performance techniques through sports psychology. We do scenes and monologues a vital component to our process because we teach in the doing. Clown wo

Hollywood Japanese Cultural Institute ハリウッド日系コミュニティセンター The specific purpose of the Hollywood Japanese Cultural Institute is to preserve, share, and promote the Japanese and Japanese American culture and heritage through education, cultural programs, and activities. President s Message Our Mission statement Dear Members and Friends: Happy New Year. I would like to wish you good health to you and your families. Some of our signature annual activities are New Years Party (Feb. 21), Movie Night (March 21), and Pancake Breakfast (Apr. 26 and Sept. 27), Udon Night. We also have the following clubs/ groups activities: Japanese Language, Aikido, Judo, Karate, L.A. Daiku, Kabuki Music, Yoga, Acting Class, Hollywood Buddhist Church, Jodoin Buddhist Temple, and Gardener s Association. Please let us know if you are interested. Lastly, Hollywood Gakuen will be having their 100 th anniversary celebration on Oct.11 th. I hope that I can share my pride with everyone for being a part of Japanese American history in the Virgil District. I would like to thank all of the Hollywood Japanese Community for supporting the HJCI. Please come and visit anytime. Brian Yamasaki, President of HJCI < Community Topics > Gakuen s 100 yr. Anniversary: We will cerebrate 100 yrs. Anniversary on Oct. Please share with us your stories and old photos related to Gakuen history. Please contact Ogino-sensei at (323) 662-7195 or Asao Masumiya at (310)- 306-7463 Facility use:our classrooms, annex building and social hall are available to use. For more info, call Asao Masumiya at (310) 413-6220 Please share your comments and suggestions and visit our website Hollywood JCI for our activities and the latest news. http://www.hollywoodjci.org/ Hollywood Japanese Language School Let s speak Japanese! にほんごをはなしましょう! Hollywood Gakuen will be celebrating its 100 years anniversary this year. The Gakuen staff and HJCI will keep this legacy and continue to work hard. Also, we have a new teacher (Miss Sachi Kuwahara). Students are assigned homework and participate in activities. Children/ teens class (age 5 ~) Credit Test for High School students: students could earn high school foreign language credit. Adult Class: Everyone is welcome! Learn how to communicate with Japanese people Learn about Japanese traditional and sub culture Feb. 21th, 2015 http://www.hollywoodjci.org/ Main Events 2015 New year s Party Feb. 21 Learn from experienced teachers at a modest price Small class size - Textbooks: Yasashii Nihongo, Japanese for busy people, Marugoto and other materials. Classes: Saturday 8:45-12:15pm Contact: Ogino (323) 662-7195 or Kuwahara (818) 708-2871 hkuwahara@socal.rr.com Acting Dojo - Acting classes with Dom Magwili Our regular acting classes will consist of the following: As text books we use Tom Peters BRAND YOU 50 for seeing this art as a formal business and Timothy Gallwey s INNER GAME OF TENNIS for insights into peak Vol. 5 Movie Night: MIS Mar. 21 5-7:30pm Spring Pancake Breakfast Apr. 26 Fall Pancake Breakfast Sept. 27 Gakuen s 100 yr. Anniv. Oct. 11 Udon Night Oct. 25 Page 1

