the Hawaiian language – both quite appropriate for a shrine like Dazaifu Tenmangu which imparts academic achievement and excellence in arts and culture.

Upcoming
EventsEn – the special connecting force
The shrine received a call in early September from a woman requesting
Rev. Takizawa to perform a funeral service for her father. The caller
claimed she was a Methodist and although her deceased father was Japanese American, he was neither Shinto nor Buddhist.
The daughter of the deceased read an article written by Dr. Jay
Sakashita on Midweek about Melvin Monces and the shrine’s scholarshipfund. The article also shared with readers the shrine’s philosophy thatone’s religious beliefs or cultural background didn’t matter – gratitude forlife and respect for tradition were enough. This philosophy seemed to haveresonated with her own thoughts on spirituality.
She further read on our website that the shrine filed a suit in 1949
against U.S. Attorney General Tom C. Clark, the State of Hawaii and theFederal Alien Land Office for misusing Section 9 of the Trading with theEnemy Act against a civilian organization not under the influence of theJapanese government and also damages for wrongful seizure and detention.
Her father was a Japanese American veteran who suffered racial discrimination while growing up and felt he would be at peace knowing thatan organization such as Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha-Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu
who persisted against overwhelming odds in a lawsuit against discrimination by the Federal Government had performed his last rites, celebrating hislife on this earth. She also felt her father would find comfort in knowingthat the shrine erected a stone memorial to serve as a constant reminder ofthe hardships and indignities suffered at the hands of a nation misguided bywartime hysteria, racial prejudice and fear.
Reading Dr. Sakashita’s article resurrected memories of her grandparents and an interest in her Japanese roots that were buried deep in her
subconscious for decades.
The Japanese concept of “en” is difficult to translate into English. It is,however, often translated as a special connecting force between people andpeople and people and things.
Humans are not able to exist on their own. We are not here because of
our own volition. All of humanity is connected and dependent on peopleand forces that are seen and unseen. “En” connects our past with ourpresent.
Human beings exist because of “en.” It is respect and appreciation of
the many cultures of this world, acceptance of our various forms of expression and ways of being human that opens the flow of the mysterious forcesof “en.”
It was “en” that guided the Isseis to bring their spiritual traditions withthem to Hawaii. It was through an “en” with Dr. Sakashita that MelvinMonces was chosen to be a recipient of the shrine’s scholarship. It was“en” that prompted Dr. Sakashita to write an article about Melvin Monces
and the shrine. It was “en” that lead the woman to read the article on Midweek. It was “en” that sparked something in this woman’s soul to honor
her father by reconnecting to her Japanese roots. It is also “en” that connected all of you to the shrine.