Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha
Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu
VOLUME 5 ISSUE 4 APRIL 2015

Spring Thanksgiving Festival
Spring is a joyful time when life
bursts forth from the earth and thechains of winter are broken.
We are reborn as we emerge
from winter, ready to partake of all
the bounties of the earth.
As we celebrate, we rememberthat Spring is not only a season; it isa state of mind.
In many cultures, Spring Festivals
are traditional blessing of the landand prayers for bountiful crops.
The shrine’s annual SpringThanksgiving Festival was conducted on Sunday, April 12 by Rev Masa
Takizawa, assisted by Rev Kimitomo Idemitsu of Dazaifu Tenmangu,Fukuoka.

In keeping with ancient tradition, rice plants and morijio by Allan
Takeshita were offered to secure
the blessings of the kami.
Rev. Tsuyoshi Nishihara also ofDazaifu Tenmangu presented offerings from the main shrine during thesolemn ceremony.
Dance Master Hanayagi Mitsujyuro made an offering of Asahimai, arare performance of a ceremonial
priest dance.
In closing, Dr Shinken Naitoh andRev. Tsuyoshi Nishihara offered
their greetings to all attending theSpring Festival.
In the main hall, the 2015 Scholarship awards were presented, as
we continue to highlight motivatedindividuals in the pursuit ofknowledge.
Mahalo Nui to Principal
Hanayagi Mitsuai sensei, and students of Hanayagi Dancing Academy Hawaii Foundation for theirperformances, to Bob Harada,
Diane Nishida and Tom Jannuzzio
for MCing, and to the officers andvolunteers for their kokua in making this a meaningful event for all.

View Event photos at: www.flickr.com/kotohira-dazaifu
View Event videos at: www.youtube.com

MAHALO for your generous donations
Thomas & Linda AgawaAnekurahime Jinja
Mary Carias
Daijingu Temple of Hawaii
Dazaifu Tenmangu
Doughty Ohana
Anthony Fujii Ohana
Nicholas Fujii
Brent Furuya
Yasumi Gojo
Miyoko Hanahara
Hanayagi Dancing Academy
Hawaii Foundation
Bob Harada
Hawaii Ishizuchi Jinja
Noboru Hayase
Mitsuru & Pam Igarashi
Florence Imai
Arthur K. Isa

Arthur MJY Isa
Kyoko Isa
Izumo Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii

Tom Jannuzzuio
Loraine & Elsie Kadota
Hidetaka & Risa Kojima
Elaine Komatsu
James & Melba Kurashige
Kerry & Yuka Matsumoto
Takeyuki & Hanae Miyamoto
Roy Morioka
Koji Mukaeyama
Shinken & Marilyn Naitoh
Masateru & Hatsuko Nakazato
Craig & Diane NishidaDiane Oasawara
Akiko Sanai
Danielle Sato
Senbukan Karate

Mahalo to Mitsuru & Pam Igarashi andTakenoko Sushi of Hilo for the donation ofKoshihikari rice.

Alice Sugimoto
Sugimoto Ohana
Yuko Takahashi
Takenoko Sushi
Allan Takeshita
Naomi Teramoto
Jensen & Judy Toma

Sharon Toma
Kyoko Uchiyama

2015 Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu Scholarship Awards
A Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu
scholarship was established in 2012
to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of Hawaii
Dazaifu Tenmangu and to highlightmotivated individuals in the pursuitof knowledge.
Congratulations to the four
recipients for 2015:
Milena Naitoh - Presently aMaster’s student and fellow atHarvard University

Alexandria Carlyle - Presentlyattending Oregon State University

Dane Yamada - Presently
attending Kapiolani Community
CollegeJohn Sunahara - Presently
attending Leeward Community
CollegeFrom left to right: Rev Kimitomo Idemitsu, Rev. Tsuyoshi Nishihara, John Sunahara, Cassandra Carlyle accepting on behalf of Alexandria Carlyle, Dane Yamada,Marilyn Naitoh accepting on behalf of Milena Naitoh, Dr. Shinken Naitoh

Shrine Visitors
Dr. Manako Ogawa of Ritsumeikan University of Kyoto, visited theshrine on March 13.
Dr. Ogawa recently published a book entitled Sea of Opportunity about
Japanese pioneers of the fishing industry in Hawaii.
When Japanese fishermen arrived in Hawaii from Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, and Wakayama, they brought traditional Japanese fishing techniques
and adapted them to Hawaiian waters. Within a short period of time, they
expanded the fishing industry into one of the pillars of our local economy.
The Japanese fishermen provided a larger variety and quantity of fish tomeet the needs of the ever growing immigrant population. By 1930, thefishing industry in Hawaii was yielding over $2 million annually with over1000 Japanese immigrants engaged in all aspects of the industry.
Around this time, Italian fishermen were brought in by the U.S.
Government from the mainland to curb the activities of the Japanese fishermen. They did not stay long in the islands. Since, fishing remained amonopoly by the Japanese immigrants until World War II.
The shrine, as the guardian kami of the Issei fishermen is mentioned in the book.

Anekurahime Jinja
Chief Priest Nariyuki Wakamiya and members of theAnekurahime Jinja of Toyama-ken visited the shrine on March17.
Anekurahime Jinja was established in Kureha, Toyama in 737.
Anekurahime is the goddess of weaving and is said to have first
introduced looms and a special weaving techinique of hemp toEtchu, present day Toyama prefecture.

Fukuoka Convention Bureau
Toshiki Tanaka, Chief of the Fukuoka
Convention Bureau Events Department
visited the shrine on March 17. Theshrine will be assisting Fukuoka Convention Bureau and the Fukuoka Lions at theInternational Convention in Honolulu thisJune.

Congratulations
Congratulations to Kerry and Yuka Matsumoto. Wishing you a life together filled with love, laughter andhappiness from this moment throughout eternity!

Taisai Preparations
MAHALO
Bryson Goda
Bob Harada
Arthur K. Isa
Marilyn Naitoh
Shinken Naitoh
Allan Takeshita

Asahi Mai
Asahimai is a dance performed at shrines as an offering to thekami and is also one of the dances designated as a Saishimai ceremonial dance by Jinja Honcho (Association of Shinto Shrines).
Asahimai lyrics are actually two poems composed by Emperor
Meiji and put to music by Wataro Togi in 1950. The choreography
is very masculine and is usually performed by Guji Chief priests.
Dance Master Hanayagi Mitsujyuro performed Asahimai at therecent Spring Thanksgiving Festival.

Upcoming Events
Visit www.e-shrine.org