Maui Taiko performs at the Wo Hing Museum, part of the Second Friday event put on by the Lahaina Restoration Foundation on June 8. Members of the taiko or Japanese drumming group, known for its performances of “Fukushima Ondo” at obon dances on the island, are currently touring Japan’s Fukushima prefecture, which suffered heavy damage and many deaths in an earthquake/tsunami last year. Maui Taiko has been invited to play in the Fukushima Taiko Festival on June 24 in Bandai Atami, northwest of the city of Koriyama. The seven-member troupe also will visit temporary housing areas and communities with people displaced by the quake/tsunami that struck March 11, 2011. In concert with their performances, the group will show the documentary “Great Grandfather’s Drum,” which tells the story of the roots of the group’s taiko drumming and the history of the Japanese-American experience in Hawaii.
Lahaina Restoration Foundation photo
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Lahaina Restoration Foundation photo
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