NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Honolulu, HI
Permit No. 693

Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817

Preparations for
Shinran Shonin’s 750th Memorial Service&
Betsuin’s Centennial Celebration

Address Service Requested

3JOCBO,FOKVO,BXBXBUB

In this issue of WA...

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Higashi Hongwanji
Hawaii Betsuin
Bulletin

12
December 2014

Higashi Hongwanji
Mission of Hawaii

Temple Activities Calendar
DECEMBER 201412/6 Sat 1 pm Kinnara/Arpana concert - Otani Center
12/7 Sun 10 am HBC Bodhi Day service - Tendai Mission(no service at Betsuin)
12/9 Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
12/11 Thu 7 pm ABCs of Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in English
12/13 Sat 10 am What on Earth Is Namuamidabutsu?
led by Rev. Frank Childs
12/14 Sun 10 am Betsuin Bodhi Day service
12/14 Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in Japanese
12/16 Tue 7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Kaneohe
12/21 Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service &Sunday school
12/21 Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meeting
12/23 TueNo ukulele class or movie night
12/27 Sat 9 am Annual temple cleaning (大掃除)Ehime Maru Memorial cleaning
Picnic lunch (Kakaako Waterfront Park)
12/28 Sun 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service
12/28 Sun 12 pm Mochi-pounding
12/31 Wed 5 pm Year-end service (Joya-e)
Toshi-koshi soba following

JANUARY 2015
1/1
1/4
1/4
1/8
1/10
1/11
1/11
1/13
1/18
1/18
1/20
1/25
1/27
1/27
1/28

Thu 10 am New Year service (Shusho-e)Ozoni & other osechi dishes following
Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service &Sunday school
Sun 12 pm Jimmy’s Auto Basics
led by Jimmy Hirakawa, Proprietor
Palolo Auto Service
Thu 7 pm ABCs of Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in English
Sat 10 am What on Earth Is Namuamidabutsu?
led by Rev. Frank Childs
Sun 10 am Sunday service
Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in JapaneseTue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceSun 10 am Sunday service
Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meetingTue 7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Betsuin
Sun 10 am Sunday service
Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceTue 6:30 pm Movie night: The Wind Rises
Wed 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service

Everyone is welcome to join in on our sutra chanting at 7 am daily (except Sundays & 28th day of the month) in the Betsuin Main Hall.

At Higashi Hongwanji, we remaintrue to our origins
as an open Sangha, welcoming
anyone who wishes to learn more
about the Jodo Shinshu
tradition of Buddhism.
A registered 501(c)3 organization
President: Faye Shigemura
Vice President: Jonathan Tani
Secretary: Debra Saiki
Treasurer: Edmund Nakano
Auditor: Ken Saiki
Rinban: Kenjun Kawawata
Minister: Makoto Honda
Associate Minister:Frank Childs
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
Tel: (808) 531-9088
Fax: (808) 531-3265
Email: betsuin@hhbt-hi.org
Wa is published monthly byHigashi Hongwanji Mission of
Hawaii for its members andfriends. Comments, articles andother items for publicationconsideration are welcomed.
Editor: Ken SaikiYou may have heard that the Betsuin will be celebrating its 100th year ofserving our community in 2016. Imagine that...the temple has beenbringing dharma teachings to local families for nearly a century now, except
during a brief dark period in our nation’s history when the temple was shut
down during World War II.
Our centennial anniversary will be held in 2016 in conjunction with
Higashi Hongwanji Hawaii District’s 750th Memorial Service for ourdenomination’s founder, Shinran Shonin, in November, two years from now.
We’ve already established a Goenki Committee and started preparation forservices and events to commemorate this historic milestone.
A kick-off benefit event for the centennial celebration will be held thiscoming Saturday, December 6, at 1:00 p.m. at the Betsuin’s Otani Center. The
concert event will feature Kinnara, performing ancient ceremonial Japanesegagaku music and bugaku dance, plus traditional Indian dance by the Arpana
Dance Company.
Kinnara was formed in 1969 at the Senshin Buddhist Temple in Los
Angeles as a study group of Buddhism and Buddhist culture. Kinnara wasoriginally formed as a chanting group and named after the chanting
musicians of Buddhist mythology. At the invitation of Rev. Masao Kodani, Prof.
Suenobu Togi, Professor Emeritus, UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology andformer musician of the Japanese Imperial household, took leadership of thegroup and included the study of gagaku and bugaku. He continued to lead
Kinnara until his death in November, 2009.
The Arpana school was established in 1982, in the spirit of offering dance
to the Divine. (“Arpana” is the Sanskrit word for “offering.”) Since the school’s
humble beginnings, Ramya Harishankar has personally trained more than 250
students in this rigorous art form, with over 70 graduating and performing
their dance debut, or Arangetram.
The teaching follows much in the pattern of the Guru-Shishya tradition ofyore. The students are not mere enrollees in the school but develop apersonal relationship with their teacher over the years, learning many
intricacies of the dance form, performance techniques and cultural awareness.
Through her school, Harishankar has helped build artistic sensitivity,(cont’d on p. 2)