performance techniques through sports psychology. We do scenes and monologues a vital component to our process because we teach in the doing. Clown work - will also free expression. Improvisation and theatre games - enhances spontaneity. We also focus certain classes on the business of acting. We hold mock interviews to improve audition and presentation skills. Session runs for 6 Mondays, starting Feb. 9 th, 7 to 10pm. Tuition: $250 for 6 weeks. If you d like to join, please contact us before we begin. We no longer accept walk-ins. Class size is limited. For more information contact us via email dmagwili@yahoo.com AIKIDO DOJO ( 合気道道場 ) Two youths first to be awarded the martial arts rank of Junior Shodan Chris Ziliotto and Andre Shimada recognized by the global Aikido organization Aikido Kenkyukai International for recent promotion to Junior Shodan Rank, youth equivalent of Black Belt Aikido Kenkyukai International, USA held their annual Kagami Biraki recently. It featured a belt ceremony for students recently promoted to the rank of Black Belt. Until this year, AKI USA had closely followed Japanese tradition, keeping the minimum age at 18. Now AKI USA s National Director, Lia Suzuki Sensei has added a new rank, Junior Shodan, globally recognized as the equivalent of Black Belt for youths. Two youth, Chris Ziliotto and Andre Shimada, are the first to earn this rank, specifically created for them and those who follow in their footsteps. To earn the rank, they participated in a 4-Day International Seminar for adults at the organization s Los Angeles dojo, lead by Yoshinobu Takeda Shihan, an 8th dan from Japan. Guest instructors includeddaiyu Takeda from Japan and Lia Suzuki from California. Prior to the event, the two had trained under Suzuki Sensei for 4 years and worked their way through all the youth ranks. They also were enrolled in the Teacher Apprentice program. Before the testing, Ziliotto said, The thought of testing for junior shodan is a very intimidating thought, however I have confidence because of the great supportive team we have at the dojo. L.A. Daiku (L.A. 第九を歌う会 ) L.A.Daiku is a Los Angeles based chorus group formed in September 2009. "Daiku" means "Ninth" in Japanese and usually refers to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The mission of L.A.Daiku is to be open to all people who enjoy singing not only the Ninth Symphony, but also other songs from all over the world. L.A. Daiku has performed on many stages including the Daiku with Cal Phil at the Disney Hall in L.A., the annual Daiku concert in Naruto Japan, as well as our own concerts locally. We performed for "Love to Nippon", an event for the 3/11 Tohoku earthquake victims last year. For our Fifth Anniversary Spring Concert in 2014,we invited San Francisco Forest Choir which was celebrating their tenth anniversary. Our upcoming events will be L.A. Daiku June Concert and a premiere Japanese opera of "the Princess Kaguya" at Aratani Theatre in L.A. in August. We practice 6:30PM - 9PM every Tuesday at Hollywood Japanese Cultural Institute ( HJCI). L.A. Daiku is a member of the All-Japan Association of Daiku Choral Societies. L.A. Daiku is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Hollywood Buddhist Church ( ハリウッド仏教会 ) HBC will commemorate our 100th Year Anniversary with a special service and celebration on Nov. 1st 2015. Without the dedicated support of our Issei founders, Nisei & Sansei members, and past and present Rimbans and Ministers from the Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, HBC would not have endured for the past 100 years. HBC is a branch church of the L.A. Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. Page 2

