The beating of taiko drums is just one of many sounds that make Waikīkī come alive during the 43rd annual Pan-Pacific Festival.
Bishop Shuji Komagata, who runs Hawaiʻi Matsuri Taiko and Somei Taiko with his wife, Jaymie Komagata, has a few favorite parts of the festival.
“There's the actual playing taiko part, just to be in front of the crowd,” he said. “As I've gotten older, I don't go to Waikīkī too often, so when I go out there — you kind of get your dosage of the Waikīkī crowd, and all the hustle and bustle, and the fun, right? … A lot of times playing taiko in Waikīkī means playing for people who are watching taiko for the first time, and I think it really represents what they're trying to do through the Pan-Pacific Festival is to serve as a gateway between cultures.”
This year, the Pan-Pacific Festival’s theme is celebrating one ocean, many cultures. The free three-day festival, which is supported by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, runs Friday, June 12, through Sunday, June 14. The event includes live music, hula and taiko performances, a Bon dance festival, and a ho‘olaule‘a block party with food booths and vendors. Most events take place in Waikīkī, but there are also events at Ala Moana Centerstage.
Komagata, who is also bishop of Soto Mission of Hawaiʻi, began playing taiko when he was about 5 years old. He is an original member of Matsuri Taiko, which was founded by his mother, Faye Komagata, in 1984. The taiko group has been part of the Pan-Pacific Festival since the 1990s, he added. Now, participating in the festival comes with special memories.
“It brings back memories of those who were part of the festival in the past, and they're no longer here,” he said. “Namely, my mom. Her name is Faye Komagata. One of the big things that she was a supporter of was using taiko instruments as a way to bring people together.”
Taiko became her medium to teach and promote Japanese culture, he said. Today, Hawaiʻi Matsuri Taiko is one of the state’s oldest Japanese taiko ensembles that performs year-round. The group has performed throughout Hawaiʻi and across the Mainland, as well as in Europe and Japan.
In 2005, Bishop Shuji Komagata and his wife founded Somei Taiko, which has more than 70 students, according to the group’s website.
In addition to performing at the festival, Hawaiʻi Matsuri Taiko and Somei Taiko will be part of the Hawaiʻi Matsuri Taiko Festival, which is a collaboration with the Pan-Pacific Festival and offers shows at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Waikīkī Beach’s Ainahau Ballroom. Featured in those performances is the Japan-based group Wako Daiko, guest musicians from Ryukyu Koten Afuso Ryu Ongaku Kenkyuu Choichi Kai USA, and guest taiko artist Michael Gonhata. Tickets are $40. The digital program is now available online.
What is Komagata’s favorite thing about Hawaiʻi Matsuri Taiko and Somei Taiko? Sharing what he has learned in taiko with others, he explained.
“That's what I try to promote it is to help others experience what I experienced,” he said.
For Komagata, taiko is also how he met his wife, who was one of the early members of Hawaiʻi Matsuri Taiko.
“We've known each other since elementary school, and it was through taiko that we fell in love,” he said. “So, you can find love in taiko.”
Check out the full schedule for this year's Pan-Pacific Festival.
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
