Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha
Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu
V O L UM EI V

AP R I L

2 0 0 8Where ancient traditions thrive

Spring Thanksgiving Festival 春季感謝大祭
Spring is the most glorious
time of the year when the landscapetransforms into an explosion of vibrant color. Spring symbolizes birth,renewal, of life, regeneration.
The shrine celebrated the annual Spring Thanksgiving Festival on
Sunday, April 13 from 3:00 pm.
Officiating the ceremony wasRev. Masa Takizawa, assisted by Rev.
Naoya Shimura of Hawaii Ishizuchi
Jinja and Rev. Akihiro Okada of Daijingu Temple of Hawaii. A miko mai
was performed by Shawna Arakaki.
Rev. Satoshi Goto and Rev.
Kyokai Tanaka flew in from our main
shrine, Dazaifu Tenmangu, Fukuoka
to join in the festivities.
Many members fondly
remembered Rev. Satoshi Goto whoserved as Chief Priest of Hawaii
Kotohira Jinsha - Hawaii Dazaifu

Tenmangu for six months in 1990.
He will be returning to Hawaii inJune with about 85 members of theDazaifu Tenmangu Sukei Kai.
Mahalo to president
Shinken Naitoh who was groundedon the mainland during a recentbusiness trip as a result of theAmerican Airlines mass cancellation of flights requiring emergency
inspection and maintenance.
Dr. Naitoh rushed to theshrine in time for the festival after
a grueling 20-hour flight fromBaltimore.
We would like to also
extend our deepest gratitude to thestudents of the Hanayagi Dancing
Academy and Hanayagi Mitsuemi
sensei for coordinating their performance, Sensei Yasuko Takeuchi
and students of Sakura Kai and theShawna Arakaki performing Toyosaka
no Maimany volunteers who helped in making this festival a success.
4月13日（日）当宮では福岡の本宮より後藤敏権禰宜と田中教介権禰宜をお迎えしての、春季感謝大祭が執り行われました。
夜半からの激しい雨も止み境内の緑も一層輝きを増した中、祭典が厳かに斎行されました。
直会では花柳ダンシング・アキャデミーの日舞、桜会の竹内やすこ先生と生徒達による大正琴で賑わった。

Rev. Satoshi Goto of Dazaifu Tenmangu,
Japan and Rev. Masa Takizawa

SHRINE CALENDAR
神社スケジュール

Mahalo for your generous donations
Thomas & Linda Agawa
Rev. Daiya Amano
Lois Arakaki
Daijingu Temple of Hawaii
Dazaifu Tenmangu, Fukuoka
Toshiko Fujisaki
Juan GomezHankyu Express USA Inc.
Bob Harada
Hawaii Ishizuchi Jinja
Ken Hirayama
Mitsuru & Pam Igarashi
Kyoko Isa
Robert & Jean Ishihara
Max Iwazaki
Izumo Taishakyo Mission of HI
Lorraine Kadota
Masao Kawamura
Sachiko Kele
Lillian Kimura
Dori Kojima
Elaine Komatsu
Joyce Kubokawa
Ernest & Chiyoko Lau
Jon Lower
Carol Merrill
Yasuo & Joyce Mito

Audrey Miyamoto
Roy Morioka
Nagasaki Kenjin Kai
Shinken Naitoh
Grace Akiko Nakama
Nakaoka Painting, Inc.
Masateru & Hatsuko Nakazato
Nakazato Fish Market
Craig & Diane Nishida
Fumiko Nishimura
Tetsu Omae
Parke & Fumie Pendleton
Casey Sakai
Kumiko Sakai
Sakura Kai
Irvin K. Sasaki
Raymond Sekiya
Robert & Miyono Shimoda
William Shroen III
Mitsuru & Umeko Suehisa
Alice Sugimoto
Sugimoto Family
Takako Suzuki
David & Naomi Teren
Yasuko Takeuchi
James & Roberta Uesugi

Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha - Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu is a 501C3 nonprofit church.
All contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Congratulations!
Shawna Arakakion the birth ofShania Sachi Kiana

May4

五月

Tsukinami-sai Monthly Service
月次祭

10 Pet Expo - NBC Exhibition Hall
ペット・エキスポ
11 Pet Expo - NBC Exhibition Hall
ペット・エキスポ
25 Honolulu Shinto Renmei
Memorial Day Service
ホノルル神道連盟 メモリアルデー・サービス
31 Clean-up & Preparations

