Haw aii Kotoh ira Jin sh a
Haw aii Dazaifu Ten m an gu

JUNE 2021

Congratulations to Christoper and Lisa from Houston, Texas !!!

DONATIONSNick Bass
Bill & Keiko Doughty

CALENDAR
Tanabata is one ofJapan's five seasonal
festivals.

Bryson Goda
Mimi Horiuchi
Rodney & Sharon Isa
James & Melba Kurashige
Christopher & Lisa Markel
TImothy & Yumi Martinez
Steve Miwa
Shinken & Marilyn Naitoh
Craig & Diane Nishida
Reuben Oh
Lois Okawa
Akiko Sanai
Gary & Linda Shinsato
Robert Stallings
Michael & Joy Tamashiro
Adam Teeley
Lena Yafuso
Lisa YafusoOriginating in China
as Qixi and firstobserved in the
8th century, the festival
marks the annual meetingof Orihime (Vega) theweaver star and Hikoboshi(Altair) the Cow herd star.
Tanzaku tags and pens will beavailable in the shrine from July 1 July 7 between 8:30 am - 4:00 pm.

JULY
1-7

8:30 am ~ 4:00 pm(Open to the public)
Tanabata tanzaku writing

4

3:00 pm (INTERNAL)
Tsukinami-sai Monthly Service

AUGUST1

3:00 pm (INTERNAL)

Write your wishes on one of thetanzaku tags of various shapesand hang them on the bamboobranch.
Mahalo to Dian e
Nish ida forcrafting thetanzaku tags.

Back-To-School Blessing(CANCELED)

Tsukinami-sai Monthly Service

SEPTEMBER
5

1:00 pm (INTERNAL)
Autumn Thanksgiving Festival

Shrine Volunteer Award
Generous with their time and talents,
volunteers bring light and life to all
endeavors - they are the lifeblood of theshrine.

Sh r in e Volu n t eer
Aw ar dThe Shrine Volunteer Award wasestablished in 2015 to recognize
altruistic individuals for their valuable
contributions and for being an essential
part of the shrine.

Shinken Naitoh2015

Bob Harada2017

We would like to acknowledge twooutstanding members that have been avital part of the shrine for many years.
Our deepest gratitude goes out to Gar yand Lin da Sh in sat o for their loyal
dedication that have enabled this shrine
to better serve our community.
A certificate of gratitude from Chief Priest
Nobuhiro Nishitakatsuji of Dazaifu
Tenmangu was presented to theShinsatos.
They have demonstrated a sustained

Tom Jannuzzio

commitment of hundreds of hours eachyear to the betterment and preservationof the shrine.
This recognition is a symbol for all shrine
supporters, that we are an organizationof volunteers, working together in service
to the community, in a unified goal of thepreservation and perpetuation of ourcultural and spiritual heritage.
Mahalo Nui Loa Gary and Linda !!

2019
Craig NishidaDiane Nishida
Marilyn Naitoh

2021
Gary Shinsato
Linda Shinsato

GOKITO Private Blessings
A Family Blessing wasperformed for shrine friends
on June 13.
Kanai Anzen or Family
Blessings are for good healthand protection and to affirm
our love and gratitude for one
another.
Rituals like Family Blessings
establish identity andperpetuate the connection
among generations.

A House Blessing was performed for ahome in Manoa on June 24.
Ritual purification of the land and home
was performed to clear old negative
energies, making way for a positive andbalanced atmosphere which encourages
good fortune, health, growth, peace,happiness and protection.
Blessings are often done prior to or uponmoving into a home or before selling it.

The annual Chinowa for People
and Pets was canceled again thisyear due to COVID-19.
The event draws over 500 people
and pets, which exceeds theState's Tier 4 recommendation of75 people for outdoor events.
A private blessing was performedon June 26 for Cosmo, a regularparticipant of our event since2004 and his feline siblings !!!

