あけまして おめでとう ございます! Happy New Year of the Boar! We hope that everyone is off to a good start. Ours started as it has for the last nine years by participating in the Oshugatsu ceremony at the Koyasan Temple in Little Tokyo. There's much we could say but rather than ramble on here, we will let the pictures do the talking. Please enjoy!
Of my dear friend Mr. Hiroshi Furukawa aka "Mr. Daijoubu," I will miss his smile and our conversations as he crosses the sea of life and death to reach the shores of liberation. He had recently passed and the news just reached us. He was a quiet man who smiled a lot and would often sit with us to recite the sutras at the Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo. I imagine him as he was with his coke-bottle glasses, blue & white plaid shirt and black slacks happily walking on an oceanside pier as we once met him walking towards a fog towards a bright light. With each step, he would become younger, happier as he would soon be joined by friends and family along the way to greet him. I would hope he would see Mr. Soji Kanogawa along the way until we could see him walk into the light. He along with Mr. Kanogawa were one of the first people to welcome us to the Koyasan Temple and one of the few of the old-timers who became our friends. I remembered asking him about the war and him telling me how he was too young to fight at 14 but remembered the American bombings and yet despite that experience, he still came to this country and fell in love with it. We would often speak in my limited Japanese and his limited Spanish. He would often call me his Maestro. He was a good man, dear friend, and a jolly old Tomodachi I will miss and hope to one day to see his smile again.
This week, the Koyasan Betsuin in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles bid farewell to one of it's student priests. In the span of over five years, the Rev. David Jakuhō Weiser went from practitioner to priest. He is returning to be his native Pennsylvania to near his family. For us few "Hakujin" who attend the traditionally Japanese-American Buddhist Temple, he has made us proud. We wish him all the best.
This last week marked our son Luis-Makoto's 100th Day on this Earth. In keeping with our adopted Japanese traditions first being the Shinto Hatsumiyamairi or Baby's first Shrine Visit on the 30th Day, we conclude with the Buddhist 100 Day Miyamairi ceremony performed at the Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo. This is something we did six years ago for our daughter Mia. Surviving members of the Rosas Family and friends attended the service performed by Ryuzen Hayashi Sensei that included student Priest Tony Truong as seen in the above photo. We were blessed to have a son so that our daughter would not be alone in this world and further that our family line would continue. These blessings are done to ensure a long and happy life full of success. We with him great success!
There are few opportunities in life to meet such an extraordinary being. It is said when such people leave us, they leave their burdens behind for us to carry in their memory. Last night, it was learned that our long time resident Hibakusha (Atomic Bomb Attack Survivor) Kaz Suyeishi had quietly passed away at the age of 90. The Atomic bomb dropped on the City of Hiroshima that had forever changed her life had finally claimed her. She was a kind gentile soul and an advocate for peace. We will be forever grateful for generosity, kindness, and message of peace and forgiveness. Her personal story helped inspire our Children's book Ichiro Dreams in Color and became the subject of the animated film HIBAKUSHA. The annual A-Bomb Rememorial Service held every year at the Koyasan Temple will not be the same without her. We at American Mishima will forever treasure her memory and sincerely wish Miss Suyeishi safe passage to the land of liberation. May her legacy continue on so she may smile upon us who remember her from heaven.
This past weekend marked the 71st Anniversary of the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima. As done for the last 30 years, The Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo hosted the annual Commemorative Service in conjunction with the ASA (Atomic Survivors Association) and the JACCC. As per tradition, this years well attended service was held on the first Sunday in August to comemorate the twin tragedies and hear from guest speakers and our resident Hibakusha (Survivors). How fortunate they are still alive to speak with us.