掃除と準備June
1

六月

Pet Blessing Festival ペット清祓い
8Tsukinami-sai Monthly Service
月次祭

15

Dazaifu Tenmangu Sukei Kai
Festival
太宰府天満宮崇敬会お祭り

We would like to extend ourHeartfelt condolences to thefamilies of the late

Seikichi Nakama
Fujie Sakai
Melanie Hashimura

July
6

七月

Tsukinami-sai Monthly Service
月次祭

12

Chinowa - Ring of Renewal
茅の輪くぐり神事

Tomiko Nakanishi

AugustGIVE 5
Arthur K Isa
Campaign Arthur MJY Isa
April
Juston Isa
MahaloVolunteers

Axel Obara

3八月Back-to-school Education Blessing
てんじんさん学業成就

10 Tsukinami-sai Monthly Service
月次祭

Spring Thanksgiving Festival
お祭りあれこれ

MAHALO
Volunteers
Shawna Arakaki
Hanayagi Dancing Academy
Bob Harada
Kai Igarashi
Pam Igarashi
Arthur Isa
Arthur MJY Isa
Juston Isa
Kyoko Isa
Michelle Johnson
Masao Kawamura
Jon Lower
Debbie Matsuo
Jack McMillan
Audrey Miyamoto
Shinken Naitoh
Hatsuko Nakazato
Fumiko Nishimura
Axel Obara
Rev. Akihiro Okada
Kumiko Sakai
Sakura Kai
Rev. Naoya Shimura
Yasuko Takeuchi
Irene Takizawa
Rev. Kyokai Tanaka
Naomi Teramoto
Hiroshi Yamaji

Dazaifu Tenmangu and Umeboshi (pickled plums)
Dazaifu Tenmangu is renown for their Ume or Plum blossoms. Every year,
ume is harvested from the 6000 ume trees on the shrine grounds, pickled and sold tovisitors of the shrine.
Umeboshi has remarkable medicinal qualities. Their powerful acidity has
an alkalinizing effect on the body, neutralizing fatigue, stimulating the digestion, andpromoting the elimination of toxins. Not only is it a potent hangover remedy for mornings after, an umeboshi a day
is regarded as one of the best preventive medicines available.
Like many of Japan's ancient medicinal foods, the origin of the umeboshi is obscure. One theory traces it toChina, where a dried smoked plum, or ubai, was discovered in a tomb built over 2,000 years ago. The ubai is one ofChina's oldest medicines and is still used for counteracting nausea, reducing fevers, and controlling coughs.
The oldest Japanese record of umeboshi being used as a medicine is in a medical text written about 1,000years ago. Umeboshi were used to prevent fatigue, purify water, rid the body of toxins, and cure specific diseases
such as dysentery, typhoid, and food poisoning.
During the Middle Ages, umeboshi was the soldier's most important field ration. It was used to flavor foods
and its high acidity made it an excellent water and food purifier, as well as an effective antidote for battle fatigue.

The Shinto concept of “WA”

