Where ancient traditions thrive

Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha
Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu
Volume 4, Issue 7

Autumn Thanksgiving Festival 秋季感謝大祭
For thousands of years, people
have set aside a day to celebrate the autumn harvest, giving thanks for a plentiful growing season.
Ancient Hebrews held a special
eight-day feast to celebrate their harvest
season. People in ancient Greece dedicated a nine-day harvest festival to Demeter, the goddess of agriculture.
Pre-Christian Europeans also
marked a good harvest with a large feast
before crops were gathered.
Celebrations surrounding theautumn harvest have continued throughout history, and many cultures have set
aside a specific day to give thanks.
The date and customs may varyfrom country to country, but the desire
to take time and reflect on life's blessings remains the same.

In the United States, this dayof thanks is called Thanksgiving, a national holiday observed in November
where family and friends get together
for a feast to celebrate their good fortune, relax and enjoy one another'scompany.
The Festival of the Autumn
Moon, is the Chinese celebration ofthanksgiving. The Moon Goddess ishonored with mooncakes, and at night,
children parade with colored lanterns.
Rice has long been the main
staple of the traditional Japanese diet.
It is not only consumed daily as a staple food but also used to brew sake.
Japanese cuisine has developed the art of providing side dishes tocomplement consumption of rice andtable manners were established in thequest for more refined ways of eating rice and drinking sake.
Japanese culture is inseparable from rice cultivation andmany festivals evolve around ricecultivation.
The shrine’s Autumn
Thanksgiving Festival, meant toexpress gratitude to the bounties
that we receive from nature washeld on Sunday, September 28 officiated by Rev. Masa Takizawa
and assisted by Rev. Akihiro
Okada of Daijingu Temple of Hawaii, Rev. Daiya Amano of Izumo
Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii andRev. Naoya Shimura of Hawaii
Ishizuchi Jinja.
Our heartfelt mahalo goesout to the members for their kokua
in the preparations, Shawna Arakaki for the miko mai, Hanayagi
Mitsutamae sensei and the studentsof Hanayagi Dancing AcademyHawaii Foundation and Chika Miyazono sensei and her students forthe fabulous lineup of classical andmodern Japanese dances.

MAHALO for your generous donations
Thomas & Linda Agawa
Rev. Daiya Amano
Lois ArakakiDavid & Anri Bui
Daijingu Temple of Hawaii
Robert & Yuuki Franklin
Toshiko Fujisaki
Honolulu Hiroshima Kenjinkai
Miya Honsho
Igarashi Family
Hawaii Ishizuchi Jinja
Robert Iida
Kyoko Isa
Max Katsumi Iwazaki
Izumo Taishakyo Mission of HI
Masao & Ikuyo Kawamura
Sachiko Kele
Toshiaki Kimura
Elaine Komatsu
Kotohiragu
James & Melba Kurashige
Meiji Kai
Thelma Mitsuyoshi
Roy Morioka
Shinken & Marilyn NaitohNakazato Fish Market
Masateru & Hatsuko Nakazato
John & Edlyn Niimi

MAHALO
Give Five Campaign
August Volunteers
Arthur Isa
Arthur MJY Isa

Shrine Calendar

Craig & Diane NishidaDiane Ogasawara
Gregory & Emiko Perez
Kenneth & Kumiko Saiki
Robert & Miyono Shimoda
Mitsuru & Umeko Suehisa
Alice Sugimoto
Sugimoto Family
Takuma & Yukino Tanizaki
Paul & Linda Tanoue
Mayumi Togashi
Nishie Tomiyama
Toshiko Tougas
Roberta Uesugi
Eiko Wong

October
1

Reservations accepted for Shichigosan
七五三予約受付開始

12 Tsukinami-sai Monthly Service 月次祭
25–31 Shichigosan 七五三

November
1-30 Shichigosan 七五三
2

Tsukinami-sai Monthly Service 月次祭

December
7

Tsukinami-sai Monthly Service 月次祭

TBA Mochi pounding 餅つき

Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha-Hawaii
Dazaifu Tenmangu is a 501(C )(3)
nonprofit church.
All contributions are tax
deductible to the fullest extent
allowed by law.