Over the years we have come to know Ms. Kazu Suyeishi and were pleased to see she was more vibrant than in recent years past. She was 14 years old when the attack came and recalled how she could actually see the Enola Gay as it appeared in the crystal blue sky that morning of August 6th, 1945. Part of her story became an inspired component of our illustrated Children's book Ichiro Dreams in Color. Another poignant survivor who attends every year is former ASA President Mr. Junji Sarashina. Still alive and happy to see all who come to this ceremony. Both survivors now in their twilight years bear no grudge for the loss of their families or the scars they have borne. They come every year to speak on the horrors of nuclear weapons and share their annual message of Peace. Candles, Sutras, and Goeika are annually offered each year before the Hiroshima Flame that was originally brought here 40 some years ago from Hiroshima with the intention of remaining a lit until that last nuclear weapon is no more. While this may sound like a lofty and unrealistic aspiration, it's intention is a peaceful one to inspire hope for an age where there are no more wars of this sort and no more future Hibakusha. We do not know how many more years we have with Ms. Suyeishi or Mr. Sarashina, but we cherish each encounter with them and in one sense feel blessed by them. For people who have suffered so much at the hands of others, their faith in mankind and love of this country is one to be learned from. As stated by the guest speaker Dr. Dr. Gloria R. Montebruno Sadler PHD reminded us, "The Americans did not know at the time about the effects of radioactive fallout. No one could have envisioned what consequences would come of such a weapon at that time." Thus, it is perhaps President Truman who authorized the weapons use in Japan forbid General MacArthur from using it five years later in Korea. As we write about this let us reiterate one thing before anyone comments is that the debate over why the bomb was dropped is irrelevant. We look at this as a wartime tragedy that changed the world and luckily has not been repeated. That is the whole point of remembering those lost and those left to tell the tale. We at American Mishima have in the past and will continue to wish all those connected by this chapter in our human history continued peace and hope one day this one solemn flame can be extinguished in peace for all mankind.
Seen here are this year's Hatsubon candles and wooden plaque along with offerings at the Koyasan Temple in Little Tokyo Los Angeles. Among those names is are good friend Mr. Soji Kanogawa.It seemed not so long ago we were a Hatsubon family grieving for the losses of my father and uncle. This year we do have one loss in the family. Albeit distant, this is still family.
Martin Ruiz was a direct grandson of my grandfather Luis Rosas-Sanchez from his marriage to his second wife Raquel who by which had two daughters Maria Luisa and Patricia. Martin who I did not know personally is the son of My aunt Maria Luisa which makes him a direct descendant of my grandfather whose looks he had. Unfortunately, time ran out as his pancreatic cancer ended his life before we had a chance to meet so I could tell him of his grandfather he never knew. As with every Obon, family we have prayed for return and partake in the food and drink offerings as is Japanese custom to feed the "Hungry Ghosts." I pray from my grandparents Luis & Rosablanca as well as my father Luis & Uncle Enrique but also for this cousin I never met so that he too can eat and possibly meet this grandfather. Martin was originally from Mexico City and had been living in New York City where he had been receiving treatment. He is survived by his wife and three children. Such a tragic loss to die so young in his early 30's. We would like to think that he was there today with the rest of the departed Rosas family & friends at the Koyasan Buddhist Temple sitting with his grandfather offering me a quick smile and a wave for the thought of our offerings and prayers. Obon is special in that way even if you are not Japanese or Buddhist for that matter. My grandparents have since seemed more comfortable and in a sense quite possibly my uncle since my father explained how this all works. We wish all our family and friends who have passed on a happy Obon and may they enjoy the food & drink and smile down upon us wherever they may be.
On this day of April 15th, 2016, our beloved Reverend Keishin Kako returns home to Japan. Over the last four years he has been instrumental in transitioning the Los Angeles Koyasan Betsuin in Little Tokyo through a series of changes at the iconic Buddhist Temple. But with his Visa expired, it was time to return to Japan thus completing his four year mission here in Los Angeles. He will be returning to his home at the Hosenji Temple in Hyogo Japan where his family has run for generations. We do not know if we will ever make to Japan but if we do we will most certainly visit him and hope he will visit here again as he has promised. He has been the friend to many, and a teacher of both Shingon Buddhism and Japanese Culture. Kako Sensei is also a master of Japanese Calligraphy who hand prints every one of his cards.