MEMORIAL DAY
The annual Honolulu Shinto
Renmei Memorial Service wascanceled, however, Rev. Takizawa
visited Punchbowl, Makiki
Cemetery and Moiliili Cemeteryon May 11 to honor the men andwomen who died while serving
the US military.

Punchbowl National Cemetery of
the Pacific was built in 1948 toserve as a resting place forsoldiers of the American Armed
Forces who lost their lives during
World War II, the Korean War andthe Vietnam War.

Naval ships passing by the islands
sometime during the 1800s.
Moiiliili Cemetery is also home toa Gannen-mono Monument tohonor the first immigrants and toremind their descendants of theirconnection to Japan and theirimmigrant roots.
Makiki Cemetery is home to theYosebaka Memorial, a 12-ton
granite monument that houses
the remains of 289 Gannen-mono- the first Kanyaku Imin Japanesecontracted plantation workers Japanese pioneers who died here,leaving no trace of their existence
but broken-down headstones.
There are also 16 Japanese sailors
entombed at Makiki Cemeterythat died here or on JapaneseCONGRATULATIONSCongratulations to Ser en a,daughter of shrine friends
David and Masako Jimenez
for being selected winner ofthe Honolulu Museum ofArts April Drawing contest!
Serena's artwork will be
displayed on the HoMA
website and she will receivea Supporting Level ($120value) membership.
Congratulations to shrine
volunteers Ran ce
Tak ah ash i and Ai Sat ofor tying the knot on June10!
Rance and Ai are familiar
faces at Hatsumode.
May the years ahead befilled with lasting joy, loveand happiness !!

Congratulations toKylie Tam ash ir o onher graduation from
Boston University !!
Kylie was a recipientof the shrine'sScholarship in 2018.

Congratulations toSk ye Sak ash it a recipient of theshrine's Scholarshipin 2017.
This fall, Skye will
become a doctorate
student in theClinical Psychology PsyD Program at theUniversity of San Francisco.
Her research and clinical interests arefocused on underserved populations,particularly ethnic and sexual minorities.

If you visit a cemetery, please don't remove thecoins on some headstones as they have meaning.
During the Vietnam War, political strife wasrampant. Even between families of servicemen
and women who were serving or had served hadvaried opinions as to the necessity of the war.
Servicemen and women who were fortunate
enough to return home needed a way to bypass
political tensions, yet still let their fallen comrades'families know that they had paid their respects.
So, they started leaving coins on headstones as aform of communication.

YEN
M ean in g: a strong craving, desire, yearning
Or igin : Yen, which means craving or desire in theEnglish language seems like it has its origin inJapanese, however its roots are Chinese. Yen comesfrom the Chinese word ? Yuan, which means hope,desire or wish.
The term was first used in 1875 during a time when
China suffered from widespread opium addiction.

A quarter on a grave means that the person
who left it there was with the fallen soldier
when they died
A dime means that the two served together
at some point in their careers
A nickel on a grave means that the person
who left it there trained with the deceased
A penny means that a fellow serviceman
or woman has stopped by to pay theirrespects, whether or not they knew them
personally

After the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, theNationalist Government, provincial governments, theCommunist Party and the British colonial governmentof Hong Kong all depended on opium taxes as major
sources of revenue.
In the mid-19th century, opium was introduced to theUS by Chinese immigrants who referred to theircraving for opium as "yin-yahn."
Americans pronounced it as "yen-yen" which after
time became "yen" - a strong desire for opium.

MAINTENANCE
Trimming of the Ficus Benjamina along
Olomea Street continues throughout June.
Ficuses are quite adaptable and can betrimmed anytime of the year.
The shrine doesn't have the automated
3-cart Refuse and Recycling services
provided by the City. Refuse pickup is still
done manually with no Green Waste pickups.
All Green waste at the shrine must be placed
Mahalo to Ar t Isa for helping within our Honolulu Disposal dumpster.
beautification of the shrine grounds.

Hazardous waste like engine
oil is constantly being
dumped on Olomea Street