Where Ancient traditions thrive

August 2009

Back-to-School Education Blessing
てんじんさん学業成就
A new school year is a newbeginning. New adventure awaits asstudents and teachers prepare forschool. Excitement for new possibilities and fear of the unknown mingle intheir hearts.
Whether your children arestarting kindergarten, entering highschool, or leaving the nest for college,
we invite you to have them specially
blessed at our annual Back to School
Education Blessing, as they go out toface the world.
Our special Back to School
Education Blessing is offered to bringpositive blessings to students, teachersand support staff as they begin thisnew school year - so they are surrounded by love, hope, vision, and pro-tection and the courage to persevere in all they undertake and thegift of joy and wonder in all things.
Sugawara no Michizane,
the deity of Dazaifu Tenmangu,
was a 9th century scholar and nobleman who was falsely accused ofimproprieties at court and sent into
exile where he died before being exonerated.
Later, his spirit was deified
and today is venerated as the deity oflearning and scholarship at the 11,000
or so Tenmangu shrines dedicated tohim throughout Japan.
Dazaifu Tenmangu in Saifu
City, Fukuoka is the main shrine of all
the Tenmangu shrines in Japan andmillions of students flock to the shrine

each year to receive blessings and education omamori. We are the only branchshrine of Dazaifu Tenmangu outside ofJapan.
This year, our Back to School
Education Blessing was held on August
2 from 10 am to 2 pm.
A big Mahalo goes out to event
chair Axel Obara and the many volunteers who helped to make this special
blessing available to the community.

(View event photos at www.flickr.com/photos/kotohira-dazaifu)

MAHALO for your generous donations
Thomas & Linda Agawa
John & Kazuko Franklin
Phongmani Fujisaki
Toshiko Fujisaki
Hanayagi Dancing Academy
JoAnn Hino
Faye Ichimura
Pam Igarashi
Kyoko Isa
Masae Kia
Eiichi Kanemori
Joyce Kubokawa
Jack & Wakana McCollister
Kimiko Mason

Matsuyama Ohana
Yumi Misawa
Hiroko Nagano
Criag & Diane Nishida
Harumi Okano
Allison Kubo Osaki
Dee Shimamoto
Masahiro & Anida Sugano
Rooney Taganit
Chad Takenaka
In Memory of Masao Tsukida
Peggy Tsukida
Ryan & Cheryl Tung
Ronald & Emiko Yonemoto

Congratulations!!!
Masahiro Sugano and Anida Yoeu Ali

Rev. Masa Takizawa and Mitsunobu Ohashi performing
in an Island Insurance commercial at the shrine.

MAHALO VOLUNTEERS
Sean Burke
Bryson Goda

Doughty Ohana
Meilssa Hamada

Bob Harada
Stacie Hata
Arthur K. Isa

Rev Masa Takizawa performed a wedding ceremony for the Suganos from Chicago on July 30.
17 family members gathered from Osaka andChicago to witness the union of the two in asolemn Shinto ceremony.

Arthur MJY Isa
Kyoko Isa
Diane Nishida

Jill Nishida
Axel Obara
Takahashi Ohana

The Wrath of Michizane
Michizane Sugawara died in exile in 903. Immediately after hisdeath, the capital city of Kyoto was struck by heavy rain and lightning, andmany of Michizane's enemies died, while fires caused by lightning andfloods destroyed many of their residences.
Thinking Michizane had put a curse on his enemies and the city ofKyoto, the emperor restored all of Michizane's offices, burned the official
order of exile, and ordered that the poet be worshipped under thename Tenjin.
In 959, a shrine was established at Kitano in honor of Michizane toquell the fears of the residents of Kyoto and the social unrest caused by theever-continuing disasters. It is written that soon after, all disasters stopped,restoring peace and prosperity once again to the capital city of Kyoto.

Tobiume - The Flying Plum TreeSHRINE CALENDAR

The Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine in Fukuoka is especially famous
for its plum blossoms and umeboshi (salted plums).
There are over 190 varieties of plum trees on grounds which
cover an area of more than 3,000 acres, with over 6,000 trees.
The Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine was built above the grave ofMichizane Sugawawra (see Education Blessing article on page 1). It issaid that when he bade farewell to his favorite plum tree in his
garden in Kyoto before his exile in Dazaifu, he composed a poem andrecited it to the tree.

東風吹かば
匂い寄こせよ
梅の花
主なしとて
春な忘れそ
Kochi fukaba
nioi okoseyo
ume no hanaAruji nashitoteharuna wasureso

Sept 1
Reservations accepted
for Shichigosan
七五三予約受付開始
Sept 6 3 pm
Tsukinami-sai Monthly
Service 月次祭
Sept 26 8:30 am
Clean-up & Mochi Pounding 掃除と餅つき
Sept 27 3 pm
Autumn Thanksgiving
Festival 秋季感謝大祭
Oct 4 3 pm
Tsukinami-sai Monthly
Service 月次祭"Plum blossoms, send your fragrance to me through the easterly
winds, although your master is no longer there, never forget to bloomin spring."

Oct 17-31
Nov 1-22
Shichigosan 七五三

Legend has it that the tree was so deeply moved by his words,
that it uprooted itself and flew to Dazaifu in order to keep him company. That ancient tree, named "Tobi-ume" or literally "flyingplum" still exists within the grounds of the shrine, and it is reputed tobe the first plum tree to bloom each year.

Nov 1 3 pm
Tsukinami-sai Monthly
Service 月次祭

Umeboshi Superstitions
In Japan, there are many superstitions that surround Umeboshi.
••
•
•••
•

Bad luck will befall a person who attempts, but is not able to properly pickleumeboshi* One must never eat umeboshi and unagi in the same meal
* Blindness will befall those who eat umeboshi late at night* One who eats umeboshi for breakfast will survive unexpected disasters* Never eat umeboshi musubi while fishing (local Hawaiian superstition)* Stick an umeboshi in your navel to prevent motion sickness* Spread some umeboshi paste on your temples to cure a headache