It was just a month ago that we took this photo with Kako Sensei at a Koyasan Temple Luncheon held in his honor at the Universal Hilton. He has been quite an inspiration who helped inspire some of our Buddhist archetypes in our American Mishima novels. We will certainly miss his benevolence, friendship, and his unique Buddha-like nature. We wish him success. Never to say Sayonara, but to our dear friend who we will one day see again, Mata ne'! So long, farewell, Arigatou,' & Ganbatte kudasai! Until we meet again!
Seen here is this year's beautiful Nisei Queen Sara Kuniko Hutter poses for our camera at this year's Setsubun Ceremony at the Los Angeles Koyasan Temple in Little Tokyo. Totoro fans might note there is a Soot Sprite on her sash. She did a double take when we had a little fun pointing that out to her.
Over the last few days we have been mourning the loss of our dear friend Mr. Shoji "Stogie" Kanogawa. We had talked many times with him to learn about his personal experiences during the 1930's - 1940's. Over this last week we learned a few more remarkable details about a man while not famous lived a full life. We are thankful that the surviving Kanogawa family shared these rare photos of Stogie during his three year enlistment in the United States Army during the years of 1946-1949. Like my own father, the skills he acquired in the Army as a radio repairman - technician helped pave the way for his early post war career as a Television install repair technician. He would do this until his father's passing in 1965 by which he took over his father's gardening business and stayed with it until his retirement in 2006.
Much like my own father's wartime photos, these three grainy black & white photos are quite revealing. Mr. Kanogawa always had a smile on his face and was just one of the nicest gentlemen you could ever meet. Throughout his life he always found the positive in everything even through troubling times. Nothing was going to bring this man down. Not even what happened next.
On December 7th 1941 the day the Empire of Japan declared war against the United States, Shoji's father who owned the 12th Street Market in Seattle was arrested by the FBI. Being an Isei, the feds wasted no time rounding up Japanese men. Shoji was then a junior in high school and a Ni-Dan in Judo. He along with his mother, brothers & sisters would be rounded up like many other Japanese American families in Washington State and sent to the Minidoka "War Relocation" Camp in Idaho as seen in the above photo. They would not see their father again until 1945 at Ellis Island. We can not begin to imagine how difficult this must have been for the Kanogawa family yet Shoji could speak of it without bitterness. His father, the Senior Kanogawa was considered a Prisoner of War despite being a civilian and was to be exchanged for American POW's in Japan. But that's not what happened. Shoji and his siblings were American Born and begged their father to keep the family in the United States and this is where they stayed. It was curious note how he became known by his most famous nickname "Stogie." He once told me that was what they called him in the Army but as it turns out the name originated during his time at Minidoka before Shoji actually took up smoking cigars.
Having chosen to stay in America, the Kanogawa family was transferred to Crystal City Internment Camp in Texas as seen in the above photo. They would remain there until the end of the war. Sadly, the Kanogawa family never returned to live in Seattle. Having their 12 Street Market and the family home taken away from them we suppose there was nothing to return to. They instead moved to Los Angeles where in 1946 just one year after being released from America's Concentration Camps, Shoji now a free man and a United States Citizen once more was drafted into the United States Army.
What a transition this man had made! He had just missed WWII and managed to get out before the outbreak of the Korean War. He returned back to Los Angeles in 1949 where he would meet his future wife "Massie" and would live a beautiful life with two daughters and scores of grandchildren. He loved to go hiking up in Mammoth Mountain and fish while smoking his famous stogies which we never saw but we'll take their word for it. Through it all Shoji kept his infectious smile. They said in his final years he and his wife had traveled the world and had gone on the Shikoku Island "Henyo" Pilgrimage. But all that would end after he suffered a stroke during elective surgery to replace a heart valve in 2013. He spent his last two years unable to walk and in steep decline. It was hard to watch because he had been so full of life. It was said during his funeral that in the Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo on it's 75th Anniversary that he had been given a Buddhist Name and title of Bodhisattva for the enlightenment of all beings. This is one hell of a commitment and very difficult for someone in this complicated world to live up to yet Mr. Kanogawa achieved this and more. We were so fortunate to have been his friends. Thus we pay tribute to our dear departed friend and hope to see his smile again across the sea of birth and death on the shores of liberation. Much like the fictional characters he inspired for our epic novel The Soldier and the Samurai, we hope somewhere out there he's smiling right back at us from heaven.