Kick-off event for Higashi Hongwanji Hawaii District
Shinran Shonin 750th Memorial & Betsuin Centennial Celebration,JOOBSB"SQBOBCFOFöUDPODFSUSaturday, Dec. 6, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii - Otani Center
1685 Alaneo St. (corner of N. Kuakini St.)
Donations appreciated750th Memorial & Centennial (cont’d from p. 1)

appreciation and understanding of cultural traditions in
the community. Her students have also acquired physicaland mental discipline, strength of character andpersonalities that have held them in good stead throughtheir college and working careers. Many have become
torchbearers of the tradition and have been performingwith the Arpana Dance Company since its inception.
I’d like to extend my personal invitation to you to thiskick-off concert for our Shinran Shonin’s Memorial Service
and Centennial Celebration.
In observing the 750th memorial and centennial
activities, we look back to our temple’s past as a means tocreate and build the future of Jodo Shinshu here in the
Hawaii. While we reexamine what the role of our temple
should be, we must constantly keep in mind that our
pioneer predecessors had a wish to have a place to gather
and listen to the Buddha dharma for their meaningful lifein Hawaii.
Therefore we will go back to their original wishes andlisten to the Nembutsu teaching through this centennialcelebration and Shinran Shonin’s Goenki service. Our
Betsuin Centennial committee is planning various
commemorative projects, a major one being the hondo(main hall) renovation and altar restoration. It’s been
more than 30 years since the move from our old Banyan"MPIBBOE.BIBMP
Rev. Makoto HondaI

t seems like just yesterday that I
started as a minister at the Betsuin,and now, nearly 2½ years later, I holda plane ticket in hand for my returnto Japan. My R1 visa, which allows
me to work in the U.S. temporarily asa minister, is soon to expire.
Now I can kind of understandhow a shopkeeper
feels when he faces
the loss of his lease.
It’s beyond one’s
control, so you
simply accept it andlook ahead to yournext phase in life.
Even plants need to be
repotted every once in a while.
And besides, as much as I
love being in Hawaii, returning to
my home temple and eventually
allowing my mother to retire, is what2

St. location, and our facilities are showing their age andare in need of renovations and restoration work.
For educational projects, as you know we’ve alreadyestablished the Higashi Hongwanji Dharma Study Centerand hold lecture series twice a year, in Spring and Fall. Our
hope is that this study center will be able to provide evenmore classes and lectures for our members and otherinterested people as well. To this end, Dr. Jay Sakashita,
religion professor at the University of Hawaii – Manoa, isscheduled to conduct our Spring lecture series. Watch foran announcement.
You can see that our temple and district will be more
active and quite busy in preparation for those events next
year. Therefore I would like to ask for your continued
support and cooperation.
In closing I would like to thank all our members anddharma friends who supported our temple this past year.
We could not have had all our regular and special
services, educational programs and other worthwhile
activities without your support and your participation. We
appreciate it very much.
I wish that you will a have peaceful year-end, as we
look forward to the exciting and eventful new year thatlies ahead of us.
In Gassho.
Rinban Kenjun Kawawata

