Where ancient traditions thrive

Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha
Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu
Volume 4, Issue 10

Preparing for the New YearAs the end of 2008 fast approaches, we have much to be gratefulfor and nearly as much to be apprehensive about.
We are in a severe economic
downturn and the effects are being felt
by every one.
Loss of jobs, loss of homes,
bankruptcies, closures, retirees whose
pensions have dwindled by 40 percent
or more, employees whose savings andretirement accounts have been greatly
reduced, longer lines at the Hawaii
Food Bank, significant household
budget cutbacks.
There isn’t a single person
who is not impacted negatively in some
way by our poor economy.
The strongest emotion we experience during such desperate times isfear - fear that we will lose something,or everything that we have worked so
hard to achieve, such as a steady job,
our home, the basic necessities for ourfamilies, opportunities for our children,and the promise of a secure future.
Nothing gnaws away at us so
deeply as fear of the unknown future.
Fear then gives way to insecurity, worry, alarm and even desperation

初詣

because so many of the elements
causing our fears are beyond our
personal ability to reverse.
The worst and most debilitating fear is one that stops us in
our tracks and keeps us from functioning.
The best way to confront
any fear is to do something. Anything. Stand up, walk around. If
necessary, put some time andspace between you and the problem. Do something totally unrelated to your fear.
The physical act of movement releases the tension in yourmuscles so you can get control ofyour emotions.
Use the adrenaline of fear
for action, not paralysis, and keep
moving. Then you're ready to start
the intellectual process, planninghow to handle the situation.
Fear is a natural and valuable part of life. It alerts us to potential problems and increases ourawareness of opportunities.
So, embrace fear - thechances, the changes, are all yours
to make in the new year.

Hatsumode 2009

Hatsumode is a powerfulritual that lays an excellent foundation for the new year.
The purpose is toenhance the new year withhealth, joy, abundance and positive energies which will upliftand empower our lives.

1/1/2009 (Thursday)

初詣

New Years Blessing : Midnight - 5 pm

無料お雑煮接待

Ozoni served : Midnight - 2 am & 9 am - 2 pm

臨時駐車場

Off-site Parking with shuttle : Damien School
Midnight - 3 am & 9 am - 3pm

MAHALO for your generous donations
Thomas & Linda Agawa
Tetsu Amakata
Michael & Mie Brinksneader
Mark & Rie Burson
Hiromi Burt
Yuri Castro
Todd & Shoko Cochrane
Zachary & Akie Cooper
Chris & Charla Cummins
Brandon & Yoshiko Curtis
Mari Ernest
Toshiko Fujisaki
Joanne Fujita-Oshiro
Ruth Fukuyama
Bryson Goda
Kaoru Hashimoto
Miyuki Hendrickson
Kazumi Hiraizumi
Evan & Saori HowellDouglas & Minori Hung
Todd & Alice Inabata
Kyoko Isa
Iwashimizu Hachimangu
Jinja Honcho, Japan
Yoshiko Kawakami
Kyle & Yoko Kawasaki
Hatsue Kinoshita
David & Lori Kobayashi
Taro & Chika Kodama
Shelley Kurosu
Laverne Kurota

Eri LauErnest & Chiyoko Lau
Lillian Lee
Hisashi & Junko Maeda
Yoshi & Miyoko Mishina
Davy & Eileen Miura
Satoshi Munakata
Steven & Julia Munakata
Holly Nagamine
Yasu & Kumi Nobe
Wynn & Caryn Okuda
Thomas & Nobuko PauleJohn & Liane Sataraka
Makiko Serrana
Michael T. Sueda
Logan & Janice Sugino
Kaoru Swanson
Taiyo no Ie, Japan
Michael & Kazue Takahashi
Jason & Mona Takara
Takashi & Tei Takizawa
Jeff & Donna Tamanaha
Thomas Taylor
Marlene & Guy Teramae
Dean & Lillian Tonokawa
Toshiko Tougas
Lincoln & Aiko Tyler
Marc & Lori Wong
Emi Yamada
Yoshio & Ran Yasumi

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

We would like to extend our deepest
condolences to the family of the late
Dorothy Kaizuka