By Sarah Potter

和“WA” (倭) or in Chinese Wō, is the oldest recorded name of Japan. Chinese, Korean, andJapanese scribes regularly referred to Japan with the Chinese character 倭 until the 8th century, when theJapanese replaced it with 和 meaning harmony or peace.
Approximately 1400 years ago, infighting broke out within the Yamato tribal clan. In 592, the fighting ended
with Shotoku Taishi as ruler and the emergence of a new Yamato. Upon becoming ruler, Shotoku opened direct
relations with China through which Japan received Confucian morality, law and Buddhism.
The two Japanese characters for Yamato, the ancient name of Japan is “dai” or large and “wa” or harmony.
Wa comes from Shinto and is one of the basic values in Japanese society. The Japanese believe that confrontation
should be avoided and when differences do occur, they try to find a mutually acceptable way to handle them.
Harmony plays a part in all facets of Japanese life and business. In business, harmony is as important as
successful completion of the job, with the preservation of harmony often taking precedence over expediency.
The warrior class in Japan was meant to ensure peace and harmony. Although this was accomplished throughconflict, the force used was just enough to return to the state of harmony and peace.
The presence of wa in the society has been credited as the reason why Japan has such a low crime rate. Thecrime statistics in Japan are much lower than the US, yet Japan has one-third as many police officers per capita,
one-fifth as many judges and 1/20 as many jail cells. Based on the crime statistics in US cities, it would seem only
natural that in such a crowded atmosphere that there would be a higher incidence of crime.
A tradition of mutual respect mixed with fear of shame is said to keep people in line. It is this desire topreserve social harmony that dictates the actions of the citizens. As individuals, Japanese tend to put the group’s needs
ahead of their own. The group has special significance in Japanese society. The group is your identity, and the groups
you belong to make up your identity. Since everyone in Japanese society is identified with various groups, anythingthat one person does, brings fame or shame to the groups to which they belong.
The importance of harmony and the order in which things are done can be seen in the traditional Japanese arts.
Martial arts such as judo, aikido and kendo, as well as the aesthetic arts of tea ceremony and classical dance, all haveprecise, prescribed methods to follow. The ending do means "the way," which typifies the order orientation inan effort to maintain wa within society.
The Japanese concept of kata, or form, exemplifies the importance of order. There are, for example, prescribed ways of doing things in business and social life - from sleeping to eating to sitting to bowing to doing certain
types of work. It is important to be aware of the "proper" way of doing things in order to be both accepted and tomaintain wa.
The business community has also become vocal proponents of wa. Harmony has been redefined to mean the“cohesiveness of the team unit”, and is thought to be a major reason for Japan’s economic. The emergence of Japan asa thriving business economy has come in the past half century, and since that emergence the concept of wa has been abusiness motto.
In the workplace, there are many examples of the harmony orientation. One example is the way in which
kohai, juniors in the organization, do not openly contradict sempai, seniors. Japanese culture makes a virtue ofrespecting those who are older and have more experience. Open contradiction not only reflects negatively on theperson being contradicted, but also has an impact on the individual who is doing the criticizing.
The Japanese believe that it is important to build and maintain solid relationships with goodwill. This humanfactor indicates their belief that it takes more than a written contract to resolve future conflict or disagreements
between two parties.
There are no equals in Japanese society. A person is either higher or lower in status, based on position, title,age, seniority, educational background and family. The preference in Japan is for clearly defined roles and responsibilities. This makes the order orientation toward structure strong in all aspects of business and daily life.
The concept of wa is not merely an intangible idea but is also rooted within the physical. The history of theword leaves open to interpretation its meaning within the various aspects of society. Within communities, it is acommon ethic and state of affairs. Within the cultural and martial arts community, wa is an incorporation of the mindand body. Japanese society has utilized wa in all areas, using it as a guiding principle in running everyday life.
Wa has become more than a catch-phrase and gone beyond what peace is to Western society to become a cherishednational ethic.

Preserving our sacred herItage
Restoration of Juyosho hut counter andSaisen-bako (offering boxes)
Much Mahalo to Axel Obara for painstakingly restoring the two
Saisen-bako offerings boxes and counter top of the Juyosho hut at theshrine.
The two Saisen-bako were not only weather beaten from over 70
years of exposure to the elements, but suffered years of abuse by thievesattempting to break open the lock in an attempt to steal the offerings.
An alarm was installed a few years ago, however, thieves continued their blatant
attempts at prying open the boxes,
leaving punctures and worn edges
in the old wood.
Axel repaired the visible
damages, removed all impediments, stripped down the boxes tobare wood and refinished them to its original pristine condition.
The saisen-bako in the Kotohira Jinsha shrine wasdonated by members in 1931 in commemoration of the new shrineon Kama Lane.
The Dazaifu Tenmangu saisen-bako was donated bymembers in 1982, but suffered seemingly irreparable damage
from several attempts by thieves. Thank you very much Axel!

Repainting of Torii gates
Our big Mahalo to ScottNakaoka and Nakaoka Painting,Inc. who generously offered theirprofessional expertise, labor andmaterials as a donation to theshrine.
Scott Nakaoka and anemployee spent all of April 3,prepping and painting the torii on
Olomea Street and Kama Lane.
Thank you for being
proactive volunteers in helping topreserve our sacred heritage.

Scott Nakaoka and employee applying primer to the torii gateOlomea Street Construction Update
Work continues on Olomea Street as deep trenches are being dug to upgrade
the existing sewer line. Entry to the shrine is allowed as usual through Olomea Street
from Houghtailing except on days when ingress and egress to the shrine is accessible
from Kokea Street.
Feel free to call the shrine at 841-4755 or the Olomea Street Project Hotline(SSFM Engineering - Bob 216-2412) before heading out to the shrine or for updates
on the project.
Completion ofconstruction on
Olomea isscheduled forJune 2008.
Pipes bring placed 15 feet below
ground level

Ideal Construction crew working on the area in front of the shrine

Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha
Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu
1239 Olomea Street
Honolulu, HI 96817-3343