Hui Okinawa Kobudo Taiko

Taiko. Several years later, Sensei Nakama and his group performed in Hilo and donated three drums to Hui Okinawa with intentions of starting another chapter on the Big Island. Then, in January 2002, Sensei Nakama and one of his senior students held a one-day workshop at Nani Mau Gardens and formed Hui Okinawa Kobudo Taiko. With three drums and a handful of members, our group practiced every Sunday on cardboard boxes at Nani Mau Gardens. Our first few performances were done in jeans, t-shirts and sneakers by a total of three drummers that performed only a single piece, entitled “Nami”. Over the years, Hui Okinawa Kobudo Taiko has steadily grown into a vibrant group of over 25 active members that performs on an average of twice a month. We now are one of the most actively performing taiko groups on the island performing at countless community events, private parties and have also performed numerous times with Ryukyu Kobudo Taiko-Hawaii Shibu at the Annual HUOA Okinawan Festival on Oahu. In 2012, we held a recital in celebration of our 10 year anniversary. Kobudo taiko has now come full circle. We recently made contact with the original Ryukyu Kobudo Taiko group in Okinawa, which is now under the direction of Sensei Tatsumi Yamauchi, one of the original members of the group. Since then, a few of our students have had the privilege of training with them in Okinawa. Our hopes are to rekindle the relationships between all of the Kobudo Taiko groups and keep this unique and mesmerizing art form alive for many years to come.