Lee Matsumoto

Shrine Calendar 年中行事
December 200830

Set up & preparations for Hatsumode 初詣準備

31

Yearend Purification Ritual 年越しの大祓January 20091

Hatsumode 初詣

18

Sagicho - Burning of the old Omamori 左儀長
Tsukinami-sai Monthly Service

月次祭

CONGRATULATIONSTomoyuki Raymond
Sekiya, former chairman of theJapanese Cultural Center of
Hawaii and Kuakini Health
System, received the Order ofthe Rising Sun, Gold and Silver
Rays from the Emperor of Japan through the Consulategeneral of Japan in Honolulu.
The award was given
for his contribution to enhancing the lives of Japanese-Americans and strengthening
the friendship between the U.S. and Japan.
The Order of the Rising Sun is a Japanese Order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji and is thesecond most prestigious Japanese decoration after theOrder of the Chrysanthemum. This honor has been
conferred on non-Japanese recipients from 1981.

MAHALO
Hanayagi Dancing Academy
Hawaii Foundation
for initiating a Susubarai clean up on December 14

MAHALO Mochi Pounding Volunteers
Travis Asato
Bob Harada
Ryuji Hoshino
Yumi Hoshino
Emi Igarashi
Kai Igarashi
Mitsuru Igarashi
Pam Igarashi
Arthur Isa
Arthur MJY Isa
Kyoko Isa
Brandon Lee

Shinken Naitoh
Danny Song
Naomi Teramoto
Yasuko UyeharaIn various cultures there is
widespread belief that there are certain crucial years in a person's life
where one experiences important
physical, mental and social changes.
In Japanese tradition, these critical
years are known as "yakudoshi."
Yakudoshi can be understood in part as an attempt to provide order and structure to our constantly changing lives. Yakudoshi
signals an occasion when the different pieces of a person — body,mind and spirit — are in near balance, whereas at other periods in aperson's life one part is dominant
over the others. Thus yakudoshi
marks a critical stage in adulthood
where the opportunity for a person
to fully realize his or her potential
in life is most available.
There is confusion in Hawai'i, however, as to when yakudoshi should be observed. Somemaintain yakudoshi occurs when aman turns 41, others claim it is 42.
This confusion stems in part fromJapan's change to a Western-based
calendar system in the 19th century,a period when the first Japaneseimmigrants began to make their
way to Hawai'i.
According to the old Japanese calendar, a baby was considered 1 year old at birth. After adopting the new calendar, however, ababy was not considered a year old
until one year after birth.
Why 42? The power of yakudoshi resides in part in the homonymic qualities of the numbers involved. Pronouncing the numbers 4(shi) and 2 (ni) in Japanese sounds
like the Japanese word for death(shini). Forty-two is thus an age ofcrisis as it signals the end of a particular stage in a man's life.
The Japanese word for crisis is written with two Chinese characters, one meaning "danger" andthe other meaning "opportunity."This suggests that in every crisis
there exists the potential for danger
and opportunity. The notion behinda man's yakudoshi, then, is that at
42 a man is at a critical juncture in

Yakudoshi marks our peak year
life as his combined social, physicaland mental powers are near theirpeak. In short, at 42 a man should bemaking his mark in society. After
this, his opportunities to do sodwindle.
Women have yakudoshi, too,
but the critical year is 33, not 42.
Like the male yakudoshi, there is ahomonymic quality to the number.
Pronouncing the numbers 3 (san) and3 (zan) sounds like the Japaneseword for misery (sanzan). In otherwords, a woman is in full bloom atthis age and will not be happy if she
is not making the most of her potential during this period.
It is customary to visit ashrine and receive the blessing of thegods during yakudoshi so that theyear will be filled with good fortune.
It is also common in Hawai'i forfamily and friends to throw yakudoshi parties to celebrate the birthday
person's status, to ensure that thecritical year gets off to a good start,
and to ask that the year brings more
opportunities than dangers.
It is said we are not born all
at once, but by bits. Our bodies areborn first and our spirit and character
later. In the Japanese tradition of yakudoshi is both the opportunity tounite the disparate parts of a person's
life, and the danger of letting themfall to pieces.

