Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha
Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu
VOLUME 5 ISSUE 5 MAY 2015

Baby Blessings 初宮参り
Children are the fulfillment of thedreams of many generations.
Rev. Takizawa blessed four beautiful
babies during the month of April in
traditional ceremonies called Hatsumiya Mairi.
Our lives are the legacies of ourancestors that have gone before us.
They are no less a part of our community than we here who are present.
Therefore in Shinto ceremonies, theancestors - past and present are also
called upon to participate in the blessing and welcoming of a child.
There are various Japanese traditions, customs, and rituals families
participate in after the birth of a child.
On the 7th night after birth, thechild’s name is chosen, written on apaper and placed on the kamidana

altar in a ritual called Oshichiya or
literally, seventh night.
Hatsumiya mairi is traditionallyperformed on the 31st day frombirth for boys and on the 33rd dayfrom birth for girls.
Today, most Hatsumiya mairi areperformed between 30 to 100 days
after birth.
A hundred days from birth, Okuizome is performed in the home of
the child. The ritual is for good
health and abundance, so that thebaby will never go hungry throughout its life.
Auspicious foods are laid out on atable in front of the child andpieces of food are picked up withchopsticks and pressed against thebaby's lips.
Okuizome is an important celebration in the life of a Japanese
baby and the internet is filled withcute photos of babies in kimonoswith plates of giant fish and othertreats set before them.
Few things are as profound andlife-changing as welcoming a childinto your life, whether by birth,marriage or adoption.
Significant occasions call for reflection, gratitude and celebration.
Honor these milestones withceremonies to help you step into
parenthood, feel the support ofyour loved ones and recognize therole others will play in your child'slife.

View more photos at: www.flickr.com/kotohira-dazaifu

Pet Expo 2015

MAHALOfor your generous donations
Thomas & Linda Agawa
Doughty Ohana
Bob Harada
Chiaki Hayashi
Kyoko Isa
Sherrie Kalua
Kiyomi Kise
Han Wei Lee
Rev. Takakazu Maeda
Shinken & Marilyn Naitoh
Yoshino Nakamura
Sam & Seiko Nieto
Craig & Diane Nishida
Shigeo & Kazuko Oka
Akiko Sanai
Danielle Sato
Momoko Sato
Mitsumi Taguchi
Rumiko Taguchi
Scott & Melani Williams

The shrine participated in the annual Pet Expo at the NBC Exhibition Hall on
May 9 and 10.

MAHALOVOLUNTEERS
Bryson Goda
Bob Harada
Arthur K. Isa
Tom Jannuzzio
Marilyn Naitoh
Shinken Naitoh
Diane Nishida
Akiko Sanai

Fumigation
The shrine underwent fumigation by Diversified Exterminators for termites on April 18 in an effort to preserveand protect the shrine hall building.
Below are two photos from the recent tenting in April 2015 and a tenting from 45 years ago.

Fumigation tenting of the shrine in 1970

Fumigation tenting of the shrine on April 18, 2015

Birth of a Shihan MasterHanayagi Mitsujyuro (Bryson Goda) has been a student of the Hanayagi Dancing Academy Hawaii Foundation (HDAHF) since the age of four, holds the Natori
Certification to perform and the Shihan Certification toteach, granted by the Grand Master Hanayagi Jusuke IVof the Hanayagi School of Classical Dance in Tokyo.
Part of the celebratory traditions include establishingbonds between Shihan and Natori by the exchange ofsake in a Sakazuki ceremony which was held on April 25
at Natsunoya Tea House.
Congratulations, Mitsujyuro sensei as you create aneven deeper bond and unified goal of preserving andperpetuating the traditions of the school.

Celebrity Cousins
Clyde Kusatsu may not be a household name but is afamiliar face. Since his debut on Ironside in 1973, he's
gathered over 180 credits, including Kung Fu; Hawaii 5-0;
All in the Family; Magnum PI; Star Trek, Dragon: The
Bruce Lee Story; In the Line of Fire, American Pie, etc.
Clyde Kusatsu was born and raised in Honolulu andattended Iolani School. He began acting in summer stock,
and after studying theater at Northwestern University,
went to Los Angeles to begin his acting career.
Clyde Kusatsu is shrine VP Bob Harada’s first cousin.

Clyde Kusatsu

Shrine Visitors
Shigeo Oka, recently retired Deputy Chief of Ise
Jingu’s Music & Dance department visited the shrine onApril 22 with his wife Kazuko and his mother-in-law

Bob Harada

Jason Scott Lee was born in Los Angeles and moved toHawaii when he was 2. After graduating Pearl City High,he enrolled at Fullerton College but left after landing apart in Cheech Marin’s Born in East LA.
Lee ‘s credits include Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story,The Jungle Book, Rapa Nui, Blind Fury, Crouching Tiger
Hidden Dragon II, etc..
Lee now lives in Volcano, where he farms using natural methods developed by Masanobu Fukuoka, one of
the most radical agrarian thinkers of the last century.
Jason Scott Lee is shrine volunteer, Mike Lee’s cousin.

Jason Scott Lee

Mike Lee

Long time shrine volunteer,Hiroshi Yamaji moved back to hishometown of Toyama on April
25.
Many of you know Hiroshi as
the shrine’s “blesser” - a task he
was dedicated to for the past 16years.
Hiroshi enrolled in an English
language academy and moved toHawaii in 1999, upon graduationfrom Teikyo University in Tokyo.
A big Mahalo and Best wishes
to Hiroshi for much success in all
future endeavors.

Shrine volunteer, Jill Nishida is now partof an international team of language
teachers in Ping Dong, Taiwan.
HESS International Group is the mostrecognized language school in Taiwan withover 500 teachers.
Ganbatte Jill! Communicating acrosscultural barriers, using leadership skills toconduct classes, and brushing up on yourChinese are great assets!!!

Shrine volunteer Jon Lower is living his
dream in Lijiang, Yunan, China as a dealer
in rare Chinese art.
The Westfield, New Jersey native hastaught English around the globe and has
been traveling throughout Asia since heleft Hawaii in 2008.
Jon’s paternal great, great, great, great
grandfather is Sir Isaac Newton, the English physicist and mathematician, who
formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation.

While preparing for several gokito private
blessings on Sunday, April 19, Rev. Takizawa
came across this unusual heart-shaped leaf
from the shrine’s Ficus Benjamina tree.
Spring has sprung - the bids are chirping,
the bees are pollinating and love is in the air?

UPCOMING EVENTS