TBA Susubarai Clean-up 煤払い30 Hatsumode Set-up 初詣準備
31 Year End Purification Ritual
年越しの大祓い

Shichigosan 七五三
October 25 November 30
Go to: www.e-shrine.org
or call 841-4755 for details

Mathew Mason & Rev. Takizawa manning the shrine booth at the annual the Kapahuu Community Center Bon Dance Festival on August 23

MAHALO Festival Volunteers
Shawna ArakakiRev. Daiya Amano
Jeff Fujioka
Melissa Hamada
Hanayagi Dancing Academy
Ryuji Hoshino

Yumi Hoshino
Emi Igarashi
Kai Igarashi
Pam Igarashi
Arthur Isa
Arthur MJY Isa

Autumn Thanksgiving Festival
大祭あれこれKyoko Isa
Masao Kawamura
Miyazono Chika Dance Studio
Shinken Naitoh
Hatsuko Nakazato
Axel Obara

Rev. Akihiro Okada
Rev. Naoya Shimura
Eiko Wong

Rice - Japan’s Essential Food
When the word rice ismentioned, most people visualize asticky white food commonly servedwith meat and vegetables. To somepeople, however, rice is not just partof a meal, but a fundamental part of
who they are.
The Japanese are a group ofpeople that would never refer to rice
as a “side dish.” Not only is rice
quantitatively Japan’s most important food, but it is the heart of theirculture. One cannot possibly appreciate the Japanese people and theirrich culture until they recognize thefundamental role rice has played in
shaping it.
By studying something as
tiny as a grain of rice, and its influence on social behavior, language,religion and traditions, one can begin to understand the Japanese people and their unique culture.
Rice has a long and meaningful history in Japan. It was first introduced to the country two thousand years ago during the Yayoi
Period.
During these early periods,
Japanese people’s lives were governed by the seasonal rhythms ofrice growing: sowing, planting, fertilizing, weeding, flooding, harvesting, threshing, hulling, and polishing.
Their lives from birth todeath were bound to rice. This dedication to the crop would enter every
part of the Japanese life, shaping theculture we know today.
One of the most importantcharacteristics that help to define aculture or group of people is their
way of communicating. Language
is what allows a group of people toshare ideas, and therefore interact
with other members of their society.
Language provides clues toa culture’s core values and beliefs.
Japanese language alone, signifies
the enormous influence rice has on
Japanese life.
In Japanese "Gohan" is both