陰陽道の説が中国から伝わり
公家・武士の間で行われていたものが江戸時代以降一般庶民に広まりました。
これらの歳は、社会的にも身体的にも、人生という旅で大きな山を乗り越える最も大切な時期です。
厄年は迷信とも言われますが
男性42歳は働き盛りで体力的に無理をしやすい時期、女性33歳も出産、子育てと苦労が多く体調を崩しやすい時期で、男女とも生理的な節目にあたります。そのため、古来からの様々な習俗、俗信が廃れつつある今日においても、気にする人は多いようです。
男性は40歳前半になると初めての人間ドックに行く人も多いようです。厄年だからといって憂鬱な気分になるよりも、厄年はむしろ自分の健康状態をチェックし、ライフ
スタイルや食生活を見直す好機かもしれません。

The above article is from the
Honolulu Advertiser and waswritten by Jay Sakashita, whoteaches religion at Leeward
Community College.
厄には、木のふしめの意
味があり古来より人生の節目を『厄年』として忌み慎むならわしがあります。
数え年で、男は25才・42才・61才、女は33才・37才・61才が特に『大厄』、この大厄の前後の年齢
も『前厄』・『後厄』と呼ばれてます。

The shrine’s Yakudoshi Omamori is adorned with ti leaves.
In our host culture, ti leaves
are said to ward off evil and is still
planted around dwellings to ward off
malevolent spirits. Stalks of ti werealso used as flags of truce and peace.
A lei la'i made of two ti-leaves
tied at the base and worn open aroundthe neck was worn by priests and physicians.

Japanese New Years Cuisine• Osechi おせち
お正月には、年の神様が来て、年が新しく生まれ変わります。年の神様は年神といい農耕をつかさどる神でもありました。
農耕が生活の中心にあった日本では、各家に年神を迎え、もてなすことによって一年の豊作を祈ったのです。
年神にお供えする食べ物が、床の間などに飾る鏡もちです。おせち料理も本来、年神に供えるための料理でした。
日本では古来より、収穫したものをまず神に供える慣習がありました。
そのお下がりをいただ
くのを直会（なおらい）といい神の持つ力をいただくことを意味しました。
現在のようなおいしい
おせち料理は、江戸時代の武家のしきたりが中心になっているといいます。
さらに正月三が日は主婦を家事から解放するという意
味を含め、保存の効く食材が中心のものになったといわれています。
Osechi is a shortened formof Osechiku, a meal that was eaten
at the beginning of the year to welcome the gods of the new year.
In recent years, osechi has
evolved into a meal eaten at new
years that will last at least threedays, so the wives would be free torelax during the first three days ofthe new year.

• Otoso or Toso お屠蘇
新年を祝うもので、肉桂、山椒、桔梗、防風など7種類の生薬を配合した屠蘇散を酒みりんに浸して作ります。
中国、唐の時代にはじまった習俗で、日本には平安前期に伝わりました。年長者が若者の生命力にあやかる、という意味をこめ、年齢の若い順に飲むとされています。
Toso is written using two
Japanese characters:屠 to, meaning
to defeat and 蘇 so or evil spirits .
The tradition of drinking
toso at the New Year began in theTang Dynasty in China, and was
adopted by Japanese aristocrats during the 10th century.
The toso mixture is said tohave originated as a prescription of
the famous Chinese physician Hua
Tuo in the early 220 CE.
Ingredients have changed
somewhat over time, but the present
mixture is made from Japanese pepper, asiasari radix, apiaceae, cinnamon, dried ginger, atractylodes Japonica, Chinese bellflower and rhubarb mixed with sake or mirin (sweet
cooking sake).

められています日に焼けて真っ黒になるまでまめ（勤勉）に、しわがよるまで息災に過ごせますようにという願いを込めたものです。

When cooked in the traditional method, black beans have
many wrinkles on the surface.
Thus, kuromame arecooked with the hopes that all
will live a long life - till they
have many wrinkles.

