Ken Morikawa had a soccer game to attend, Eric Nordmeier had a parade to prepare for, and Tommy Rita had to get ready for his trip to the Sugar Bowl. Regardless, they joined a group of Hawaii Government Employees Association
Ken Morikawa had a soccer game to attend, Eric Nordmeier had a parade to prepare for, and Tommy Rita had to get ready for his trip to the Sugar Bowl.
Regardless, they joined a group of Hawaii Government Employees Association volunteers early Saturday morning to begin the annual ritual of creating kadomatsu.
Kadomatsu is a traditional Japanese decoration of the New Year, which is believed to be the dwelling place for kami, or ancestral spirits, of the harvest.
To bring good luck, the arrangement is usually placed in pairs in front of homes from Jan. 1 through Jan. 7, and then disposed of by burning.
Gerald Ako of the HGEA said the Kaua‘i office creates kadomatsu for area families, with the proceeds from their sale benefiting the HGEA Kendall Scholarship program.
“We usually make about 300 of the kadomatsu,” Ako said. “At this point, I don’t think we can take orders. Customers should just come in and pick them up on a first-come, first-serve basis.”
The work to create the arrangement is not easy. A group of volunteers makes the annual trek onto Grove Farm property to harvest green bamboo several days before they assemble three pieces, along with pine and plum branches, bound with fresh rope.
The tradition traveled to Hawai‘i with Japanese laborers who arrived here to work in plantation camps over 100 years ago, and has continued to flourish.
The kadomatsu go on sale Monday at the HGEA office on Aikahi Street, adjacent to Safari Helicopters.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