the word for "cooked rice" as well as"meal." The fact that the Japanese
use the word for rice and meal interchangeably reveals the significanceof this food to the Japanese people.
The word gohan is also usedwith prefixes to give us asagohan(breakfast), hirugohan (lunch), andbangohan (dinner).
These multiple words reveal
to us that it was impossible for theJapanese to think of a meal withoutrice.
The Japanese indigenous
name for Japan also makes reference
to the importance of rice.
The early settlers called thecountry Toyo Ashihara no Mizu ho
no kuni or land of the water stalkplant. Rice was such a crucial part ofJapanese life that they referred totheir land as the land of rice.
Another aspect of the Japanese lifestyle that rice has significantly impacted is that of social
structure and behavior.
There are two specific social
behaviors of the Japanese that originate from the cultivation of wet rice.
The cultivation of wet rice isan extremely labor intensive task,
and cannot be completed easily. As aresult, families pooled their labor.
They worked together withother families sharing water resources, irrigation facilities and dividing up the laborious tasks.
The families built theirhouses clustered together, depending
heavily upon each other during thegrowing process.
This dependence on others
was the foundation of the Japanesepeople’s belief in group harmony.
The people avoided any conflict between families, for they were
not only neighbors, but workmates
for life.
The Japanese idea of group
unity is an important characteristicthat defines the Japanese people.
They use the word wa to refer totheir need for group harmony, andBy Jaclyn Landryamae to refer to the dependency they
have on others. These strong ties tofamily and friends are still valued inJapan today.
Even though it has been
many decades since Japan was a predominantly agricultural society, andmost of the nation's citizens now livein urban environments, the ideal ofthe village community still remains
powerful.
Another aspect of Japaneseculture that has been shaped by thedependence on rice is religion.
One cannot begin to understand a group of people without understanding their religious beliefs.
To the Japanese, rice is thegrain that links Heaven and Earth,gods and mortals.
Not only was the cultivationof rice sacred, but the grain itself wasconsidered holy. The Japanese believed that each grain of rice had asoul and that it’s soul was alive whilein the hull.
In order to ensure that thesoul was alive when it was consumed, the Japanese would thresh
the plant right before serving it. They
believed that hulled rice soon became lifeless and therefore would not
replenish the Japanese soul if eaten .
Not only was rice a source ofworship, but it was the foundation ofworship in the Japanese community.
Rice was slowing shaping all
aspects of Japanese culture, and defining who they would become.
The final aspect of Japaneseculture that has been influenced byrice are the celebrations and traditions
that have evolved from the cultivationof this crop.
Traditions and celebrations
provide a glimpse into the hearts andminds of the Japanese people. Thesecelebrations exemplify what it is thepeople consider important, and what
ideas they value enough to celebrate.
Rice serves as a foundation of this
aspect of the Japanese culture.
Rice also influences many
Japanese holidays. The most important traditional holiday celebrated inJapan is Oshogatsu, the Japanese NewYear.
During this celebration theJapanese make and consume kagami
mochi or two round rice cakes placed
on top of each other. The mirror cakes
represent the deities, and it is believed
to give power and good fortune tothose who consume them.
Rice cakes are not only consumed on New Years, but they arealso used as an offering to the New
Year God.
On New Years day the Japanese people visit a Shinto shrine bearing gifts. Since rice is considered agift from the deities in heaven, theJapanese show their appreciation anddevotion to the gods by presenting
them with rice or sake.
The ideas and beliefs central
to the New Year celebration are derived from the old rice cultivation age
in Japan.
The people believe sostrongly in the power of rice that they
start of their year by showing theirappreciation to the rice gods ensuring

a prosperous year to come.
These celebrations demonstrate that the Japanese lifestyle still
revolves around rice. It is so much apart of who they are and what theyvalue that they hold rituals and celebrations in its honor.
Rice represents the kokoro, theheart and soul of Japan's culture, notonly the basic source of food but also
the historical nucleus of the language,
religion, rituals, and the spirit of cooperation and harmony in the Japanesepeople.
the impact of rice on the lives
and beliefs of the Japanese is inconceivable. Not only does it define thecultural beliefs and traditions of thesepeople, but it defines who they are.
To the Japanese rice is morethan just a grain, it is a concept that isthe basis of many cultural practices,beliefs, and self-identification.
In Japan today, rice agriculture, the foundation of “rice culture,” isdisappearing fast.
Full time farmers are becoming so rare that they may soon be designated “human national treasures.”
The nation struggles with thetough question of whether or not togive up its rice economy and begin
importing rice from other countries.
The Japanese goal of national
rice self-sufficiency is not just a national economic goal, but a statement
about the social-cultural importance ofrice production. The end of rice production to them would symbolize thedestruction of a culture.
Here are some popular ricedishes:Donburi (Rice Bowls)
Plain rice is served in a large bowl withvarious toppings and sauce. Some
popular donburi dishes are - Ten-don,Katsu-don, and Oyako-don.
Sushi
There are many sushi dishes such as
Nigiri-zushi, maki-zushi, inari-zushi,
chirashi, temaki-suzhi, oshi-zushi, mebari-zushi, etc.

Takikomi-gohan
Rice is boiled with various ingredients and seasonings.
O-kayu (rice porridge)
Plain rice is simmered very soft.
O-chazuke
A simple rice soup, which ismade by simply pouring green tea
or dashi soup on top of plain ricewith various ingredients.
Mochi (rice cakes)
Mochi-gome rice is steamed andpounded to make mochi.
Sekihan (red rice)
Mochi rice is steamed with azuki
beans to make a pink colored riceused for festive and auspicious
occasions.
ChimakiMochi rice wrapped in bamboo
leaves with a variety of ingredients and steamed.
Zosui
Rice porridge with various ingredients
Senbei (Rice Crackers)
Assorted snacks made from deep
frying rice with various seasonings.
The traditional respectaccorded to rice has both a practical as well as a mystical side. The
belief that rice is a unique sourceof vital energy has been confirmed by scientific discoveries
showing that it is an almost perfect source of food, with an idealbalance of proteins, lipids, andcarbohydrates.
The germ and the bran,
though often removed during polishing, are rich in vitamins(particularly B1), minerals, fiberand enzymes.
Such discoveries havecaused a renewed interest in riceas the key to a healthy diet.

