www.huoa.org March/April 2011 Issue #131 Circulation 11,000 Honolulu Festival Honors Terukina Sensei he late afternoon sun warmed the legions of spirited, colorfully clad partici- heart because of the tragic pants in the 17th Annual Honolulu Festival Grand Parade as they marched earthquake and tsunami that Tdown Kalakaua Avenue through Waikiki on March 13. Near the head of the had rocked Japan just the day procession rode Grand Marshal Choichi Terukina Sensei, founder of Ryukyu Koten before he arrived. Afuso-ryu Ongaku Kenkyu Choichi Kai and a National Living Treasure of Japan, and “The earthquake actually his lovely wife. struck Japan as Sensei was fly- They were followed by an impressive entourage of some 300 marchers and per- ing from Okinawa to Narita,” formers, led by Uta sanshin members of Afuso Ryu Gensei Kai performing Terukina Murata explains. His flight Sensei’s composition, “Mensore.” They were joined by members from various perform- had to be rerouted to Ibaraki. ing arts groups, including sanshin, taiko, paranku and odori. HUOA club members “As the plane was being refu- joined in, carrying their banners in support of Terukina Sensei. eled, he said they could feel At one point in the the tremors while they sat parade, Terukina Sensei in the plane.” Sensei did not stood up in his convert- know the full extent of the damage until he reached Honolulu. He was so affected by ible, turned around, and the great loss and depth of human suffering that he had to forgo a gala event planned proudly waved to the for Saturday night. It took a number of individuals to convince him to participate in massive band of march- the parade to represent Japan and send a message of hope, Murata says. ers who were playing, The ultimate success of this major undertaking hinged on the participation of singing, dancing and all the supporting groups. The HUOA extends a big mahalo to the members of the marching in unison to Afuso Ryu Gensei Kai, Hawaii Shibu, and all of the participating groups: Hooge-Ryu, his song, “Mensore.” Hananuzi-No Kai Nakasone Dance Academy, Tamagusuku Ryu Senjukai – Frances That moment in time Nakachi Ryubu Dojo, Hawaii Shin Kobukai, Hawaii Eisa Shinyuu Kai, Hawaii Eisa culminated a planning Chimugukuru Daiko, Chinagu Eisa Hawaii, Paranku Clubs of Hawaii, Nidaime process that began some three years earlier, reports Isaac Hokama, who served as a Teishin Kai Hawaii Shibu (including our four famous Chondaras), Okinawa Minyo coordinator between the sponsoring Honolulu Festival Foundation and the HUOA. Kyokai, and Shinsato Shosei Kai. “The Honolulu Festival wanted to invite Terukina Sensei to serve as Grand Marshal IPPEE NIFEE DEEBIRU to the Honolulu Festival Foundation and its executive this year and focus on an Okinawan group to lead the parade,” Hokama explains. director David Asanuma for including us in this event, and to everyone for participat- “Our original idea was to get 1,000 sanshin players, which was a bit ambitious. With ing in the parade – including all of the HUOA members who proudly marched with taiko drummers and dancers joining in, we ended up with a group of about 300 their club banners – and sharing a bit of our Uchinanchu culture and spirit to all of people. These groups and individuals really stepped up and did their part to promote Hawaii! the Okinawan culture.” Terukina Sensei’s brief but heartfelt wave to his supporters was also a poignant expression of the high emotions of the occasion. Co-coordinator Grant Sandaa Murata explained that while Sensei was elated to serve as Grand Marshal and have his song performed by so many of his sup- porters, he also harbored a heavy Honolulu Festival Cultural Exhibit on page 4. Inside This Issue Honolulu Festival Honors Terukina •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Page 1 President’s Message •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Page 2 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Honolulu, HI Permit No. 659 Uchinanchu Spotlight ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Page 3 Honolulu Festival Cultural Exhibit-cont./Taste of Marukai •••••••••••••• Page 4 5th Community Outreach Project/Senior Fair ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Page 5 Children’s Day Camp •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Page 6 Children’s Day Camp-cont./Aloha for Japan and Donors •••••••••••••••• Page 7 Ikuyu Madin/Preserving Our Legacy/HUOA Donors •••••••••••••••• Pages 8 & 9 Club News •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Page 10 41st HUOA Golf Tournament/Aloha Aina Recycling Project ••••••••••• Page 11 Hawaii Eisa Festival/Maui Okinawan Festival ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Page 12 Club Picnic Calendar/Kauai Dance Festival ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Page 13 Hawaii-Okinawa High School Student Exchange/Uchinaaguchi ••••••• Page 14 Asian Studies Seminar for Teachers/Okinawan Proverbs ••••••••••••••••• Page 15 Hawaii United Okinawa Association 94-587 Ukee Street Waipahu, Hawaii 96797 HUOA Schedule of Events/HOT Schedule •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Page 16 2 Uchinanchu March/April 2011 President’s Message UCHINANCHU By Norman Nakasone Ippee Nifee Deebiru... Mahalo! Uchinanchu is our voice — the voice of the Hawaii United Okinawa Association, its members, and the “home” we all built together, the Hawaii Okinawa Center. By Hana Nuuzi – sharing information and experiences, Uchinanchu keeps us connected as a family, dedicated to preserving, sharing and perpetuating our Okinawan cultural heritage. Magnificent Rainbow… Every dollar donated — along with the valuable income from advertising - helps Connecting Our Precious Past offset the cost of publishing Uchinanchu. HUOA sends a sincere ippee nifee deebiru to a Bright Future. to the following donors. Mahalo for keeping Uchinanchu alive and thriving. y, oh my! Where has the time gone? The first three months of 2011 have Uchinanchu Donors February 1 to March 31, 2011. come and gone in a blink of an eye. The first quarter was filled with Sonny Abangan Lillian Nakagawa Mboth good times and sad. Tom Arashiro Robert Y. Nakamatsu First, the good times. Thank you to all of our member clubs that invited us Hatsue Asato John & Grace Nakamura to your Shinnen enkai and allowed us the privilege to share in your New Year’s Howard T. Asato Janet Nako celebrations with you. I found each and every one I attended a very enjoyable Walter & Ethel Ashitomi In Memory of Kiyoko Kubota by experience. It was great to meet members for the very first time as well as seeing Eunice, Jerry, Allan, Kenneth others I don’t get to see on a regular basis. It was very interesting to experience Esther Chin Florence Fernandez (Kubota), Joyce Kaneshiro, the different things clubs do to perpetuate and promote the Okinawan culture. I Bernice Hashimoto & Families commend all of you on the effort you’re making to preserve our heritage and being Jane Fujii Clement Oshiro the “Magnificent Rainbow” that connects our precious past with a bright future. Betsy Han Dennis K. Oshiro Thank you also to President-elect Cyrus Tamashiro and Vice President George Gladys M. Higa Bartels for standing in for me and attending the many Shinnen enkai that I was Thomas & Sally Oshiro Kay Higa not able to attend. Kenneth Shimabukuro Mr & Mrs Sadafumi Higa In late February and early March, we were able to pull off a very successful Linyei Shimabukuro Beatrice C. Higa 21st Annual Okinawa-Hawaii Student Exchange with the help of many volunteers. Fred Shimabukuro Thank you to all who helped with the Student Exchange program, including the Frederick Higa Yasuo Taba 18 families who hosted the 25 students from Okinawa; Tom Yamamoto and Stacey Eva Hirano Kiyoshi Taira Kawamura (teacher advisors); members of our Hui Okinawa ohana; HUOA officers; Anonymous and the HUOA office staff, amongst others. Anonymous Helen Ikehara Thank you also to the hundreds of people who participated in and supported Nancy Tamashiro Barbara S. Isa HUOA’s effort in the Honolulu Festival Parade. From all of the positive feedback Evelyn Tengan Thomas Isara I’ve received, it is apparent that HUOA’s presence was very impressive and enjoyed Hideko & Busuke Toguchi tremendously by the thousands who lined Kalakaua Avenue to witness the parade. George K. Kamimura Robert & Sanae Toma Along with the good, however, we also experienced the sad. We are all aware of Kenneth Y. Kaneshiro Aaron Uyema the tragic events that devastated Northeastern Japan the morning of March 11. Our Stanley Kaneshiro deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of those who were affected by Alice Uyesato Tony Kaneshiro the tragedy. It is at times like these, however, that the best is brought out in people Mr. & Mrs Charles Wang Norman & Claire Kaneshiro and in organizations – and this holds true for our organization and our people. A Walter Wauke Robert Kinjo few days before Aloha For Japan, the statewide campaign to assist the victims of the Mavis Yamada earthquake and tsunami, was officially launched, our Board of Directors approved Sally T. Kobashigawa Harold & Elsie Yonamine HUOA’s support of the project by serving as a collection point for donations. Jane Koki Raymond Yonesaki Within the week, information was posted on our website and an announcement Mitsuru Kunihiro was made on KZOO. The outpouring of support has been tremendous. In a little Walter Zukemura Warren S. Miyashiro over two weeks, HUOA has received over $21,000 in donations. It is very humbling to be