Azuma Kikuhikari, Azuma Kikue and Azuma Sumie perform “Tsuru no Onegashi,” at a tribute to the late Sumako Azuma on Sept. 15 at the James Armstrong Theater in Torrance.
Beloved dance instructor Sumako Azuma remembered.
By GWEN MURANAKA
RAFU SENIOR EDITOR
TORRANCE —?In a reverent moment, nine natori taught by the late Sumako Azuma I and her daughter Sumako Azuma II performed to Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” gracefully concluding with a moment of prayer.
The song was choreographed for Japanese classical dance by mother and daughter and is a testament to their determination to bring Japanese culture to an American audience.
On Sept. 15, several hundred filled the James Armstrong Theater in Torrance for a tribute to Azuma Sumako II (Janice Aiso Edesa), the beloved dance instructor who passed away at 61 during the pandemic in 2020 after a year-long battle with brain cancer. This was the first occasion for Azuma Kotobuki Kai to publicly gather and honor her legacy.
“She was just uniquely talented at dancing and choreography and music,” said Azuma Kikusue (Carolyn Morinishi), instructor of Azuma Kotobuki Kai. “She could hear beats so well and accents. She was so good at choreographing to accents, so good at choregraphing to beats and to stories.”
The dances selected reflected her journey and determination to move odori forward and share it with a wide audience. “Ave Maria” was choreographed by her mother in the 1970s at the request of Fr. John Yamazaki of St Mary’s Episcopal Church as a tribute to the Christian martyrs of Japan. Sumako later re-choreographed the dance. The dancers also performed her mother’s interpretation of Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly.”
In a video tribute from Japan, Azuma Tokuho II, grandmaster of Azuma Ryu, shared her admiration and impressions of Sumako, who she said was uniquely gifted in classical dance. Sumako’s mother died young and she was just 16 when she assumed the duties of teaching her students.
“I remember my first impression of Sumako,” she stated. “She had straight, long hair to her waist. I had never seen such an ‘American’ look as a young girl in Japan 50 years ago. I thought that Ariel from ‘The Little Mermaid’ came from Disneyland! Sumako was very pretty and charming …
“When I visited her in Los Angeles 20 years later, she was so mature as a Japanese dancer. Her dance captured many people’s hearts and she established a school with lots of students under her wing.
“The ages of the dancers ranged from four years old to 84-year-old Fumi Miyatake. Azuma Kikusue has more than 60 students. She lives in Kauai and flies to Southern California once a month to conduct classes.
The newest natori danced “Tsuru no Ongaeshi,” based on the Japanese folktale of a childless couple’s encounter with a crane. Miko Shudo received her natori certificate in May 2023. Besides dance, Shudo is also a member of Bombu Stories, which debuted music and choreography for “Lantern Song” at Obon festivals this summer.
“I didn’t study with Sumako-sensei directly but my sensei (Azuma Kikusue) studied with her,” Shudo said. “In my lessons my sensei always says, ‘Sumako-sensei does this or use this technique.’ I think I learned indirectly from Sumako-sensei. I was very honored to be a part of this and to honor her memory.
“I am a genuine fan of Sumako-sensei’s choreography. She’s so creative and artistic and just very eye-catching and memorable. I was grateful to be part of it.”
Sumako’s most famous collaboration was with the band Hiroshima, and several members were there at the tribute. They performed “Odori,” which remains a staple in the group’s dance repertoire, more than 40 years after it debuted.
Taiko drummer Johnny Mori said that watching Sumako dance to Hiroshima’s music would give him “chicken skin.”
“The whole program was very emotional for the band folks, as much as we worked with her and her interpreting what she thought the song meant and putting it in choreography, using her school’s resources,” Mori said.
Marian Kubota (second from left) with her daughters Carrie Kubota Yokoyama, Carolyn Morinishi and Kim Kubota.
Hiroshima’s koto player, June Kuramoto, recently honored by the National Endowment for the Arts, said she felt that Sumako should also have been given such recognition.
“She’s hard-working, she’s a perfectionist, but that’s what makes her such a great dancer,” Kuramoto said. “And sadly for me, I reflected she should have been an NEA award winner. Like Kenny Endo, who opened the door for taiko players, Janice was that way for dance. She was just so beautiful and breathtaking — there was no one like her … The odori hands and her back bends — it says it all.”
Sisters Azuma Kikusue, Azuma Hisatsuma (Kim Kubota) and Azuma Harusama (Carrie Kubota Yokoyama) performed the final number, accompanied by Togen Daiko, with precise powerful movements set to the rhythms of taiko.
Their mom, Marian Kubota, remembered Sumako, who was close in age to her daughters.
“She was a good teacher. She was the most graceful dancer i ever saw. She was so smooth in her movements and very creative. She created a lot of dances. Now my daughter is trying to continue what she left behind,” Kubota said with pride.