Wasabi

山葵

While cultivation of wasabi in Japan dates to the 10th century, and has since spread to
Taiwan, China, New Zealand, Canada, America and elsewhere, this plant has a well deserved
reputation of being tricky to grow, largely because it requires cold, pristine water with just theright balance of minerals.
Today, most wasabi plants are grown on commercial wasabi farms in mountain environs
in the Shizuoka prefecture as well as in the Azumino plains of the Nagano prefecture. Effective
wasabi horticulture practices are carefully guarded secrets.
With so few producers worldwide, supply of wasabi japonica is quite limited, while demand for real wasabi is growing exponentially and prices reportedly are rising accordingly.
Japanese history describes the defeat of the Heike clan in the Dan-noura war, from 795 to797 CE. The survivors fled to other parts of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Some of them settled near Mount Bafun,
located in the upriver district of the Nishiki River. Here they sought a place where they could live in peace and are said
to have been involved in agriculture and hunting while some became craftsmen.
Tradition has it that Wasabi grew wild in the valleys of Mt. Heike, Mt. Mizuo, and Mt. Bafun. The Heike survivors are believed to have gathered wild wasabi to use as a seasoning for slices of raw yamame (a kind of trout), andraw venison. Many of these survivors were originally noble samurai and were familiar with the life and culture ofKyoto. With this knowledge of Kyoto cuisine, they ate pickled vegetables made from stems and leaves of wasabi alongwith many other edible wild plants. Here is a story that has made wasabi the most popular condiment in Japan.
Around 1876, Ichiroku Hashimoto, living in Kitakonishi, first produced a commercial wasabi product, "KitaniKyo" Wasabi. Although the sales figures are not known, he seems to have made a good living through this enterprise,earning one yen, which was an incredible profit for those times. By this business, wasabi leapt to fame and its cultivation spread in the Kitani-Kyo area. Growing techniques at that time are said to be somewhat primitive; young wasabi
plants were transplanted in simple fields which were created on the banks of a ravine by roughly arranging stones,
rather than the current style of preparing fields dedicated only to wasabi.
In 1920, a new technology of growing wasabi was developed. Wasabi began to be grown in the soils alongside
mountain streams instead of in flowing water. In spite of the decline in the quality of wasabi products, this technique
attracted a great deal of attention among farmers because of the ability to produce in larger quantities. Wasabi grownusing this method became known as Hatake-Wasabi. Fields for Hatake-Wasabi production were then adopted extensively. Wasabi products were usually harvested two years after planting.
In 1939, accelerated cultivation using normal fields was first introduced. This further reduced growing time,
controlled diseases, and increased cost effectiveness.
Cherished for decades in the East for its unique flavor and healthful influences, wasabi is best known as anage-old food pairing with sashimi or sushi dishes that include raw fish. Wasabi is also served as a garnish with Soba
noodles and made into pickles, jams, wine and other foods. While distinguishing itself with unique and versatile flavors
true wasabi also serves up benefits that strengthen immune system, and have powerful anti-bacterial properties, which
help mitigate microbial elements or pathogens potentially present. Rich in beta-carotenes and glucosinolates, wasabialso kills some forms of E-Coli and Staphylococcus. Studies also indicate it helps reduce mucous, which has made it
the focus of experiments relating to its use in combating asthma and congestive disorders.
The unique ITC spectrum present in wasabi includes have proven efficacy and potency in supporting naturalliver and digestive detoxification functions. Wasabi is also very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium and is agood source of Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese, and an excellent source of Dietary Fiberand Vitamin C. With so much healthful activity going on within one plant, it is not surprising that studies and laboratory tests continue to indicate that wasabi shows promise as a pharmaceutical component.

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