HBC holds about 8 services a year to commemorate significant events of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist calender. Services are held in the Social Hall of the Hollywood Japanese Cultural Institute (HJCI). Upcoming services for 2015: 1) Mar. 29, 10 a.m.: Spring (Equinox) Ohigan service. This is a service to reflect and offer gratitude to our ancestors who have departed to the other shore seeking enlightenment. Ohigan also occurs around the Autumn equinox. A luncheon follows our services. 2) April 12, 10 a.m. : Hanamatsuri service, which celebrates the birth of Sakyamuni Buddha on April 8th. The Hanamido (flower altar) is decorated with beautiful flowers in the center of which, a statue of the infant Buddha is placed. This depicts and reminds us of the flower garden of Lumbini garden where Buddha was born 2500 years ago. 3) June 14, Sunday, 10 a.m.: Gotan-e and Parent s Day service to celebrate and express appreciation to our parents. Gotan-e celebrates the birth of Shinran Shonin (1173-1262), the found of Shin Buddhism. 4) August 9, Sunday, 10 a.m.: Obon Memorial service. This is an occasion for us to remember our ancestors and dearly departed ones and express appreciation for their deeds. 5) Sept., 13, 10 am: Fall Ohigan service. Additional services, Buddhist study classes, and activities are available through the LAHHBT in Little Tokyo (815 E. First St., L.A. 90012; (213) 680-9130. Please contact Asao Masumiya for more info: (310) 306-7463 or asaomas@gmail.com. Hollywood Judo Dojo ( ハリウッド柔道道場 ) Since the last newsletter (9/14/14), Hollywood Judo Dojo continued to demonstrate excellent judo in 1 national tournament and 3 local tournaments, collecting 6 gold, 7 silver, and 6 bronze medals along the way. Our competitors train vigorously 5 days a week to keep their body and mind in shape. The training consists of not only judo, but also fitness and cardio - lifting weights, running sprints, climbing ropes, etc. Everyone is training even harder now to earn better results for 2015. Kids Class which we introduced in 2014 was very well received. Class was only twice a month, but attendance was very consistent with a growing number of students. We currently have 5 girls and 5 boys on the roster. Due to the positive feedback from our little participants, we decided to make this a weekly class starting January 2015. Classes are packed with fun, game-like activities that relate to judo. With Kids Class picking up steam, we decided to open Teens Class which takes place simultaneously with the Tuesday adult class. This is a much needed class that accommodates students that fall between the kids and the adults. Kids Class students can now transition into Teens Class in order to continue their training. Our goal is to have a training ground geared towards every age group and to especially encourage young students to continue training judo for life! Lastly, we updated our web site (www.hollywoodjudo.com) to reflect our current schedule and to also introduce some of our core members. Visit our web site for more info. Please contact us at hollywoodjudo@gmail.com Our members have participated in eight local tournaments and one National tournament since the last Sept., winning 35 medals in all. Five members competed in the Nationals at Reno, Nevada. Our team won 2 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 1 bronze medal. This was the first National gold medal for our Dojo since 1965. Karate ( 松濤館流空手道場 ) Karate practice benefits the student in all areas of their life. It is not an end, but a means to an end. Karate encourages proficiency and the keen coordination of mind and body. It is an activity in which advancing age is not a hindrance. Shotokan puts heavy focus on Kihon (basic techniques), and Kata (forms), and kumite (sparring) to develop a range of powerful and dynamic techniques. On one sunny weekend of November, we had an oyster BBQ party on a beach-side park in Ventura City. We enjoyed our time relaxing, eating BBQ, and chatting to build our spirit and energy. We are training now for upcoming National Tournament in San Francisco. Classes: Monday & Friday 8 9pm. For more info. contact Yuki Otaka at (818)-618-6161 Page 3

