‘Ohana Festival celebrates Japanese traditions, strengthens family ties

Every morning, before she embarks on the activities of the day, Hiromi Peterson spends 15 minutes writing a Japanese word, slowly and precisely with brush and ink on washi (rice paper). It’s a word that means the most to her at that particular time; perhaps wa (harmony), kazoku (family), kansha (gratitude) or another positive expression.

Sometimes it takes several days for her to finish the calligraphy, but she keeps working on it, 15 minutes a day, until she’s satisfied with the result.

“Calligraphy reflects my mental and physical state,” said Peterson, who teaches the art at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i. “When I’m relaxed and focused, I can write well. If my mind is occupied by something else, I cannot write well. Even if I’m not at my best in the beginning, once I start writing, my mind calms down, I’m able to concentrate and I feel energetic and ready to go through the day in the right way.”

According to Peterson, calligraphy requires years of study and much patience and practice to master. She has been honing her skill for some 35 years and will be one of the experts teaching various aspects of Japanese culture at Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i’s ‘Ohana Festival today.

The cultural center and the Moiliili Community Center launched the event in 1993 to celebrate Japanese traditions and the New Year, one of the most important holidays in Japan. This year’s honorary chairs are Coach Gerald Oda and the Honolulu Little League team, who won the Little League World Series Championship last year. They will be at Moiliili Neighborhood Park from 10 to 10:45 a.m. for the opening ceremony, picture-taking and an autograph session before heading to the center to see the “Okage Sama De — I am what I am because of you” exhibit, which includes one of their jerseys, a baseball and two gloves.

Among those slated to perform at the Ohana Festival are the Royal Hawaiian Band and stringed koto, taiko drum and Japanese and Okinawan dance groups. Fifteen food vendors will be enticing festivalgoers with everything from ice cream, waffle dogs, shave ice and cotton candy to sushi, andagi (Okinawan doughnuts), yakisoba (fried noodles) and okonomiyaki (pancakes filled with meat, egg and shredded cabbage).

In addition to calligraphy, cultural activities at the festival will include kimono dressing, tea ceremony, origami, ikebana, bonsai, kumihimo (Japanese braiding), shippoyaki (metal enameling), go (a board game), shishu (Japanese embroidery), chigiri-e (artwork made with torn colored paper) and demonstrations of kendo and aikido martial arts.

Always popular is mochitsuki, pounding rice in an usu (large stone mortar) to make mochi. If you’d like to try pounding, wooden mallets of various weights will be available, and when the work is done, free samples of mochi filled with azuki beans can be enjoyed, while they last.

Members of the Japanese Sword Society of Hawaii will be at the center to discuss their display of more than 20 samurai swords made of hand-forged steel, including daito (long swords), wakizashi (short swords) and tanto (daggers) dating between the 1400s and the 1940s.

No two Japanese swords are exactly alike, even those made by the same swordsmith. Techniques were closely guarded secrets, and the craftsmen were meticulous in their work. The results were the most advanced edged weapons in history — deadly and beautiful.

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About the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i

The Kanyaku Imin (125 Years of Japanese in Hawaii) celebration in February 1985 inspired Japanese organizations, including the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce, to envision a cultural center that would preserve and perpetuate the history and legacy of Hawaii’s Japanese immigrants.

The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i opened in January 1995 with the mission: “To be a vibrant resource, strengthening our diverse community by educating present and future generations about the evolving Japanese-American experience in Hawaii. We do this through relevant programming, meaningful community service and innovative partnerships that enhance the understanding and celebration of our heritage, culture and love of the land.”

The center’s permanent exhibit, “Okage Sama De — I am what I am because of you,” chronicles the history of the Japanese in Hawaii, from the arrival of the first immigrants to statehood. It features artifacts, murals, displays and a 15-minute video about the Japanese in Hawaii during World War II. Admission is regularly $5-$10, but will be waived during the festival (it’s also free on the second Saturday of every month).

Also of note is the Honouliuli Education Center, which opened Oct. 22, 2016. View photos of the Honouliuli Internment Camp in Kunia (which once held some 4,000 World War II prisoners of war), artifacts donated by internees, oral history videos and virtual tours of the camp, which the National Park Service plans to open one day as the Honouliuli National Monument.

The Tokioka Heritage Resource Center safeguards books, photos, manuscripts, diaries, letters, oral history transcripts, periodicals, phonograph records and more that help the center fulfill its mission. Public access is free; appointments recommended.

The center’s cultural classes include chado (tea ceremony), kumihimo (Japanese braiding), shodo/shuji (Japanese calligraphy) and martial arts such as kendo, karate and aikido. For more information, call 945-7633 or go to jcch.com.

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.