will happen sooner or later anyway. So
it may as well be sooner.
Looking back, I wish I could’ve
done more in the short time I washere. This was my first assignment
as a minister—my first full-time job,
actually—and I had a lot to learn.
I believe I grew considerably as aperson. All those laulaus and plate
lunches with two scoops rice helpedwith my “growth,” but my ministerial
duties—the daily morning chanting,delivering dharma messages at
Sunday services, being with families
in time of need, conducting funeraland memorial services, helping people
in crises and just working with folksfrom a different culture—taught meinvaluable lessons in life. It helped me
as I faced my own personal challenges.
I truly thank all in the Higashi
Hongwanji ohana for giving me thisopportunity to develop. I appreciate
those who stuck with me throughrecitation circle sessions (which helped
me improve my English) and attended

Mako’s Computer Clinic (to let mepractice my teaching skills).
Mahalo for helping me add
new words to my vocabulary, suchas niele, moloha and kukae, andpointing out the difference betweena crown and a clown.
Thanks to all who helped melaunch the Betsuin’s website (please
visit if you haven’t yet!) and initiate a
relational database for the temple.
And thank you for your ideas,
photographs and assistance withthe publishing of the 2015 Hawaii
District calendar, one of the last
projects for which I was responsible.
I hope you will use the calendar as
we envisioned, take time to discuss
the questions and even post youranswers on the district website.
I will never forget the many
people in Hawaii who have shared
their friendship and spirit of aloha
with me, and hope I leave an indelible
impression on some of you as well.
A hui hou!

MahaloGozaimasu

We gratefully acknowledge the following for theirgenerous contributions. If we’ve missed any donor’s
name, please accept our apologies and let us know
by calling the Betsuin at 531-9088 so we can makecorrections to our records.

.&.03*"- '6/&3"- */63/.&/5#63*"-4&37*$&
Betty Morimoto
Penelope Saruwatari Jonathan Tani
Dennis & Debra Saiki Ellen Gono
Ralph & Bettle Nishida
Jill Shimabukuro
Kazue Uechi
Herbert & Leslie Ito Patricia Hiroshima family
Sanji & George Abe family
Gladys Kazue Ebisuya family
Kameo Miyahiro family,:0%"/%0/"5*0/William Higuchi

Rev. Sowa Sugiyama Sandra Abelaye)000/,0Richard Shojinaga



Marilyn Yonekura
Clara Imai
Ken & Gale Shoda
Charlene Watanabe

Harold Kudo
Noboru Hayase
June Omura
Atsuko Nonaka
Harvery Maruya
Robert Takayama
Lynn Murakami-Akatsuka

0)*("/'-03"-"33"/(&.&/54
Minako Ito-Song
Joyce Masaki

Roy Nakamoto

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W

hile shotsuki services
are observed every year,
nenki hoyo memorial services arescheduled during certain special
anniversary years according to
Buddhist tradition.
For 2015, these special services
are listed below for loved ones
whose deaths occured in thefollowing years: TUBOOJWFSTBSZ  SEZFBSNFNPSJBM  UIZFBSNFNPSJBM  UIZFBSNFNPSJBM  UIZFBSNFNPSJBM  UIZFBSNFNPSJBM  SEZFBSNFNPSJBM  UIZFBSNFNPSJBM These services may be held at
the temple or in the convenienceof your own home, especially if
you have health or transportation
issues. The ministers will be happy toaccommodate your preference.
Please call the Betsuin office
at 531-9088 for information aboutscheduling memorial services.

Tokuo & Sadie Sakai
Collin Segawa
Katherine KurakakeWalter Yamada
Jane Kaneshiro
Sasayo Okazaki
Walter Yamada