Gardener's Association ( ガーデナー組合 ) Meeting: 1st Friday of month except on holiday. Contact: Brian Yamasaki (323) 661-1649 email: brama@sbcglobal.net Jodoin Buddhist Temple of California ( 浄土院 ) Jodoin is a local temple that is providing services in Pure Land Buddhism at the Hollywood JCI on the third Sunday of each month. Jodoin can trace its history back to 1936, when the late Bishop Reikai Nozaki first established Jodoin in Little Tokyo. Jodoin has continuously provided Pure Land Buddhism to the community since its founding. Services are conducted in both English and Japanese and everyone is welcome to attend. Refreshments are served after the service. Contact: Kent Kawai at mkawaiusa@netscape.net or (310) 433-4314 Nagauta shamisen and voice ensemble Class( ( 長唄教室 ) Let s Enjoy Kabuki Music! With Shamisen, Voice, Kotsuzumi, Okawa, and Taiko, we will make a whole Kabuki music stage here! Together, we will discover the beauty of Japanese traditional music. Everyone over the age of 5, beginners, experienced, from any nationalities are welcome. Classes will be held three Saturday afternoons. Phone: 805-620-7287, fujijapanesemusic@gmail.com, http://fujijapanesemusic.org/ レッツエンジョイ歌舞伎ミュージック! 何百年も生き続けた歌舞伎音楽をここで再現してみませんか? 三味線 唄 それに小鼓 大皮 太鼓がつくととてもうきうきするようなすてきな音楽ができあがります やればやる程深く面白くなるのが日本の古典芸能です 初めての方 経験のある方 年齢は 5 歳以上いくつまでも 男性の方 女性の方 どなたでも歓迎です クラスは月三回 土曜の午後です Yoga ( ヨガ クラス ) Class is open to people of all ages! The class focuses on breathing and toning/sculpting your muscles throughout your entire body. The class is low-impact although highly enjoyed by those who participate. Get fit and have fun! Wednesday 7:00 8:30 PM with Takako Sato at (310) 387-4904 EM Bokashi making meeting (EM ボカシ作りの集い ) EM, "Effective Microorganisms" is same as Probiotics. EM contains more than 50 (good for health) live probiotics in a bottle. Using EM, you can make eco-friendly fertilizer called Bokashi easily. Now you can turn your kitchen waste to a natural fertilizer for your home garden. Meeting: 4th Sunday of the month, 2-4pm at HJCI. For more info, Mr. Takeuchi (714) 964 9373 or Kuwahara (818) 708-2871 Beaded Jewelry Class Interested in learning how to make beaded jewelry? Join in on the fun! Class will be held every Saturday from 1pm -2:30pm at HJCI. For more info, email: sachi.kuwahara@gmail.com or call/text (818) 794-9291. Kimono Remaking Gathering ( 着物リメイクの会 )Let's ) make an Elegant Party Dress from Old Kimono!!! Do you have old Kimono in your closet? Can you use sawing machine? Let's get together and remake kimono to something useful and beautiful. ねむっている着物で洋服 を作りませんか 皆で知恵を出し合って工夫して エレガントな服を作りましょう For more info, contact Kazuko Ueda (via Kuwahara) at (818) 708-2871. Page 4

2015 SCHEDULE OF CULTURAL ACTIVITIES(2015 年度の定例文化活動 ) ACTIVITY( ( 団体名 / 連絡先 ) DAY/TIME( ( 週 / 月の定例活動 ) Acting Dojo( ( アクティング クラス ) Contact: Dom Magwili 6 Mondays, starting Feb. 9 th, 7 to 10pm email: dmagwili@yahoo.com Aikido Dojo( ( 合気道 ) Contact: (424) 209-2083 call/text Thursday: Children:4:30 p.m. Tweens & Teens: 5;30p.m. Adult:6:30 p.m. website: www.aikidolosangeles.org L.A. Daiku (LA 第九 ) Tuesday: 6:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. www.ladaiku.org Contact: Yasumasa (Yasu) Tanano (310) 625-4222 EM Bokashi(EM ボカシ講習会 ) Contact: Mr. Takeuchi (714) 964-9373 or Kuwahara (818) 708-2871 Gardeners' Association( ( ガーデナー組合 ) Contact: Brian Yamasaki (323) 661-1649 Hollywood Buddhist Church ( ハリウッド仏教会 ) Contact: Asao Masumiya (310) 306-7463 Japanese Language School ハリウッド学園 (Hollywood