A Brief History of the Hanayagi Dancing Academy Hawaii Foundation

Viola Ikie Hosokawa, eldest daughter of Zenjiro Hosokawa (Shusui Hisamatsu) and Mitsue Hosokawa (Mitsue Hisamatsu), was born and raised in Honolulu.

Having begun her early classical dance (buyo) training in Hawaii, she furthered her training in Japan under dance master Sannosuke Hanayagi and received her teaching degree and professional name of Mitsuaki Hanayagi. She has also studied shamisen and singing under the Nagauta master Tokichi Kineya and was conferred the professional name of Satoshi Kineya.

Hanayagi Mitsuaki also received the teaching name of Sosui Hosokawa from the Urasenke School of Tea Ceremony and the name of Shunyo Hosokawa from the Sogetsu School of Flower Arrangement.
Following seven years of training in Japan, Hanayagi Mitsuaki returned to Hawaii and founded the Hanayagi Dancing Academy. Her dedication, devotion and tutelage of the Japanese performing and cultural arts have inspired many of Hawaii’s young people to become natoris, teachers and masters of the dance and shamisen. In 1990, she was the recipient of the “Tokubetsu-sho” award from Iemoto Hanayagi Jusuke III.
Endearingly known to her students as Oshisho-sama, Hanayagi Mitsuaki has left an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of all she touched with her spirit and passion committed to enriching, fostering and perpetuating the Japanese cultural arts.

Clara Chitose Hosokawa, youngest daughter of Zenjiro and Mitsue Hosokawa, was also born and raised in Honolulu. Together with her sister, she began her early buyo training in Hawaii. She also received training in Japan under Sannosuke Hanayagi and 2nd generation Iemoto (Headmaster) Jusuke Hanayagi. Having graduated, she received her teaching degree and professional name of Chitoshi Hanayagi.

Upon the passing of Hanayagi Mitsuaki in October of 2004, Hanayagi Mitsuyuri (Karen Fujishima-Lee) assumed the role of the Academy’s principal in accordance with the wishes of the late Hanayagi Mitsuaki.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Hanayagi Mitsuyuri received extensive training in dance and shamisen under Hanayagi Mitsuaki since 1952 and received her professional dance name in 1970 and professional shamisen name (Kineya Satsugiku) in 1982.
In 2006, Hanayagi Mitsuyuri was granted the name of Hanayagi Mitsuaki II by Iemoto, Hanayagi Jusuke and continues to expand her training and repertoire through teachers in Japan and remains firmly committed to honoring and fulfilling the legacy of our founder, Hanayagi Mitsuaki.

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Hanayagi Mitsuaki II Shumei Sakazuki

Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu and best wishes to all for a year filled with peace and happiness.

Our principal, Hanayagi Mitsuaki II’s shumei sakazuki was held on Saturday, January 13, 2007 at Kyoya restaurant in accordance with ancient tradition.

Shumei or name succession is widely used in the inheritance of traditional performing arts in Japan and is a way of heralding a succession by passing the name, artistic traditions and prestige down through the lineage. This practice increases the status of the performer who receives the name of an illustrious master. Shumei preserves and keeps Japan’s oldest traditions vibrant and popular, by introducing the new while affirming the old.

The practice of shumei goes back to the Muromachi period (1333-1568), where it is documented in "Fushi-kaden,” written by the noh master, Zeami, that a family cannot be a family unless it has someone to inherit it, and a man cannot be a man unless he is a person of knowledge. This means talent is needed to succeed in carrying on the secrets of an art, even if one is the child of the master. A family name is inherited only after the knowledge of the art is passed down.
For the Japanese, sake is considered a sacred drink. The Shumei sakazuki ceremony is performed by partaking sake from the same sakazuki or sake cup to seal the bonds, in this case, between shisho and natori.
By exchanging sakazuki cups, the natoris pledge their loyalty and support to the new head of the organization. This is significant, because this ceremony bonds two people who are considered complete strangers as members of an artistic family.

The ceremony concluded with Hokushu, an auspicious dance, which is a shiken dance for Shihan Dance Master certification. Omedeto gozaimasu.