Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha - Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu
Apr il 2020

Th e an n u al Spr in g Appr eciat ion Fest ival w as h eld on Apr il 19

M AHALO
f or you r don at ion s
Thomas & Linda Agawa
Bill & Keiko Doughty
Miyoko Hanahara
Blake Harano
Hawaii Senbukan
Arthur Isa

Kokusai Sake Kai
Kell Komatsubara
Steve Miwa
Craig & Diane Nishida
Rob Kimoto Roofing
Akiko Sanai

Mahalo Nui to Kell
Kom at su bar a for his
donation of 5 folding
tables.
Kell has been out ofcommission since
January due to severalhealth issues.
Kell, as each day
passes you're one
closer to a complete
recovery. Ganbatte!

Visit ou r Websit e: w w w.jin ja.u s

Mahalo to shrine
President Sh in k en
Nait oh for conducting
an online lecture in
Shinto for Nathan
Connor and his Religion
class at Chatanooga
Christian High School.
In mid-January the islands
were hit with non-stop rain
and several shingle tiles
were blown off the shrine
roof, requiring replacement.
Mahalo to Rob Kim ot o for
donating materials and histime to replace the shingle
tiles and inspecting theoverall roof to ensure that itremains intact andundamaged.

Pr ivat e Blessin gsCALENDARThis was the last private blessing at theshrine, before the Stay-Home Order whichbegan on March 25.

M AY

Yakudoshi years are filled with toughchallenges. The blessing is meant to impartinner strength, perseverance and resilience as
one navigates life's challenges.
A long distance blessing was performed for baby
Anela on April 16 in Honolulu. Congratulations
to the new parents on the birth of their littletreasure.
Long distance blessings are available throughout
the Stay-Home Order. Please contact the shrine
at 841-4755 or at kotohira@hawaiiantel.net.
A service was conducted on April 18 tocommemorate the 21st anniversary of thepassing of a former shrine member.
The service was live streamed for the family
to watch from different locations, in realtime.

24

8 am
Hon olu lu Sh in t o Ren m ei
M em or ial Day Cer em on yJUNE
61 pm
Clean u p an d pr ep

79 am - 1 pm
Ch in ow a f or People & Pet s

JULY
1-7

8:30 am - 4 pm
Tan abat a Wish t ags in t h e sh r in e

53 pmTsu k in am isai M on t h ly Ser vice& Tan abat aVisit w w w.jin ja.u s for updates tothe shrine calendar

Spr in g Appr eciat ion Fest ival
The Spring Thanksgiving Festival isa time to remember the bounties
that we receive from nature andthe friendships, kindnesses,
generosity and guidance received
from everyone who has touched
and shaped our lives.
In compliance with the State's
Stay-Home Order limiting religious
gatherings, the festival wasperformed on Sunday, April 19
without a congregation.
It was the first time in the history ofthe shrine that any festival wascelebrated alone, by the ChiefPriest.
In an era where technology plays a
big role in all aspects of our lives,
faith-based organizations are noexception.

Each day brings challenges,
disturbing news and questions
about the future. A big blow was
our inability to gather and share
space together as family, friends
and as a religious community.

The ceremony was live-streamedon Facebook and uploaded toYouTube to make it interactive so
online audiences may participate
spiritually.

However, our global community
has survived change and upheaval
for generations and will remain
adaptive, productive and resilient
until we can once again share ourspiritual traditions with thecommunity.

The ceremony began with amoment of silence for the many
victims of the Corona Virus. The
annual scholarships were awarded
to 4 students by mail - Rayce
Manriki, Keng-Hsien Chao, Kaylee
Rafol and Jasmine Umeno.

View even t pics at : w w w.f lick r .com / kot oh ir a-dazaif u2020 Sch olar sh ip Aw ar dees
Rayce M an r ik i will be
graduating Kalani HighSchool this May. Rayceis a star athlete for theFalcoms, playing
Defensive back in Football. He also played
Baseball throughout his
Intermediate and HighSchool years. Raycehas frequented theshrine since he was 3years old.

Ken g-Hsien Ch ao ispursuing a doctorate inGeophysics at UH Manoa.

Kayee Raf ol is pursuing a
degree in Dental Hygeine
at UH Manoa.

Keng-Hsien received his
Masters degree at Taiwan
Central University.

Kaylee is from the Big
Island and first volunteeredat the shrine in 2017.

Keng-Hsien is fromTainan, Taiwan, speaks
fluent Japanese and isinterested in all aspectsof Japanese culture.

Kaylee volunteers fordental-related events
where she teaches children
how to floss and brushtheir teeth properly.

Jasm in e Um en o ispresently pursuing aclassical Japanese Dance
Instructor 's license from
Hanayagi-ryu, Japan. She
is originally from Kulaand received a BA from
Scripps College.
Jasmine spent a year inOita, teaching English inas part of the JET
program.

Follow u s on In st agr am (k ot oh ir adazaif u )Tem por ar y Sh r in e closu r eThe shrine closed its doors to the public on March18. The first time the shrine ceased operation was
79 years ago, at the onset of World War II.
Despite the hardships of descrimination andincarceration, the Japanese Americans rose above
the adversities with gaman - dignified endurance inthe face of hopelessness.
The world is at war again. The enemy is ruthlesswith no regard for age, gender, race, religion ornationality.
Already, Covid-19 has killed more than 165,000
people, infected over 2,400,000 and has halted
economies, overwhelmed health-care systems,
and forced millions to be confined to their homes.
Like any war, Covid-19 has hurt those who arealready vulnerable.
It's challenging under the current restrictions,however, we will get through this together. Gaman
Visit w w w.jin ja.u s f or Sh r in e st at u s an d u pdat es.

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