Gakuen ) Contact: Kazue Ogino (323) 662-7195 or Kuwahara (818) 708-287 Jodoin( ( 浄土院 ) Contact: Kent Kawaii(310) 371-0321 Hollywood Judo Dojo( ( ハリウッド柔道道場 ) Contact: hollywoodjudo@gmail.com Karate ( ハリウッド松涛館空手道場 ) Contact: Yuki Otaka (818) 618-6161 Nagauta shamisen and voice ensemble class ( 長唄教室 )Contact: ) 805-620-7287, email: tanachin99@aol.com website: 4 th Sunday: 2 p.m. 5 p.m. email: hkuwahara@socal.rr.com 1st Friday of month except on holiday email: byama@sbcglobal.net Family services once a month, officiated by a reverend from the L.A. Betsuin email: asaomas@gmail.com Saturday: 8:45 am 12:15 pm hkuwahara@socal.rr.com (Sat.) (323) 664-2070 3 rd Sunday of month email: mkawaiusa@netscape.net Mon, Wed., Fri, Sat. 7:30 9:30 p.m. website: http://hollywoodjudo.com/ Monday & Friday: 8 9 p.m. Classes: three Saturday afternoons. Email: fujijapanesemusic@gmail.com, Yoga( ( ヨガ )Contact: ) Takako Sato (310) 390-3244 Wednesday: 7:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. Tax Scams/Consumer Alerts タックス詐欺にご注意 IRS-Impersonation Telephone Scam An aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, has been making the rounds throughout the country. Callers claim to be employees of the IRS, but are not. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting. Or, victims may be told they have a refund due to try to trick them into sharing private information. If the phone isn't answered, the scammers often leave an urgent callback request. Note that the IRS will never: 1) call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill; 2) demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe; 3) require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card; 4) ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or 5) threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying. (IRS) Page 5

BUILDING & PROPERTY MAINTENANCE Caretakers, Jorge and Keiko Sandoval, have been working hard on cleaning, patching and painting the interior of the Annex building (the green building as you enter the parking lot). It is currently vacant and available for use by interested groups. Kunio Tsuneyoshi volunteered for the past several years, to help maintain our landscaping around the Social Hall and the northside entrance area. He recently retired for health reasons. We are very grateful to Kunio for his dedication and hard work in maintaining our pine trees and vegetation. Thanks, Kunio! Electricians, Jay and Johnny Yoshida, completed electrical repairs in the Social Hall, and replaced a security light on the southwest side of the building. Volunteers, Tok Chida, Masao Yoshida, and Aaron Brown repaired the locking mechanism on one of the double doors of the Multipurpose Building. Tok is also working to increase the height of the concrete columns and wrought iron fencing along Juanita Ave. to prevent trespassers from getting onto the property. Volunteers are needed to help with this labor intensive project. Is anyone interested in helping? Tok is an amazing 90-year young man who has lent his energy, enthusiasm, welding and problem solving skills to help improve our facilities. Thank you to all of these hardworking supporters and volunteers! We are looking for a pilotless stove in good working order. The one in the kitchen has seen better days. DONATIONS SEPT. 2014 FEB. 2015 THANK YOU! Monetary: Toshiye Mukai, Hiroshi Yoshida, Judy Dionzon, Takashi Hoshizaki: In Memory of Barbara Hoshizaki. Bruce Kimura & Family: Tribute to late Yoshiko T. Kimura. Asao & Kim Masumiya: plants & other items for Fall Pancake sale Jay Yoshida: energy bracelets for sale at pancake breakfast Amy Masumiya & Ken Helmes: cupcakes for sale at Oct. Udon fundraiser Yoshiharu Okumoto: case of beer for Oct. Udon fundraiser Karate: donuts for Udon volunteers. Bruce Kimura: donation of goods: 20 cup rice cooker, coffee maker, cooking pots, punch bowl, 4 rolling chairs, & hand and gardening tools. 