Page 5 - MidWeek Kauai - Feb 9, 2022

Endo Gets Ready To Lay Down The Beat On Upcoming Anniversary Tour
FEBRUARY 9, 2022
KAUA‘I MIDWEEK 5
FROM PAGE 4
taiko. While there, he was involved with Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten, a taiko company with roots that date back to 1861. He was also named the first non-Japanese national to receive a natori (stage name and master’s li- cense) in hogaku hayashi (classical drumming) — a recognition that ranks high on the list of life’s most cherished moments.
warn village people of fires or floods. And while here in Hawai‘i today, we have statewide sirens for that, the love for taiko persists, thousands of years — and miles — later.
“That was a great honor. As far as classical music goes, I still feel like a student. There’s so much to learn,” shares Endo, who celebrated his 45th anniversary as a taiko performer in 2020. “There’s a saying in Japan — kiri ga nai — which means there’s no end to it. It’s almost like the more you study, the more you realize you don’t know. As long as I can try to keep learning, expanding and improving, it will feel fresh, and I’ll have this ex- citement about learning and practic- ing as well as performing, too.”
To carry forward the practice and share all that he’s learned over his near five-decadeslong career, Endo, with wife Chizuko, established the Honolulu-based Taiko Center of the Pacific in 1994. He, alongside sever- al other instructors — some of whom began at the school as just students themselves — teaches taiko to any- one who wishes to learn, from keiki to kūpuna and everyone in between.
(Top left and right) Whether he’s performing in front of one or two people, or 10,000, taiko master Kenny Endo has the same philosophy: just do your best. PHOTOS COURTESY KENNY ENDO
“The 10 years I spent in Japan were very valuable to me profession- ally, being able to study with some great masters and perform with some incredible musicians,” says Endo. “I feel that a lot of people in the United States or outside of Japan do not get that opportunity, so I feel almost like a bearer of the tradition to share that with people who are interested.”
ally important to me,” notes Endo. “In fact, I always tell my perform- ers that no matter if there are one or two people in the audience or there’s 10,000, you have to approach it in the same way.
transform people and inspire people. I know that when I’ve gone to see some really great music or perform- Cers, I’ve been inspired that way, so I hope that in some way that our music can do that (for others).”
brings people together, I think if peo- ple from different cultures and back- grounds can get together and work and create something, that’s like a mi- crocosm of the real world,” he adds. “It’s the potential for people to create rather than destroy; to be productive rather than destructive.”
“There’s always going to be somebody who’s seeing taiko for the first time, or possibly seeing taiko for the last time, so there’s a responsibility to do your best and prepare for the performance.”
ome spring, Endo will fi- nally embark on his 45-year anniversary tour — two years
To say that Endo’s call- ing-turned-career has been trium- phant would be an understatement. As he looks toward eventual retire- ment, Endo names aspirations he hopes to complete first, which in- clude securing a permanent home for Taiko Center of the Pacific, creating a taiko philosophy/spiritual practice and finding successors to keep the tradition alive.
Endo’s authenticity and gracious state of mind could possibly be the reason for his success. Though, his devotion and admiration for the craft itself might have that beat.
At the heart of it all, Endo al- ways circles back to the visceral feeling that a taiko performance offers its listeners.
delayed by the pandemic — with his contemporary ensemble, comprising musicians from a variety of back- grounds. Together, the unit will visit 12 states to play a fusion, “East meets West” concept, according to Endo.
Taiko, which quite simply means drum in Japanese, has been around for 2,000-plus years in The Land of the Rising Sun. The instruments range from hand-held to larger- than-life size and are often used as accompaniments in bands, theater and festivals.
Though the pandemic has put a serious strain on classes (which are currently taking place over Zoom) and performances, Endo looks for- ward to the few occasions he gets to be on stage, including recent per- formance on Feb. 4 at University of Hawai‘i and a collaborative music/ dance event at Windward Commu- nity College Feb. 26-27 (visit out- reach.hawaii.edu/artists for more information).
“I just hope that (the audience) experiences it not only as entertain- ment and something they can enjoy ... but also I think the sound of the drums, especially taiko, is so deep in you that it kind of takes us back to something more primal,” he says. “In fact, they think that taiko is similar to the heartbeat of a mother when you’re in the womb. In that sense, in not just taiko, but music (in gener- al), it has the potential to heal people,
“For a lot of people who play taiko, there’s no melody,” he explains. “Sometimes the bamboo flute will play traditionally, but I like to com- bine it with other instruments, such as Japanese instruments — which are koto, shakuhachi and shamisen — but also with Western instruments ... (On the tour), I combine things like a vibraphone and ‘ukulele with the tra- ditional bamboo flute and shamisen and koto as well.
In the meantime, he’ll continue do- ing what he loves most: create and teach, with his taiko in tow.
Historically, the thunder- ous-sounding vessels were used to
“All of the performances are re-
“If we’re talking about music that
“When you look at the world right now, there’s so much turmoil going on in all these different fields, and I think taiko — and art in general — is a way people can come together to inspire and heal and give them hope.”
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