Dorothy Tanaka
Robert Okazaki
Shigeru Gushikuma

Shotsuki Observance for DecemberOur monthly shotsuki service
in remembrance of temple
family members who passed awayin the month of December of apast year will be held on 4VOEBZ %FDFNCFSThe following list
includes members from the past 25
years (through 1989):
Hatsuyo Fujimoto
Gladys Shizuko Gono
Hideo Gushikuma
Tsuruko Gushikuma
Thomas Togo Higuchi
Shizuko Imura
Tsukasa Ishimatsu
Florence Hisae Kaichi
Terry Toshiharu Katsumoto
Kenneth Sunao Kawamoto
Kenso Kimura
Harry Seiji Kimura
Hanae “Daisy” Kobata
Midori Kojima
Miyoko Goto Kubota
Tsukasa Matsumoto
Hitoshi Matsumoto
Tatsuko Matsuoka
Helen Kiyono Motoyama
Henry Takao Murakami
Joyce Tsutayo Murotake
Natsuko Nakahara
David Kiyohiko Nakamura
Larry Shigeru Nii

Toyoko Nishimura
Shinko Nohara
Goro Nonaka
Halord Sueto Ogata
Hiromu Ogata
Haruko Ogata
Miyoko Ohara
Patric Takeshi Okawa
Heizo Ono
Ichiro Oyeda
Sumie Sakai Sagawa
Herbert Hiroshi Shima
Jean S. I. Shindo
Sumi Hirayama Starnes
Yasunari Sugimoto
John Hiroshi Sugimoto
Shichiro Takahashi
Matsuyo Takaki
Shigeo Takimura
Allen Masayoshi Tanaka
Yukito Torikawa
Uto Uehara
Teruo UjimoriDavid Sadafumi Uyehara
Hanae Uyeno
Mildred Shigeko Wada
Chiyo Watanabe
Tadayoshi Yamane
Shizuko Yamanuha
Sumiko Yamashita
Ethel Hatsuyo Yamashita
Shizuko Yonemura

5

KINNARA / ARPANA

/FXTPOUIF

KICK-OFF BENEFIT CONCERT2015

HIGASHI HONGANJI HAWAII DISTRICTSHINRAN SHONIN 750th MEMORIALHAWAII BETSUIN CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION#FUTVJO8JSFMFTT

,FFQVQXJUIUFNQMFBDUJWJUJFT
BU#FUTVJOTOFXXFCTJUF

Whether you’re trying to findout when the next What on Earth is
DiscoverNamuamidabutsu? session is being
deep inside yourself
held, where the nearest Higashi
Hongwanji temple is or learn more
about Shinran Shonin’s life, you’ll
HIGASHI HONGWANJI HAWAII DISTRICT
find it on our new website at
CFUTVJOIICUIJPSH.
You’ll discover it’s an easy-to)BXBJJ%JTUSJDUDBMFOEBS
navigate and useful tool to keep
BJNTUPQSPNPUFVOEFSTUBOEJOH up-to-date on all our temple activities.
The 2015 Higashi Hongwanji
There’s helpful information on
Hawaii District calendar, ideal for wall
memorial services, dharma andhanging as well as jotting down yourculture classes, temple facilities
daily appointments, is now available.
available for rental and an archive ofDonations to help defray the cost of
past issues of our monthly Wa
printing are greatly appreciated.
newsletter.
This year’s calendar features
While still a work in progress, weweekly questions to encourage you
hope you’ll consider it as a readyto look inside your own self to help
source of useful information about
you understand others. February, for our Betsuin and our activities.
example, has an animal theme andPlease feel free to give us yourasks, “If you were your pet, what
feedback and suggestions on how
would you think of your owner?”
we can improve the website.
We hope you will enjoy comparing
3FHVMBSNPOUIMZBDUJWJUJFT
your answers with your family andperhaps even share them at a special TDIFEVMFNPEJöFECZIPMJEBZT
calendar discussion page on the Our usual ukulele practice andHigashi Hongwanji Hawaii District
movie night for the 4th Tuesday inwebsite at IICUIJPSH.
December will not be held because
Drop by the Betsuin office nextof the holidays.
time you visit or call 531-9088 andWe’ll still have our hands full withask for your copy of the calendar.
things to do at year-end, such as our
Shinran Shonin 750th Memorial & Hawaii Betsuin Centennial
November 19 - 20, 2016

GAGAKU / BUGAKU / BHARATANATYAM INDIAN DANCE


Kinnara was formed at Senshin Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles as astudy group of Buddhism and Buddhist culture. It began as a chanting group in 1969.
Arpana means ‘Offering’ in Sanskrit and it is with this spirit of offering
dance to the Divine that the school was started in 1982.