• Kazunoko 数の子
数の子には、子がたくさん生まれて代々栄えますよ
うにという願いがあります。

• Tazukuri 田作り
昔は稲を植える時に田ん
ぼにコイワシをきざみ灰に混ぜて肥料にしました。今年もいいお米がとれますようにと願いを込めて
田作りと呼ばれています。

Kazunoko or herring roe
symbolizes children and a long,line of descendants.

• Ozoni お雑煮
The word Tazukuri means tomake (tsukuri) fields(ta). Ancient
farmers scattered small fish in therice paddies with the hopes for abountiful harvest.

• Kuromame 黒豆
1年をマメに働いて、マメに過ごせるようにという願いが込

もともと大晦日に神様にお供えしたものを、元旦に「神様と一緒にいただく」という由来です。
お供え物は各地域の産物であったので、お雑煮の具は地方によりさまざまです。
Ozoni was originally adish offered to the Toshi-gami orare mixed with a sweet potato paste tocreate this sweet, delicious new years
dish.

• Kohaku (Red & White)

Namasu 紅白なますNew Year gods on new years eve andeaten on new years day.

色の白い大根は清らかな生活を願っていただき、大地に根をはるので、家の土台がしっかりして栄えるとも言われています。
紅白の色は水引を意味し平和を願うものとされています。

• Kobu-maki 昆布巻き
「よろこぶ」の語呂合わせからきています。お祝い事には欠かせません。

Kobu sounds similar to yorokobu, which means to rejoice. Kobumaki was a dish that was always
served on auspicious occasions.

• Ebi (Shrimp) エビ
腰が曲がるまで元気に過ごせますようにという願いが込められています。
Shrimp curls when cookedwhich symbolizes longevity - living
until your back is bent.

• Kuri Kinton 栗きんとん「金団」と書き、財宝という意味があります。今年も豊かな生活が送れますようにとの願いが込められています。その鮮やかな色から富を得られるということで縁起物とされています。
Kin means gold and tonmeans lump, which is eaten so one
can lead a life of riches. Chestnuts

Tai or sea bream is considered the most auspicious of fish,
as it sounds like the word, medetai
and is prized both for its flavor andfor its traditional use as an auspicious food served at New Year's
and festive occasions such as weddings.
正月料理は、おめでたいことを重ねるという意味を込めて必ず重箱に詰めます。料理の詰め方や組み合わせは家庭、地域によって様々ですが、基本は四段重ねで、上から順に、一の重、二の重、三の重、与の重、と呼びます。四段目のお重を「四の重」と言わないのは「四」が「死」を連想させ縁起が悪いとされているからです。
詰め方や料理の組み合
わせは地域や家庭、しきたりなどによって様々です。

The white color of the daikon
radish signifies purity. Being a root
vegetable rooted firmly in the ground,daikon was symbolic of a firm foundation for the lineage of the clan.
Kohaku or red and white wereauspicious colors symbolizing peace.
Thus, daikon and carrot namasu isserved at new years and at happy occasions.

• Tai (Sea Bream) 鯛
めでたいに通じる語呂合わせ。江戸時代にはじまった七福神
信仰とも結びつき、鯛はおめでたい魚としてあまりにも有名。

Osechi is always packed
into lacquered boxes called Jubako. Jubako are wooden boxes
painted adorned with lacquer andusually comes stacked in 3 or 4tiers.
Jubako is used, especiallyat new years because it symbolizes
Ju or to multiply happiness.
The first tier usually has
kuromame, kazunoko and tazukuri.
The second tier usually has
sweet items like kurikinton anddatemaki egg roll.
The third tier has broiled
fish and shellfish and the fourthtier has vegetables like nishime.