2015 Raffle prize donations: Yoshiharu Okumoto & Kazue Ogino, $250 each for cash prizes; Asao Masumiya, $100 gift certificate for Maison Akira Restaurant; Aikido Kenkyukai, 1 Group Party / Intro class in Aikido ($300 value); Judo Dojo, $105 in gift certificates; Masao Yoshida for obtaining donations of bags of rice. Ogino-sensei received Nikkei Spirit Award 荻野先生が 日系スピリット賞 を受賞 On Jan. 25 th, Ogino-sensei was awarded the Nikkei Spirit Award from Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California. Ogino-sensei has been contributing to Hollywood Gakuen and the Japanese American community for more than 50 years. The whole Ogino family along with ten HJCI members attended to the celebration at Almansor Court. Everyone in the audience applauded and cheered in her recognition. Congratulation Ogino-sensei! (HJCI board members) (Photo: She made a great speech in front of the audience) Mochi-tsuki もちつき The Gakuen had a Traditional mochi-tsuki event on Dec. 13 th. About 20 people including students, teachers, and community members participated. We made 50 lbs of mochi (some of them with anko, which is a sweet bean paste). Everybody enjoyed the event. Special thanks to Mr. Yamato and Mr. Sakai for lending us the equipment. (Photos by Fred Yoshida) Page 6

Movie Night March 21th 5-7:30 pm Please come and watch this! MIS ~ Human Secret Weapon ~ 二つの祖国で 日系陸軍情報部 Director: Junichi Suzuki ( すずきじゅんいち ), Producer: Shigeto Terasaka ( 寺坂重人 ) Music: Kitaro ( 喜多郎 ) 英語 / 日本語のサブタイトル 100min. The unknown stories of these men who shut their mouth up for several decades. Their duties were so much critical for the U.S. Army. In 2012, the time has set to reveal the whole story of the Military Intelligence Service. During World War II, six thousand Nisei (secondgeneration Japanese Americans) served in the Military Intelligence Service, performing secret intelligence work against the Japanese military. Their work dispelled any doubt that as Americans the Nisei were willing to fight an enemy with whom they share a similar ancestral background. This film was awarded Yamaji Fukiko Award and Japanese Movie Critical Award in the feature documentary films. (http://suzukijunichi.com/) 太平洋戦争時 日米両国で差別された日系 2 世たちの歴史をひも解くドキュメンタリー 米国陸軍の秘密情報機関 MIS( ミリタリーインテリジェンスサービス ) の中心メンバーだった日系 2 世の元兵士たちの証言をもとに 太平洋戦争時の米国側の極秘情報も取り上げて描く 米国籍をもちながらも人種差別を受けていた日系 2 世たちは それでも自身の祖国である米国のため 両親の祖国 日本との戦争を受け入れた 長く沈黙していた 80 人近い元兵士にインタビューを敢行し 2 つの祖国への思いを聞く 東洋宮武が覗いた時代 (2008) 442 日系部隊アメリカ史上最強の陸軍 (11) で第 2 次世界大戦時の日系人たちの歴史を追ってきたすずきじゅんいち監督による 日系史映画 3 部作の最終作 (http://eiga.com/) Thank You for the Food By Helen Yoshida Two words that my grandmother always said during the course of a meal were itadakimas and oishi. As a child I d watch as she pressed her hands together in prayer and say i-ta-dáki-más. It means thank you for the food, she said. She put rhythm into the word, and after saying it softly to herself she looked at me and encouraged me to say it too. I pronounced the phrase like a child would, my flat tone blindly rushing to the last syllable, my mind wanting to master the nuances of the language that was uncomfortable on my tongue but so familiar on hers. i-ta-da-ki-mas she d say again slowly and succinctly. Each meal we had together was another chance for me to practice my pronunciation. We said it together throughout the years and in doing so took a moment to appreciate and enjoy both what was given to us and