What is your Holiday tradition?
J.K. Hirano
Because of our traditions,
We've kept our balance for many, many years.
… You may ask, how did this tradition start?
I'll tell you - I don't know. But it's a tradition...
Because of our traditions,
Everyone knows who he is and what God expects him to do."
“Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof
This has been the first Thanksgiving in many years when all three of Carmela and my daughters, Katie, Kacie and Taylor have been together for Thanksgiving. We now have a new member “Arrow Raja” Katie’s new baby boy. Yes, there are son in laws, boyfriends etc. However, from personal experience I understand that these may come and go, so I am just including the immediate family. However, for my holiday traditions, I like to include all the in laws, boyfriends, girlfriends etc. and cousins, friends of my family who come to my home for the Thanksgiving meal.
These traditions began when my family consisted of my Jiichan (Grandpa) Baachan (Grandma) Hirano, my Mom, Dad, Auntie Maxine, Uncle Mas, Sandy, Glen, Mike, Scott, Joni and myself. We would get together as family for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day and various birthdays. This is what I have come to understand as my family tradition. It is fun when we can remember how all of us fit into the Hirano or Furubayashi’s small homes. According to Zillow my home was a one bedroom, one bath 900 square foot home. Although it sounds cliché, it never seemed too small. As the family increased, somehow so did the size of our homes. From we original twelve family members, at one dinner, I think we had close to 40 people for Thanksgiving. Although this year, it shrank a little, because of illness or other family commitments to around 25. I like to think that as our homes grew, so did the love within them. For this is what I believe to be the basis for all traditions, “LOVE”.
As the years go by, it’s hard to believe this was my 66th Thanksgiving. The love I have felt from all of them made me want to share it with as many people as possible. When I was a student at the Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS) in Berkeley, CA., there were some holidays when I couldn’t go home because I had a full-time job at Berkeley Bowl produce which opened back up on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Therefore, I would cook a turkey, buy a ham, and invite friends to whatever apartment I may have been living in. While in Japan, we foreign students would gather at our friends Revs. Dennis and Yoko Yoshikawa’s temple “Chogenji” and try to gather up the fixings of an “American” Thanksgiving in Japan. Marvin and Gail Harada and Rev. Dennis and Rev. Yoko would cook a turkey in their small ovens. The turkeys came from Utah. David Matsumoto would take the train to Kobe to the one Marie Callendar’s restaurants that had pumpkin pies, Ken and Naomi Yamada would bring sweet potatoes. I think one year Naomi made tamales from masa she got from Ken’s uncle who was stationed in the Army base in Tokyo. I would go to the food section at Takashimaya Department store to buy a ham. They remembered me year to year, because I was probably the only person to buy a large chuck of ham.We would then invite all the foreign students we knew studying in Kyoto to come to our Thanksgiving dinner. These also grew, just as my family’s Thanksgiving has. I know that through the years, Dean and Linda Koyama, Julie Hanada-Lee and Alan Lee, Patti Nakai, Mark Blum and many others had joined us at one time or other. At the time, the only ones with titles were Dennis and Yoko Yoshikawa. None of us were ordained and Dr. Blum was working on his PhD. I could say that those Thanksgivings were some of the fuel that propelled Jodo Shinshu in America today. As many of you may know, Bishop of BCA Rev. Marvin Harada. Rev. Dr. David Matsumoto, President of the Institute of Buddhist Studies, myself Director of BCA Center for Buddhist Education, Rev. Ken Yamada, editor of Shinshu Center of America (Higashi Hongwanji), Rev. Dean Koyama, minister of Palo Alto Buddhist Temple, Rev. Patti Nakai, retired minister of Midwest Buddhist Temple (Higashi Hongwanji) Rev. Julie Hanada (retired), Dr. Mark Blum, Head of Buddhist Studies UC Berkeley. I dare say, the love of Jodo Shinshu and our desire to see the teachings thrive in the English-speaking world were the impetus for our current positions.
Tradition and what is tradition is a subject that is often discussed regarding many things. For many of us Japanese Americans, our traditions are a combination of Japanese and American Holiday customs, that have become our families’ traditions. In my immediate family, our Holiday traditions may start to change. Carmela and my daughters have partners that come from India, Vietnam, and Nigeria. My grandson Arrow Raja has 5 grandparents. The two from India are known as grandma (Awa) and grandpa (Tata). In the Tagalog grandma is Lola and grandpa is Lolo. In Japan, grandma is baachan and grandpa is jiichan. So Arrow calls his Dad’s parents Awa and Tata, Carmela is Lola, I am Jiichan and Carmela’s ex is grandpa. Although, Arrow doesn’t speak yet, when he begins to talk, this will become his norm. In a similar manner our traditions should also be flexible.
In my family, as we original cousins get older and have now arrived in the official category of senior citizens, well Scott and Joni are one year away, some of our children will begin to take over. This year, Christmas eve is no longer at Koyo and my sister Joni’s, it is at Ryan, Amanda and Trace’s home. Christmas is now at Sandy’s daughter Emily and Joe’s home. Just as Thanksgiving is still at my home, I am assuming New Year’s Day will still be at Scott and Joy’s. I don’t know how many more years this will be continuing, but I do enjoy this tradition. However, it is the essence of these occasions that hopefully carry on, love for family and friends and the expression of gratitude extended to all. Our Japanese traditions of end of the year gifts (Oseibo) and New Year’s food (sechi ryori) are now Christmas presents and turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy and a few Japanese foods. I understand this is also happening in Japan, where it all began. However, love and gratitude are still the essence of the Holiday season.
As for our religious traditions, these are also changing. Within Jodo Shinshu, the essence is in the Nembutsu. As Shinran says in Tannisho: As for me, I simply accept and entrust myself to what my revered teacher told me, “Just say the nembutsu and be saved by Amida” nothing else is involved.
A Record in Lament of Divergences: CWS pg. 662