Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha - Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu
Febr u ar y 2020

Th e an n u al blessin g of Han ayagi Dan cin g Academ y Haw aii Fou n dat ion w as per f or m ed on Febr u ar y 29

M AHALO f or you r Don at ion s
Thomas & Linda Agawa
Robin Amano
Yohei Azegami
Bill & Keiko Doughty
Eientei Animations
Hanayagi Dancing Academy
Hawaii Foundation
Mitsuru & Pam Igarashi
Randall Ishihara
Robert & Jean Ishihara

Amy Kitano
James & Melba Kurashige
Mai Kurike
Milton & Kathy Kwock
Steve Miwa
Edward & Myra NagamineShinken & Marilyn Naitoh
Craig & Diane Nishida
Darren Okihara
Solon Rhodes

Akiko Sanai
Kanae Sasaki
Stacie Shimamoto
Gary & Linda Shinsato
Chihiro Shozuya
Gayle Suzuki
Tatsuya Tomiyasu
Mau UdaEarl Yamamoto
Brian Yamanaka

The Setsubun ritual involves the expelling of evil spirits bytossing roasted soybeans out of the home while saying?fuku wa uchi, oni wa soto? or fortune in and demons out.
Soybeans are also thrown in the house for family
members to pick up and eat a number equivalent to theirage to ensure health and luck.
Setsubun was observed on Sunday,February 9 from 3:00 pm at the shrine.
Mahalo to Vice President Dian e Nish ida
for taking on the role of Oni ogre.

An n u al Kan r ek i & Yak u dosh i Blessin gs
The annual special group blessing forKanreki and Yakudoshi celebrants
was performed on 2/9

M AHALO Volu n t eer s
Keng-Hsien Chao
Craig NishidaDiane Nishida
Linda Shinsato

In Asian cultures, the aging process is celebrated
with the honor and recognition it deserves.
Kanreki is a time to re-evaluate our lives, when
we may begin to face our mortality, get serious
about what we want our lives to be about, maketransformative changes and affirm a sense ofgratitude for the goodness and richness of ouryears.
The 60s also heralds the need for us to cultivate
new relationships to our bodies.
Kanreki is a time to:-take stock of how life is working for you
let go of what no longer serves you
make transformative changes
create your legacy

The Kanreki blessing can be wonderfully
life-affirming. Instead of seeing the 60s as atime of loss, see it as a time to listen to thecallings of your soul.
RItuals like Kanreki blessings are used to marksignificant transitions in later life.

Gok it o Pr ivat e Blessin gs
AA Car Blessing was
performed for shrine
friend, Stacie on 2/23.

A Baby blessing was
performed for a darling
little girl on February
24.

Congratulations forbuying your first car
on your own!

The birth of a child is an
auspicious and sacredmoment for the family.

May you have safeand exciting
adventures thatbrings happiness inyour life.

May her life be filledwith the love of those
who make up herworld.

The first Jusan
Mairi (specialblessing for
13 year olds)of 2020 wasperformed
on 2/10.

Among the many
private blessingsthe shrine provides
is a blessing forcars that invokes
special care overyour vehicle.

Congratulations
Mau!

A car blessing wasperformed forshrine friend
Edward on 2/25.

CALENDAR
Annual blessing for the Hanayagi
Dancing Academy Hawaii
Foundation (HDAHF) was performedon February 29.
Hanayagi Dancing Academy wasestablished by Hanayagi Mitsuaki I(Viola Ikie Hosokawa) in 1947 tocelebrate and perpetuate theJapanese spirit through dance,
shamisen and Nagauta style singing.

passing in 2008.
Hanayagi Mitsujyuro (Bryson Goda)
became HDAHF's 3rd Shihan Dance
Master in 2014, preserving andperpetuating the cultural legacy ofour founder.
Mitsujyuro also received a Shihan in
shamisen and Nagauta-style singing
from Kineya-ryu in 2019.

Her dedication, devotion andtutelage of the Japanese performing
arts have inspired many in Hawaii tobecome Natori teachers of Nihon
Buyo classical dance and Shamisen.
Upon Mitsuaki I's passing, Mitsuaki II(Karen Fujishima-Lee) was granted
the title of Shihan Dance Master
instructor by Grand Master Hanayagi
Jusuke IV and officially took on thename of Mitsuaki II in 2006, remaining firmly committed to fulfilling
Mitsuaki I's legacy until her sudden

M ARCH1

3 pm
Sake Appr eciat ion Fest ival

APRIL
18

1 pm
Clean u p & pr ep

19

3 pm
Spr in g Th an k sgivin g
Fest ival Sch olar sh ip Aw ar ds

M AY

Hanayagi Mitsuaki I (left) with Hanayagi
Mitsuaki II

33 pm
Tsu k in am isai M on t h ly
Ser vice24

8 am
Hon olu lu Sh in t o Ren m ei
M em or ial Day Ser vice

Kaoh siu n g Kot oh ir a Jin sh a
Shinto shrines once symbolizedcolonial authority during theJapanese occupation of Taiwan
between 1895-1945.

Emperor Sutoku and built in 1910high above the Shoushan
mountains overlooking Kaohsiungharbor.

Shinto Shrines, in addition to theirrole of religious significance, werewidely built as a means to imbue
Japanese nationalism in the colony.

The shrine was dedicated to
Omononushi-no-mikoto andIn 1946, Takao Jinja was slightlyrenovated and named the Martyr 'sshrine.
In 1973, Kaohsiung city initiated therebuilding of the shrine to house
thousands of spirit tablets ofdeceased soldiers that fought in
the Northern Expedition, AntiJapanese War and the Civil War
and renamed it the KaohsiungMartyr 's Shrine.

After World War II, Shinto shrines
were either destroyed ortransformed into various forms tofit into a different political agenda.
In a recent visit to Taiwan, Rev.
Takizawa was able to visit theformer site of the Takao Kotohira
Jinja in Kaohsiung. Takao is theJapanese pronunciation ofKaohsiung.

Takao Jinja.

In 1920, Takao Prefecture
requested Prince Yoshihisa
Kitashirakawa also be enshrined at
Takao Kotohira Jinja.
The request was approved by theTaiwan Governor-General and thename of the shrine was changed toFollow u s on In st agr am (k ot oh ir adazaif u )CDC and the U.S.
Government have been
discouraging cross-border
travel and recently issued
warnings of travel to fivecountries affected by the
COVID-19 - China, South
Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran.
If you must travel this year,
be sure to discuss yourtravel with your healthcare
provider especially if you are
elderly or have a chronic
medical condition.
You may also want toconsider the various Airport
Security Passes that can
speed you through TSA
checkpoints andImmigration.

Visit ou r w ebsit e: w w w.jin ja.u s