what we already had. My grandmother enjoyed food, and like me, also had a sweet tooth. Throughout my childhood she would often come over to look after me, bringing with her a box of butter cookies, Hawaiian cookies, or butterscotch candy. When we would take excursions to the Whittwood Mall we would make our regular stop to See s. After selecting a small box of Nuts and Chews or Truffles for family she would beckon me over and together we d pick out our favorite flavors of lollipops: butterscotch for her and chocolate for me. Oishi, she d say, as we unfurled our candied treasures from their gold foiled-wrapping, savoring them on the trolley ride home. She enjoyed not only the confection, but the happiness she saw in others when she gave them food. (Helen Yoshida: Her grand parents were in Heart Mt. camp. She wrote What my grandmother learned in her world war II internment camp on Atlantic magazine JUL 2 2014 issue. You can read the article on the following site: http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/07/a-seamstress-of-circumstance/373618/ Old diary in Heart Mt. Camp, 1943 (Mr. Yoshida s diary) This is from Mr. Masayuki Yoshida s old diaries. He was born in California, but raised in Japan in Ohshima, Yamaguchi prefecture. He came back to the U.S. at the age of 18 with his older brother. His old diaries (1937, 38, 41, 43) were donated to HJCI. In 1937, he lived in Culver City, working at Matsuoka nursery. The first three diaries (1937, 38, 41) were filled with daily life, such as weather, nursery jobs, friends and things after the jobs. In 1937, he visited Ohshima in Japan and spent whole summer with his family and friends. (H. K) Continued on our website: http://www.hollywoodjci.org/ Page 7

Searching for our roots The 100 years history of Hollywood Gakuen -2- Built a new school building Although Hollywood Gakuen started in the church of Carter s Court, it was managed with no relation to the Independent church. However, many Buddhist parents weren t comfortable sending their children to a Christian church. They wanted to have their own school. So, with Mr. Hirai as the leader and the Buddhists acting as the core group, they started fundraising to build a new school. (photo: June 21, 1931 Graduation s graduation) A new building with three classrooms was built at 1423 Cahuenga Ave. near Sunset Blvd. On March 17 th, 1919, the new Hollywood Gakuen was started. Legal oppression against Japanese language schools For about 10 years from 1912 to 1922, the number of Japanese language schools in California increased more and more, reaching about 40 schools. This growth caused worries among the American people. As the result, series of bills to control foreign language schools such as the Parker s bill and the Aiman s bill in April, 1919 were submitted and some were passed. The Japanese language schools in California were totally going to suffocate. However, a Japanese language school in Hawaii had been filed against these cases. In June, 1926, the U.S. Supreme Court made the historical judgment to rule out those bills as against US constitution. As the result, all those bills against foreign language school lost validity, Japanese language education was allowed under the U.S. constitution. This opened the golden era for Japanese language schools. Problem on the land ownership issue Around that time, the big incident that shook the existence of the school happened. It was a landownership issue at that time when a foreigner couldn t own a land in the United States. Hollywood Gakuen borrowed a name of a Hawaiian Nisei name as the landowner. However, in 1929, that person started to insist that the