Taiko a treasured tradition at annual Pan-Pacific Festival
When Shuji Komagata, bishop of Soto Mission of Aiea, takes the stage to play Japanese taiko at the upcoming 42nd annual Pan-Pacific Festival, it will be in the spirit of drumming up continued support for celebrating cross-cultural connections in the region.
Komagata, a fourth-generation minister in Hawaii, represents intertwined taiko legacies. He is co-leader of Hawaii Matsuri Taiko, the group founded by his late mother, Faye Komagata, in 1984. He is also co-founder and co-leader of Somei Taiko, the group he created with his wife, Jaymie, in 2005 to teach new generations of taiko players.
Komagata, 50, has been playing taiko since he was 5. Hawaii Matsuri Taiko, now Hawaii Matsuri Taiko and Somei Taiko, has played in every Pan-Pacific Festival since the early 1990s.
'(The festival ) was a way to bring people from Japan to support the local economy and also get a chance to share their culture with people in Hawaii, ' he said. 'Back when my mother, Faye Komagata, was the leader of the group, it was a great opportunity for us to play taiko, but what really became the catalyst for why we participated every year was to show people from Japan that, 'Hey, we're doing quite well here, and we have a very strong Japanese culture here.' The Japanese tourists are coming and they have a lot to share with us, and that's great, but we can share with them too.'
The Pan-Pacific Festival began in 1980 when it was created as Matsuri in Hawaii as a vehicle for promoting Japanese culture—music, dance, food and crafts—in Hawaii and strengthening ties between Japan and the islands. As the scope of the festival grew to include other cultures the name was changed to Pan-Pacific Festival.
This year's festival opens June 13 with a performance arts showcase on Ala Moana Center's Centerstage, with additional showcases June 14 and 15 both at Ala Moana and the International Market Place. Also scheduled for June 13, the Pan-Pacific Ho 'olaule 'a will take over a portion of Kalakaua Avenue from 7 to 10 p.m.
The Pan-Pacific Hula Festival will take place all three days at the Kuhio Beach Hula Mound. The festival concludes June 15 with the Pan-Pacific Parade on Kalakaua Avenue from 5 to 7 p.m.
Organizers note the schedule is subject to change ; for updated information, check panpacificfestival.org /.
The popularity of taiko in Hawaii, even outside the Japanese American community, mirrors the adoption and adaptation of hula, Hawaiian music, rock music and other elements of American culture in Japan. Festival audiences will see Japanese hula schools performing on the hula mound June 14-15.
Komagata said sharing his group's taiko traditions is part of the cross-cultural exchange.
'We want to share (taiko ) with people, how it has transformed into something that is not only just for Japanese Americans, or just Asian, but how it transcends those boundaries, ' he said. 'I think that's the core of why we find it very valuable for us to participate.'
Away from the taiko stage, Komagata and his wife are active teachers of taiko traditions and the techniques necessary to do it safely.
'You can hurt yourself playing taiko, so you have to understand how the body moves and how to properly play with the proper technique, ' Komagata said. 'That's one of the very, very important things to me, but it also becomes one of the strengths of our group. Technically speaking, our group is very technically sound, so you produce nice music and good-looking performance, an entertaining performance, but also so it's done properly and safely.'
He is also working with a community group that hopes to restore the World War II-era Honouliuli internment camp, now officially the Honouliuli National Historic Site, near Waipahu. The site is currently not open to the public.
'My great-grandfather came to Hawaii in the early 1930s with an intent to stay just a few years but ended up spending 49 years. He was interned at the Honouliuli camp during the war, and that experience, I think, only just recently has come more to life where efforts have been made to preserve the (site ), ' Komagata said. 'I've been honored to be a part of the group of people who are leading the charge to restore the park and get it the recognition it deserves.'
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