DATE: DECEMBER 6, 2014
TIME: 1:00 PM
PLACE: HIGASHI HONGWANJI MISSION OF HAWAIIADDRESS: 1685 ALANEO ST. HONOLULU, HI 96817
CONTACT: (808) 531- 9088 or (808) 531- 1231

top-to-bottom oosouji, or year-end
temple cleaning, starting at 9 am, andour twice-a-year Ehime Maru Memorialcommunity service cleaning at
Kakaako Waterfront Park on Saturday,
Dec. 27. We’ll meet at the park at 12
noon, and after cleaning, we’ll enjoy arelaxing picnic lunch.

)PPOLPOverseas District Abbot Choyu Otani officates at Ho-on-ko service held at the
Betsuin on Nov. 16, while Rev. Marcos Sawada, Bishop Ken Kawawata, Rev. Frank Childs, Rev.
Makoto Honda, Rev. Takafumi Bansaka, Rev. Noriaki Fujimori and Rev. Hiroko Maeda assist.
Four people received Buddhist names at kikyoshiki rites immediately following the service.

4

Pounding mochi is fun for the whole family!

+PJOVTGPSNPDIJQPVOEJOHBU
UIF#FUTVJOPO%FDFNCFS
Let’s get together for traditional
mochi-tsuki after our Dec. 28 Sunday
service. Then you can take homemochi for ozoni or New Year’s display.
Please call 531-9088 to let us know if
you’re joining us so we can haveenough supplies on hand.
You’re welcome to bring yourfamily and help us perpetuate thispopular Japanese custom for future
generations to enjoy.
And let’s not forget thetoshikoshi “year-passing” soba andother osechi dishes, served afterbell-ringing 108 times at our Joya-e
year-end service on Dec. 31, New
Year’s Eve, starting at 5 pm.
Then on Jan. 1 enjoy slurpingtummy-warming ozoni mochi soup
right after our 10 am Shusho-e New
Year’s Day service.
Won’t you join us to help start
off the New Year in a positive way?

KINNARA / ARPANA

/FXTPOUIF

KICK-OFF BENEFIT CONCERT2015

HIGASHI HONGANJI HAWAII DISTRICTSHINRAN SHONIN 750th MEMORIALHAWAII BETSUIN CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION#FUTVJO8JSFMFTT

,FFQVQXJUIUFNQMFBDUJWJUJFT
BU#FUTVJOTOFXXFCTJUF

Whether you’re trying to findout when the next What on Earth is
DiscoverNamuamidabutsu? session is being
deep inside yourself
held, where the nearest Higashi
Hongwanji temple is or learn more
about Shinran Shonin’s life, you’ll
HIGASHI HONGWANJI HAWAII DISTRICT
find it on our new website at
CFUTVJOIICUIJPSH.
You’ll discover it’s an easy-to)BXBJJ%JTUSJDUDBMFOEBS
navigate and useful tool to keep
BJNTUPQSPNPUFVOEFSTUBOEJOH up-to-date on all our temple activities.
The 2015 Higashi Hongwanji
There’s helpful information on
Hawaii District calendar, ideal for wall
memorial services, dharma andhanging as well as jotting down yourculture classes, temple facilities
daily appointments, is now available.
available for rental and an archive ofDonations to help defray the cost of
past issues of our monthly Wa
printing are greatly appreciated.
newsletter.
This year’s calendar features
While the website is still a work inweekly questions to encourage you
progress, we hope you’ll use it as a
to look inside your own self to help
ready source of current information
you understand others. February, for about the Betsuin and our activities.
example, has an animal theme andPlease feel free to give us yourasks, “If you were your pet, what
feedback and suggestions on how
would you think of your owner?”
we can improve the website.
We hope you will enjoy comparing
3FHVMBSNPOUIMZBDUJWJUJFT
your answers with your family andperhaps even share them at a special TDIFEVMFNPEJöFECZIPMJEBZT
calendar discussion page on the Our usual ukulele practice andHigashi Hongwanji Hawaii District
movie night for the 4th Tuesday inwebsite at IICUIJPSH starting Jan. 1. December will not be held because
Drop by the Betsuin office nextof the holidays.
time you visit or call 531-9088 andWe’ll still have our hands full withask for your copy of the calendar.
things to do at year-end, such as our
Shinran Shonin 750th Memorial & Hawaii Betsuin Centennial
November 19 - 20, 2016

