Volume 3 Issue 2

Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha
Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu

WHERE ANCIENT TRADITIONS THRIVEMay 2013

Honolulu Shinto Renmei
Memorial Day Service
Memorial Day, originally called
Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in ournation's service.
There are many versions of its
actual beginnings, with over twodozen cities and towns laying claim
to being the birthplace of MemorialDay. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South
were decorating graves before theend of the Civil War.
Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial
Day by President Lyndon Johnson inMay 1966.
It is more likely that it had many
separate beginnings; each of thosetowns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor thewar dead in the 1860's tapped into thegeneral human need to honor our dead,each contributed honorably to thegrowing movement that culminated in
General Logan giving his official
proclamation in 1868.
The Honolulu Shinto Renmei,
comprised of the four shrines on Oahu
came together to honor those whogave their all for our country.
The annual services are held on thelast Sunday of May, at Punchbowl
National Memorial Cemetery of thePacific, Makiki Cemetery and Mo’ililiCemetery.

View more shrine photos at www.flickr.com/photos/kotohiradazaifu

MAHALO for your generous donations
Thomas & Linda Agawa
Susan Amato
Brenda Dang
Doughty Ohana
Toshiko Fujisaki
Andy Geiser
Miyoko Hanahara
Hanayagi Dancing
Academy Hawaii Fdn

Bob Harada
Kyoko Isa
Kyle & Ai Kawabata
Ernest & Chiyoko Lau
Marcus Merner
Ryan & Naoko Miyashiro
Hiromu Mochizuki
Roy Morioka
Shinken & Marilyn NaitohCraig & Diane Nishida
Wakako Okoro
Doreen Ono-Suenishi
Ayako Suga
Andrew Qin
D. Akira Robinson
Marissa Rossetti
Shiloh Rescue
Andrew Sinclair

Naomi Teramoto
John & Naoko Toma
Sonomi Uchida
Christopher Valdez
Cody Yoshimura

Koromo-gae - Changing of the wardrobe
June 1 is the official start of summer in Japan. It is also the start ofKoromo-gae of literally, the changingof the wardrobe.
This is the day when the Japanesepeople change their wardrobe witheither new clothes or clothes they
have been storing during the wintermonths.
The change is visible mostly inschool and work uniforms.
Clothes worn during the cooler

Page 2months are cleaned and packed to
be stored away till they are readyto use again on October 1.
On October 1, lighter clothes
worn during the warm months arecleaned, packed and stored for theseason.
Schools in Japan have two setsof uniforms- Summer uniform(Natsu-fuku) and Winter Uniform(Fuyu- fuku). Summer uniform isworn from June 1 to September
30 whereas Winter uniform isworn from October 1 to May 31.
Some schools may have different dates but most schools stickto these dates, probably to avoid
confusion.
Summer is also a time whenpeople start wearing cotton kimonos known as “yukata” which are
more suited for the heat andhumidity. Even the fancy kimonosworn in summer are made ofsheer, light fabrics which are notlined.
Like many other Japanese customs, Koromo-gae also has its
origin in the Heain Period (794 to1185).
There were strict guidelines onsummer and winter clothing and accessories.
For example, during summer,
women held fans made of Japanesewashi paper while in winter the fanswere made of Japanese cypresswood.
With the rise of the Samurai class,
Koromo-gae became even more complex during the Tokugawa Era.
There were restrictions on type offabric, design, color, etc. for eachseason.
This practice is still observed bykimono wearers. Unlined or Hitoe
kimonos are to be worn from June 1
to September 30. Lined or Awasekimono are usually worn fromOctober 1 to May 31.
Home interiors were also revamped on Koromo-gae days.
Zabuton cushions, fusuma doors,
kakejiku artwork were all changed toappropriate colors and designs toembrace the changing of the seasons.
This change of seasons also
affects vending machines.
As of June 1, all the vendingmachines are changed so that you canbuy cold drinks - including coffeesand teas.

H A W A I I K O T O HI R A J I NS HA

H A W A I I D A Z A I F U T E NM A N G U

Pet Expo 2013
In celebration of both National Pet Week and Be Kind to Animals Week during
May 5-11, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association presented the annual Hawaii
Pet Expo 2013, on May 11 & 12 at the NBC Exhibition Hall.
Mahalo to Bob Harada,
Diane Nishida, Bryson Goda,
Tom Jannuzzio, and Arthur Isa
for helping with the shrinebooth.

Tom Jannuzzio and Bob Harada at the shrine booth

Bryson Goda

Diane Nishida being interviewed
by Denby Dung of The Pet HuiShrine Maintenance Project
Mahalo to Bob Harada for initiating thecleaning, stripping and painting of the shrinewalkway.
Cracks in the concrete were repaired byRicky Tamashiro and Ian Tamashiro inMarch.

The painting project was done on
Saturday, May 25 with the help of Arthur
Isa Sr and Arthur Isa Jr.
Due to rain in the afternoon, Bob returnedon Sunday, May 26 to paint a second coat .

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2Page 3

A Piece of History
Standing at the entrance of theHawaii Kotohira Jinsha wing of theshrine, visitors can see a large wooden sign over the top of the altar.
The sign is the work of the legendary calligrapher, Kampo Harada,
who presented it to the shrine as anoffering on May 29, 1973.

Master Calligrapher Kampo
Harada, founder of the Nihon Shujischools of Japanese calligraphy wasborn in Fukuoka, Japan on March21, 1911.
Master Kampo's overseas activities went beyond calligraphy. He
used calligraphy to create bonds
between people from different cultures and to expand mutual understanding on a level that transcends
nationality, language, culture andrace. Master Kampo taught numerous of times in the US and othercountries.
There are Nihon Shuji schools
throughout the US, including a chapter in Honolulu
Coincidentally, Brandon Goda, along time volunteer of the shrine is
an instructor of Nihon Shuji.

ハワイ金刀比羅神社の社殿には1973年5月29に日本の書道家、原田観峰の筆になる奉納顎が掲げてある。
原田観峰（かんぽう）は1911年3月21日、福岡県山門郡瀬高町に生まれ、戦後、故郷瀬高町で幼稚園を開園したことから教育者としての人生が始まった。
原田観峰は1953年、福岡で西日本書道通信学会（公益財団法人日本習字教育財団の前身）を創立し、「正しい文字・美しい文字」の普及活動を展開、1995年に亡くなるまで、多くの受講者（現在までのべ約2,350 万人）のため、手本執筆と講習会等に奔走し、その半生を書道教育に尽くした。
海外においても、書道を中心とした文化交流を積極的に行い、日本の書道を紹介しWooden sign written and presented to the shrine as an offering byMaster Calligrapher Kampo Harada, on May 29, 1973.

www.e-shrine.org