property did indeed belong to him and it became a lawsuit. Although Gakuen won the suit, the Hawaiian appealed and stirred lot of worry. It was resolved by the sincere efforts of the related people. Relocation and construction of new school building In 1935, due to oldness of school building, increasing traffic volume, and deterioration of educational environment, the people decided to move Gakuen for a better future. The school moved to Virgil Area where many Japanese lived. As the new place located on a slope where there were many trees, it looked like a difficult state to build the school. But Mr. Tominosuke Ozamoto and the building committees and the parents of the students worked very hard by cutting trees, leveling the land, etc., and completed the new school which had a hall and three classrooms. On Nov. 5 th, 1936, the big celebration party was held. In 1938, the residential house for a principal (caretaker s residence now) was built. Closing Gakuen due to the Japan-U.S. war In 1937, Hollywood Gakuen became one of the prominent Japanese schools: the number of students reached 250 and owned two busses. The students and teachers adored the Gakuen along with the name Hollywood. However, just six years after it was newly constructed, Hollywood Gakuen was shut down by the Japan-U.S. war. I would heartily like to show our respect for the foresight and courage of the Issei pioneers who bet on the future. (By Yoshiharu Okumoto) Page 8

ルーツを求めて ハリウッド学園 100 年史 -2- 新校舎の建設ハリウッド学園はカーター コートの教会内に設立され 独立教会とは関係なく別途に経営されていたが 仏教徒の父兄は 自分たちの子供がその教会の学校に行くことを好ましく思わなかった そのために自分たち自身の学校を持ちたいと思い 平井由太郎氏がリーダーとなり 仏教徒が中心に建築資金を集め Sunset Blvd. に近い1423 Cahuenga Ave. に3 教室の校舎を新築し 1919 年 3 月 17 日同所に移転 新しいハリウッド学園が誕生し 授業を始めた 日本語学校に対する法的圧力 1912 年より1922 年の10 年間は 学齢児童の増加により 日本語教育はますます盛んになり 加州内では40 校の多きに達した そのため 米国の関心が深まり 1921 年 4 月にはパ-カー法案やインマン法案など次々と外国語学校取締法案が提出 又は実施され 弾圧が加えられ 州内の日本語学校は完全に窒息状態に置かれた ところが ハワイの日本語学校がこの問題で提訴し 1926 年 6 月 合衆国最高裁判所は外国語取締法を違憲とする一大判決が下った その結果これらの法案はことごとく失効となり 以後 米国憲法の保証のもとに日本語教育ができるようになり 再びに日本語学校の全盛時代を迎える事になった 土地所有権をめぐる問題その頃 ハリウッド学園では 学園の存立を揺るがす事件が発生した それは土地所有権に関連することだ 校舎の新築当時は外国人の土地所有を認めない時代で 学園ではハワイ生まれの二世の名義を借用していた ところがその二世は 1929 年に突如として自己の所有権を主張して譲らず ついに裁判となり 彼が敗訴したにもかかわらず再審請求を起こし 大いに憂慮されたが 当事者達の懸命なる措置で大事に至らなかった 移転と新校舎の建設 1935 年 校舎の老朽化とCAHUEGA Ave. の交通量の増加等 教育環境の悪化に伴い より良い教育設備の必要と将来の発展のために移転問題が起こり 日本人の多いバージル地区へ移転することが決まった 新しく購入された土地は多くの木々の立ち並ぶ傾斜地で こんな所に校舎が建てられるかと言われた状態であった しかし 尾座本富之助氏をはじめ 建築委員や父兄の新校舎新築への執念は 木を切り倒し土地を平坦にして 白亜のモダンなホール兼 3 教室を完成させ 1936 年 11 月 5 日盛大な祝賀会が催された 1938 年には園長用住宅 ( 現管理人住宅 ) も設置された 日米開戦による閉校 1937 年には生徒数 250 人 に達し バス二台を所有する名実ともロサンゼルス有数の日本語学校に成長した しかしながら 先生や生徒にとってハリウッドの名と共に憧れの的であった学園は 新校舎新築後わずか 6 年後 日米開戦によって閉校となり 栄光と苦難に満ちた歴史を閉じることになる 幾多の困難にもめげず 今日の学園の基礎を作られた一世パイオニアの方々の 明日に賭けた先見と勇気に心より敬意を表したい ( 文 : 奥本義晴 ) Page 9

佐渡の能 佐渡は昔から能の盛んなところで 各部落に能舞台があり 全部で 100 軒以上だそうです 例えば 私は新穂村 ( トキで有名 ) 出身で 村にはたくさんの部落があります その内の武井部落は 37 軒だけですが 毎年 4 月 3 日は 武井まつり というのがあり 能舞台で奉納の能が舞われるのです 舞台は杉の木に覆われ 本当に風情がありました 子供の頃は 舞台の廻りにゴザを敷きつめ能を見学しながらお弁当を食べたものです 能を舞うのは 村のおじちゃんやお兄ちゃん達です 昔は村にたくさんのお百姓さんがいました 農業はほとんど手作業だったので 小学校でも 田植え休み や 稲刈り休み があり 子供たちも皆手伝っていました しかし機械化が進むにつれ 手作業は耕運機や田植機 稲刈り機などに置き換えられ 村ではどんどん人が減り 結局 じいちゃん ばあちゃんと少数の長男が残っている状況です 過疎化になってしばらくの間は お祭りもなくなり淋しい時期がありました でも町が 古典芸能の復興 を掲げてから また盛んになってきています 今は 6 ~7 月に 能週間 というのがあり 毎日どこかで能が見られるとのことです 佐渡の能は 約 600 年前に佐渡に流刑された 世阿弥 が広めたそうですが 佐渡では世阿弥の観世流ではなく 室生 ( ほうしょう ) 流 ( 家元は本間さん ) が多くなっています ( 厚子 ) Page 12

2015 Membership Drive Please complete and return the Membership application through your organization or directly to HJCI via mail or mailbox on southwest side of the Social Hall at the bottom of the steps. Membership fees help to support our operating costs. Thanks for your support!