GAGAKU / BUGAKU / BHARATANATYAM INDIAN DANCE


Kinnara was formed at Senshin Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles as astudy group of Buddhism and Buddhist culture. It began as a chanting group in 1969.
Arpana means ‘Offering’ in Sanskrit and it is with this spirit of offering
dance to the Divine that the school was started in 1982.

DATE: DECEMBER 6, 2014
TIME: 1:00 PM
PLACE: HIGASHI HONGWANJI MISSION OF HAWAIIADDRESS: 1685 ALANEO ST. HONOLULU, HI 96817
CONTACT: (808) 531- 9088 or (808) 531- 1231

top-to-bottom oosouji, or year-end
temple cleaning, starting at 9 am, andour twice-a-year Ehime Maru Memorialcommunity service cleaning at
Kakaako Waterfront Park on Saturday,
Dec. 27. We’ll meet at the park at 12
noon, and after cleaning, we’ll enjoy arelaxing picnic lunch.

)PPOLPOverseas District Abbot Choyu Otani officates at Ho-on-ko service held at the
Betsuin on Nov. 16, while Rev. Marcos Sawada, Bishop Ken Kawawata, Rev. Frank Childs, Rev.
Makoto Honda, Rev. Takafumi Bansaka, Rev. Noriaki Fujimori and Rev. Hiroko Maeda assist.
Four people received Buddhist names at kikyoshiki rites immediately following the service.

4

Pounding mochi is fun for the whole family!

+PJOVTGPSNPDIJQPVOEJOHBU
UIF#FUTVJOPO%FDFNCFS
Let’s get together for traditional
mochi-tsuki after our Dec. 28 Sunday
service. Then you can take homemochi for ozoni or New Year’s display.
Please call 531-9088 to let us know if
you’re joining us so we can haveenough supplies on hand.
You’re welcome to bring yourfamily and help us perpetuate thispopular Japanese custom for future
generations to enjoy.
And let’s not forget thetoshikoshi “year-passing” soba andother osechi dishes, served afterbell-ringing 108 times at our Joya-e
year-end service on Dec. 31, New
Year’s Eve, starting at 5 pm.
Then on Jan. 1 enjoy slurpingtummy-warming ozoni mochi soup
right after our 10 am Shusho-e New
Year’s Day service.
Won’t you join us to help start
off the New Year in a positive way?

NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Honolulu, HI
Permit No. 693

Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817

Preparations for
Shinran Shonin’s 750th Memorial Service&
Betsuin’s Centennial Celebration

Address Service Requested

3JOCBO,FOKVO,BXBXBUB

In this issue of WA...

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Higashi Hongwanji
Hawaii Betsuin
Bulletin

12
December 2014

Higashi Hongwanji
Mission of Hawaii

Temple Activities Calendar
DECEMBER 201412/6 Sat 1 pm Kinnara/Arpana concert - Otani Center
12/7 Sun 10 am HBC Bodhi Day service - Tendai Mission(no service at Betsuin)
12/9 Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
12/11 Thu 7 pm ABCs of Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in English
12/13 Sat 10 am What on Earth Is Namuamidabutsu?
led by Rev. Frank Childs
12/14 Sun 10 am Betsuin Bodhi Day service
12/14 Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in Japanese
12/16 Tue 7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Kaneohe
12/21 Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service &Sunday school
12/21 Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meeting
12/23 TueNo ukulele class or movie night
12/27 Sat 9 am Annual temple cleaning (大掃除)Ehime Maru Memorial cleaning
Picnic lunch (Kakaako Waterfront Park)
12/28 Sun 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service
12/28 Sun 12 pm Mochi-pounding
12/31 Wed 5 pm Year-end service (Joya-e)
Toshi-koshi soba following