Marking the passing of former Koyasan Buddhist Temple President Shoji Kanogawa.
Mr. Shoji "Stogie" Kanogawa was both a dear friend and the inspiration for the Soji Nishida character in the American Mishima epic The Soldier and the Samurai.
It is with great sadness that our dear friend and one time Koyasan Temple President Shoji "Stogi" Kanogawa has passed away. A Washington born native, Shoji was the inspiration for the Soji Nishida character in our epic novel The Soldier and the Samurai. It was with his detailed recollections of pre-war Seattle of the 1930's-1940's that we were able to create a literary facsimile of the world he grew up in. Like other Japanese Americans of his generation, Shoji along with his family (who owned the 12th Street Market in Seattle) were sent to the War Relocation Camps. Despite this unjust experience he proudly served in the US Army in the interim years between WWII and the Korean War from 1946-1949. Mr. Kanogawa as we knew him was a jolly old fellow who was one of the first people to welcome us to the Koyasan Temple. He had always been a friendly, lively, energetic man but then he suffered a debilitating stroke two years ago and had been in a steady decline yet remained a dear friend to the very end. He is survived by his wife Masako, two adult daughters Lori & Nancy Kanogawa. He was 88 years old at the time of his death. For us, Mr. Kanogawa was our friend and he will be missed but never forgotten.
Sayonara old friend and Rest in Peace Mr. Kanogawa.
It's been three years since we've had any films to recommend for Obon. While there have been some films from Japan dealing with death, nothing has spoken to us like this year's picks. Now why you might ask? In part for two reasons. Our first film pick was inspired by this year's Obon Service by Imamura Sensei. In it he spoke of the origins of the Obon ceremony in where a direct disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha had tried to feed the hungry ghost of his mother but found that the food he had laid out burned her. Frustrated, he sought the consul of the Buddha who explained that because she could not appreciate the food in front of her she remained a hungry ghost. Now how many times have you had a meal that for some reason you were so focused on something else that upset you that you could not enjoy such a meal? In that very moment you become the hungry ghost! For this reason, we have selected our first ever non-Japanese pick the 1987 Danish film Babette's Feast.
Much like Imamura Sensei's sermon, this film deals with regret, foolishness, and appreciation. In the plot, a French woman escapes to a small fishing village in 19th Century Jutland Denmark whose entire community centered around a pastor who had recently passed away. No one in this tightly held community including the two surviving daughters of the pastor seems to trust her. What they do not know is that she was a world renown Chef who had just won the French lottery. In an effort to show respect and break the ice with her neighbors, she spends her entire fortune preparing a feast to commemorate the anniversary of the pastors passing. Sounds like people would appreciate that right? Wrong!
Gripped by fear and distrust, the two sisters convince themselves that this foreigner is a devil in disguise who seeks to corrupt them away from God. They devise a plan to attend the meal in their father's honor but deprive themselves of enjoying it. What they did not expect was that Denmark's most famous General who Babbette once had a chance encounter with comes to the dinner and is blown away by the incredible 12 course cuisine. He had not eaten so well in many years and tried his best to compliment the exquisite cooking but is quickly shot down by people who ignore his remarks and change the subject as they continue to eat without a word or ounce of joy. These foolish old Danes fail Babbette in their ignorance in not appreciating what they had been given and thus become as Imamura Sensei calls a hungry ghost. As the Japanese would say: BAKA!
Our Second film for Obon is a replay from an earlier year. We choose a terrifying short story from within Akira Kurosawa Dreams entitled "The Tunnel."
