Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha - Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu

M ar ch 2023
Th e an n u al blessin g of Han ayagi Dan cin g Academ y Haw aii Fou n dat ion - an or gan izat ion
pr eser vin g an d per pet u at in g t h e cu lt u r al t r adit ion s of Nih on bu yo an d Nagau t a in Haw aii f ort h e past 76 year s

MAHALO for your generous Donations

CALENDAR

Keng Hsien Chao

Mike LeeAPRILKay Cochran

Sheryl Legaspi

Bill & Keiko Doughty

Steve Miwa

Chris & Akina EmeryDarren & Jennifer Mok

Gayle Fujihara

Craig & Diane Nishida

Bryson & Reiko Goda

Lillian Okamura

Kathy Hamada-Kwock

Lloyd & Virginia Oshiro

Hanayagi Dancing Academy

Akiko Sanai

Hawaii Foundation

Clyde Shiigi

15 10 am
Cleanup and preparations for Spring Fest
16

2 pm
Spring Thanksgiving Festival
3 pm
Scholarship Awards

Stacie Hata

Gary & Linda Shinsato

MAYRhonda Hayashi-Simpliciano

Robert Stallings

7

Art Isa

Akiko Tash

2 pm
Tsukinamisai Monthly Service

Arthur & Becky Isa

Naomi Teramoto

Rodney & Sharon Isa

Sharon Toma

28

Lorraine Kadota

Jasmine Umeno

8 am (INTERNAL)
Memorial Day Service(Punchbowl, Makiki & Moiliili Cemeteries)

Elaine Komatsu
James & Melba Kurashige

View shrine photos: www.flickr.com/kotohira-dazaifu

GOKITO Private Blessings
It's always a wonderful feeling whenclose relatives, family or friends havea baby. It's almost like you share in
their happiness in ushering their new
bundle of joy into the world.
Congratulations on the birth of yourprecious little girl !!! May her beautiful
smile make your world seem a littlebrighter everyday!

Yakudoshi blessings were performed for three shrine friends. May thisyear bring you all the success and fulfillment your heart desires

Kanai Anzen or family blessing was
performed for a safe and healthy year

Chinowa for People & Pets - June 4 Sunday 9:30 am - 1 pm

Remembrance Services
In Japanese Buddhism, it is thoughtthat Buddha helps departed soulscross the Sanzu river that bridges
this world and Higan, the "distantshore."
In both Shunbun no Hi and Haru
no Higan, the message is the same - it's a special day to remember andhonor our departed loved ones.
The 15th-year Remembrance Service
was conducted for KarenFujishima-Lee (Hanayagi Mitsuaki II)
on February 7 at the shrine.

Shunbun no Hi or the Spring(Vernal? Equinox is traditionallya day to honor your departed
loved ones.

Every opportunity to remember andcelebrate Karen's time with us is an
opportunity to thank her for having
been a part of our lives.

In Japan, many families visit
graves and have Remembrance
services at shrines and temples.

Remembrance services gives us thestrength to accept what is past, toappreciate what is present andcommemorate a life well lived.

Here at the shrine, a ceremony
was conducted for former Board
members and friends whose
Reiji tablets are interred at theshrine.

On this day, many families visit
graves of their ancestors to clean
the grave markers and offer flowers.
In recent years, many families inJapan opt to hire services that willclean grave markers, remove weeds
and offer flowers and incense on
their behalf.

Back-To-School Blessing August 6 Sunday 9:30 am - 1 pm

Sake Apreciation Festival
Sake, a byproduct of rice
has long been a vital partof Japanese culture.
Sake?s strongest
connection with Japaneseculture lays in its
traditional indispensability

at social gatherings.

M AHALO f or you r don at ion s of Sak e

Sake has an important
place at festivals,ceremonies and rituals.

Bryson & Reiko Goda
Art Isa
Hanayagi Dancing
Academy Hawaii Fdn
Islander Sake Brewery
Kokusai Sake Kai
Milton & Kathy Kwock

The shrine's annual Sake
Appreciation Festival
was held on March 5.

Mike Lee
Sheryl Legaspi
Craig & Diane Nishida
Gary & Linda Shinsato
Naomi Teramoto
Masa & Irene Takizawa

Mahalo nui to Mike Lee for abottle of Hiryu Joun sake byFujinishiki Brewery.
The bottle was handcrafted byartisans and features a LED
light and remote control thatlights up Mt. Fuji in various
colors - representing thechanging seasons.
Gold flakes that "snow" overMt. Fuji represents prosperity and happiness.

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theMAINTENANCE
Spectrum informed residents of ourarea that sometime in January, a cable
TV filter was placed temporarily on oneof the electric poles on Kama Lane as
the cable company determined that anon-paying person had been stealing
cable services in the area.
The filter acts as a security feature
instituted by cable companies andblocks non-paying people from getting
free cable services. Spectrum cable
and WiFi was down for about 3 hours
during the removal of the filter.
The Dragon fruit plants on theHonolulu Ford-side wall werepruned for balanced growthand maximum production.
Dragon fruits grow rapidly andproduces extensive vegetation
however in recent years, aninvasive vine growing fromHonolulu Ford seems to be
suffocating the Dragon Fruit.

The old non-skid safety strips infront of the shrine door wereremoved. Glue seeps into concretepores which made removal achallenge. A non-skid paint withcarborundum aggregate was usedinstead of the strips.

MAINTENANCE
Oahu was pummeled with strong
storms bringing heavy rains andintense wind for a few weeks.
The Dazaifu shrine's french doors
facing H-1 leaked in driving rain,
drenching the carpet, curtain andoffering box.
The wet vac was able to remove
most of the water, however, it also
required manual wiping to remove

all the moisture from the carpet.
The shrine was aired a few hours a
day for a week, when the weatherwas dry.
Mahalo Mike Lee, for repairing thedoor which also suffered damage
from the rain and wind.
Signs of wind damage was foundon the roof with missing shingles
and flapping copper parts.

Rob, the roofer inspected theKotohira roof and performed some
temporary fixes.
Shingle alignment and nailingwere problematic. Starter shingles
were not placed on the roof andmany of the tiles were not nailed
down.
Replacement, rather than repair
was recommended.

Every month Rev. Takizawa
visits the graves of those
whose Reiji tablets areenshrined in the shrine.
Mini Bird-of-Paradise in several
colors were planted 25 years
ago as they are bright, cheeryand long lasting flowers - ideal
for laying at a gravesites.
The past 2 months, the headsof the flowers were being torn
off just as they were startingto bloom.
A homeless person was caught
on 2/25 tearing off the flowers
and stealing other items suchas hand sanitizers, rubberboots and garden tools.
When confronted, the intruder
threw all the stolen items atRev. Takizawa while becoming
verbally abusive.

The Olomea street light in frontof the shrine was vandalized,
leaving no lighting since January.
The reason for this senselessact of vandalism is unclear - perhaps it was theft of copper
cables, luminaries or electricity
through illegal connections.
Being an access road for H-1,
the State was contacted with arepair request.
A midnight intruder was caught
casing the shrine. When asked
to leave as he was trespassing
on private property, he climbed
the fence onto Olomea, pulled
out a loose rock from the walland smashed it into the wall,
leaving a gaping hole. He thenunscrewed a lightbulb from theshrine's exterior lights andthrew it into the parking lot.