Samurai Food Culture
Mahalo for your comments
of interest on the article on the Samurai food culture. This month, wewould like to touch on the meals of
the Shogun.
Although the Shogun was thehighest commanding officer of all
samurai in the country, his diet was
relatively simple and balanced, in
keeping with the stoic traditions of
the samurai class.
The basics of each meal was
one soup with two or three dishes. It
is recorded that the Shogun ate vegetarian meals more than half of every
month as he was expected to observe
deaths and death anniversaries ofrelatives and ancestors.
For breakfast, the Shogun ate
from two trays. The first tray contained rice, soup, a mukozuke dishlike sashimi or a sunomono vinegared
vegetables and another small dish.
On the second tray was suimono (soup), broiled kisu (stout whiting) fish. Kisu was thought to be an
auspicious fish and was eaten daily
by every shogun from Tokugawa
Ieyasu.
Lunch was exactly the sameas breakfast, except for a different
broiled fish. It is however, recordedthat the Shogun would skip lunch if
he was busy with his duties.
Dinner was also a two-tray
affair with the addition of a boiled
vegetable dish and a broiled fish. An
aged sake called gozenshu was also
served at dinner.
Although the quantity ofeach dish was small, the quality ofeach ingredient was the finest in the
country.
It is said that there was a twohour lapse from the time the meals
were prepared to when the Shogun
was actually able to partake of it.
Each dish underwent intense
quality inspection and testing for poison.
Approximately 50 chefs andkitchen helpers prepared 10 identicalmeals using the same ingredients andmenu for the shogun.

One meal was tested for poison by two vassals of the shogun. If
the meal passed the first test, the remaining 9 meals were reheated andtested for poison by a female attendant. If that meal passed the test, theremaining 8 meals would be taken to
the shogun’s room.
A chef specializing in“plating” the meal or decorating themeal would check for any abnormalities and approve the 8 meals for presentation to the shogun.
Finally, two male attendants
would do a last test of the meal. Afterconfirming that the meal was safe, themeal would be presented to the shogun for consumption.
This lengthy and stressfulprocess was repeated 3 times a day,before each of the shogun’s meals.
Another interesting custom
was that once the shogun ate from adish with his chopsticks, a new dishof the exact same item was placed on
the tray. This was the reason for the
extra meals. The shogun was neverallowed to take more than one bitefrom any dish. However, he was able
to eat as many bowls of rice from thesame rice bowl as he pleased.
The last shogun, Yoshinobu
was said to love pork, a rare delicacy
from Kagoshima in the 1800s. He
often requested pork dishes for hismeals and is said to have been especially fond of pork picata - pork
dipped in egg batter and pan fried.
The commoners of Edo often
referred to him as Ton-ichi-samawhich roughly translates to the “porkloving shogun of the Hitotsubashi
clan.”
将軍といえども、徳川家康が質素な食事をとおしたため、後継の将軍や大名もこれにならって簡素で栄養バランスが取れた食事をしていました。

基本は一汁二菜か三菜。しかも、将軍家には血縁の忌日(きにち)が多く、月の大半は精進料理だったといいます。
まず朝食を見てみると、一の膳には飯、汁、刺身と酢の物などの向こう付け、煮物が乗り、二の膳には吸い物と焼き物が乗せられました。この焼き物は、鱚（きす）の塩焼で鱚は縁起が良い魚とされ、家康以来、毎日食されていました。
昼食も二の膳つきで、朝と同程度のもの。そして夕食は、二の膳はつかず、ちょっとした煮物や焼き魚が加わるほか、御前酒も付きました。量はともかく、どれも最上級の素材を使った質の高い食事だった
ことは間違いありません。
ちなみに、料理が出来上がってから将軍が食するまで毒見や点検などがされ、約２時間もの時間がかかったと言われています。
50人以上の台所役人が10人分の料理を作ります。そのうち１人分を２人の男役人が毒見。
問題ないことが確かめられたら、９人分が炭火で温め直され、再度毒見をする女役人の前に運ばれます。その後、盛り付け役が残り８人分を点検し、いよいよ御前へ。
最後に将軍の前で下座にいる小姓２人が最後の毒見をして、ようやく将軍が箸をつけるのです。
多くの人に守られているとは言え、毎日３度の食事ですら緊張感があり、心から楽しめなかった将軍様。平均寿命が短かったのも、うなずけます。
1845年の書簡によれば、江戸幕府最後の征夷大将軍・徳川慶喜
は、島津斉彬から父・徳川斉昭宛てに豚肉が送られていたせいか、彼は豚肉を好んで食べており、下々の者たちから「豚一様」と呼ばれていました。「豚一様」とは、「豚肉がお好きな一橋様」の略称です。