As many of you may have read about our connection to the Vietnam War and by proxy WWII. This segment deals with regret or as what my father suffered from a sense of survivors guilt. Here within this Kurosawa masterpiece is the story of one such Japanese soldier who at the end of the defeat in WWII returns home. But just short of getting there he must pass through a long dark tunnel where he hears the footsteps of ghosts marching. To his terror, he discovers they are his dead troops who followed him into annihilation.
This short story could be about any war where one who has regrets must come to terms with what they have done. Obon is a time of reflection and this piece gives plenty for those who in recent times have been calling for war never caring once of the consequences for those who must fight it. Please reflect on this.
July marks the return of Obon in Little Tokyo. All the Buddhist Temples throughout the cultural district perform the Obon Ceremonies this time of year in which some Temples include Obon Carnivals and Bon Odori dance. This year at the Koyasan Betsuin the ceremony was officiated by the Imamura Sensei, Kako Sensei, Hiyashi Sensei, visiting Kikura Kenshusei, and retired Emeritus Miyata Sensei.
There were 23 Hotsubon Families were represented including the families of two long Temple members including Jack Wada. Having gone through this last year with the death of my uncle, father, two aunts, and two miscarried children, my perspective on Obon has only deepened. This year my entire direct family was included in my prayers and offerings of food and drink. For a moment I could feel them all around me.I would like to think they understood what this was about and appreciated my efforts. It was sad that despite 23 Hotsubon families represented, 13 of those families were notably absent. I am sure they had their reasons but it was a high number. We wish them all peace.
Seen here is Nicolas Sensei and Shinkendo Kaiso (Founder) and our former Sensei Toshishiro Obata with yours truly at the Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo Los Angeles. While it has been five years since we have studied under Obata Kaiso, we still hold him in admiration as a master swordsman and martial arts instructor.
This past weekend saw the return of Imamura Sensei to the Los Angeles Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo. Imamura Sensei was one of the head ministers at the Koyasan Betsuin from 1972-1986. He will be taking over duties from three time retired Taisen Miyata Sensei to preside over Koyasan Temples in both Los Angeles and North America. We got to talk with him over a few shots of Sake' at a private Temple party and found him to be warm, generous, and very friendly. While he claims to have forgotten how to speak English after not using it over the last 30 years, he promises to try to learn again. We at American Mishima welcome Imamura Sensei and wish him a successful tenure here in Los Angeles.
Another year has come bringing a new Setsubun - Hoshimatsuri to Little Tokyo. Commonly known as the bean throwing ceremony, Setsubun is the time to cleanse one of evil spirits coinciding with the Lunar New Years. This year former Sumo Wrestling Champion Yamamotoyama Ryūta and 2015 Nisei Queen Tori Angela Nishinaka-Leon joined the festivities throwing soy beans at the "Oni" demonplayed by our dear friend and long time Koyasan Temple member & Taiko Drummer Brandon Paris.
Yamamotoyama Ryūta and 2015 Nisei Queen Tori Angela Nishinaka-Leon.
Seen Here: Koyasan Taiko performs their first performance of the year at the annual New Years gathering at the Los Angeles Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo.
“American Mishima” is the work of Louis Rosas, the son of Mexican Immigrants, whose father served in Vietnam for the US Army and who grew up on glamorized war films and military aviation in the sleepy seaside plains of Oxnard, Calif. With an early fascination of the Second World War embedded in his young mind during the post-Vietnam era, it was his exposure to Akira Kurosawa's samurai epic Ran (Toho, 1985) that changed his views of war while creating a lasting impression of Japanese culture and history. Further inspired by the works of Japanese writer Yukio Mishima, Rosas would go on to study Japanese language and swordsmanship, which led him to the practice of Shingon Buddhism and Shinto. Rosas is also a former student of Shinkendo, the ideal and practice of the samurai code of Bushido in the modern world, which helped shape the creative force that is “American Mishima.”
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