KAPA‘A — Boys’ Day, falling on the fifth day of the fifth month, is steeped in Japanese tradition and came to Hawai‘i with the immigrants brought to the Islands to work on the plantations. In Japan, the name of the
KAPA‘A — Boys’ Day, falling on the fifth day of the fifth month, is steeped in Japanese tradition and came to Hawai‘i with the immigrants brought to the Islands to work on the plantations.
In Japan, the name of the holiday was changed to Children’s Day in 1948 to reflect the politically correct thinking of the time, states the Tokyotopia Web site.
There is a traditional Girls’ Day celebration which falls on the third day of the third month. However, many Japanese still consider it to be Boys’ Day and the traditional activities that are practiced on this day honor the male children in the family the same way done for centuries, this tradition spilling over into Hawai‘i lifestyles through the plantation camps.
One of the traditions is the kashiwamochi, a customary food eaten on Boys’ Day. Mochi is the sticky rice found in many traditional Japanese dishes enjoyed during special events such as New Year’s.
During the Boys’ Day celebration, mochi is wrapped in kashiwa leaves, alluding to the characteristic that kashiwa leaves do not fall until a new sprout appears. This symbolizes the continuation of the family, and many Japanese people eat kashiwamochi so their family tree will continue on to further generations, states the ikyu-ruthersroom Web site.
Kapa‘a Jodo Mission members have been making mochi so Kaua‘i people can celebrate Boys’ Day by enjoying this traditional morsel.
However, time has taken its toll on the church’s membership and the equipment needed to prepare the mochi.
“This year, we only made 350 pounds of rice,” said Rev. Shoryu Akiya, the Kapa‘a Jodo Mission resident minister. “For the past five years, we’ve had to stop advertising because there is no help.”
The special mochi rice is soaked in water for a day or two before being steamed and turned into mochi. The laborious task of pounding the rice has been simplified by the advent of special machines which replace the human power.
Akiya was grateful his friends, Takashi and Nobuko Tanaka of Tokyo, Japan, plan their vacation to Kaua‘i to coincide with this occasion so they can help the members.
As the group labored silently to create the morsels, the koi nobori, or carp streamers, came to life in the Sunday morning breezes blowing off the Kawaihau plain.
Koi, or carp, symbolize the strength, stamina and drive of the fish as it swims upstream against the flow of the river current, states the Tokyotopia site.
It is this concept that koi nobori represent. It expresses a family wish that their male children will grow strong and be able to successfully face the challenges in life.
Another aspect of Boys’ Day is the display of Kintaro dolls and kabuto, or armor, in the home.
Kabuto can simply be described as an ornate helmet work by Japanese warriors that was an essential item during war, states the ikyu site.
The displays express the family wish that its boys be protected from accidents and disasters and also represents the family wishes that the boys become great men when they become part of society.