JANUARY 2015
1/1
1/4
1/4
1/8
1/10
1/11
1/11
1/13
1/18
1/18
1/20
1/25
1/27
1/27
1/28

Thu 10 am New Year service (Shusho-e)Ozoni & other osechi dishes following
Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service &Sunday school
Sun 12 pm Jimmy’s Auto Basics
led by Jimmy Hirakawa, Proprietor
Palolo Auto Service
Thu 7 pm ABCs of Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in English
Sat 10 am What on Earth Is Namuamidabutsu?
led by Rev. Frank Childs
Sun 10 am Sunday service
Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in JapaneseTue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceSun 10 am Sunday service
Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meetingTue 7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Betsuin
Sun 10 am Sunday service
Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceTue 6:30 pm Movie night: The Wind Rises
Wed 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service

Everyone is welcome to join in on our sutra chanting at 7 am daily (except Sundays & 28th day of the month) in the Betsuin Main Hall.

At Higashi Hongwanji, we remaintrue to our origins
as an open Sangha, welcoming
anyone who wishes to learn more
about the Jodo Shinshu
tradition of Buddhism.
A registered 501(c)3 organization
President: Faye Shigemura
Vice President: Jonathan Tani
Secretary: Debra Saiki
Treasurer: Edmund Nakano
Auditor: Ken Saiki
Rinban: Kenjun Kawawata
Minister: Makoto Honda
Associate Minister:Frank Childs
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
Tel: (808) 531-9088
Fax: (808) 531-3265
Email: betsuin@hhbt-hi.org
Wa is published monthly byHigashi Hongwanji Mission of
Hawaii for its members andfriends. Comments, articles andother items for publicationconsideration are welcomed.
Editor: Ken SaikiYou may have heard that the Betsuin will be celebrating its 100th year ofserving our community in 2016. Imagine that...the temple has beenbringing dharma teachings to local families for nearly a century now, except
during a brief dark period in our nation’s history when the temple was shut
down during World War II.
Our centennial anniversary will be held in 2016 in conjunction with
Higashi Hongwanji Hawaii District’s 750th Memorial Service for ourdenomination’s founder, Shinran Shonin, in November, two years from now.
We’ve already established a Goenki Committee and started preparation forservices and events to commemorate this historic milestone.
A kick-off benefit event for the centennial celebration will be held thiscoming Saturday, December 6, at 1:00 p.m. at the Betsuin’s Otani Center. The
concert event will feature Kinnara, performing ancient ceremonial Japanesegagaku music and bugaku dance, plus traditional Indian dance by the Arpana
Dance Company.
Kinnara was formed in 1969 at the Senshin Buddhist Temple in Los
Angeles as a study group of Buddhism and Buddhist culture. Kinnara wasoriginally formed as a chanting group and named after the chanting
musicians of Buddhist mythology. At the invitation of Rev. Masao Kodani, Prof.
Suenobu Togi, Professor Emeritus, UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology andformer musician of the Japanese Imperial household, took leadership of thegroup and included the study of gagaku and bugaku. He continued to lead
Kinnara until his death in November, 2009.
The Arpana school was established in 1982, in the spirit of offering dance
to the Divine. (“Arpana” is the Sanskrit word for “offering.”) Since the school’s
humble beginnings, Ramya Harishankar has personally trained more than 250
students in this rigorous art form, with over 70 graduating and performing
their dance debut, or Arangetram.
The teaching follows much in the pattern of the Guru-Shishya tradition ofyore. The students are not mere enrollees in the school but develop apersonal relationship with their teacher over the years, learning many
intricacies of the dance form, performance techniques and cultural awareness.
Through her school, Harishankar has helped build artistic sensitivity,(cont’d on p. 2)

Kick-off event for Higashi Hongwanji Hawaii District
Shinran Shonin 750th Memorial & Betsuin Centennial Celebration,JOOBSB"SQBOBCFOFöUDPODFSUSaturday, Dec. 6, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii - Otani Center
1685 Alaneo St. (corner of N. Kuakini St.)
Donations appreciated