Tywon Hopson, a Lansing Community College freshman, talks about calligraphy with his friend Reva Mercado, an East Asian language and cultures sophomore, at the Asian Studies Center annual Japanese Garden Picnic on Sunday afternoon at the Clarence E. Lewis Landscape Arboretum. The picnic had activities like calligraphy, crafts and a martial arts demonstration.
Dressed in happi, a traditional Japanese workman’s festival clothing, four drummers crouched low to the stage, extending their front legs while pounding two miya taiko, or barrel drums.
Their movements were inspired by the movement of fishermen pulling in nets of fish on the Japanese island of Miyake.
Throughout the traditional song, the drummers yelled kiai, or spirited shouts, to encourage one another to push through the physically demanding song.
Near the stage, a boy with a Japanese fan he made in the craft tent resting in his lap covered his ears to muffle the reverberating sound of the drums.
The Kiyoshi Nagata Taiko Ensemble performed Sunday at the Clarence E. Lewis Landscape Arboretum as the finale of the Asian Studies Center’s fourth annual Japanese Garden Picnic.
Origami, calligraphy, Japanese food and drink, a martial arts demonstration, as well as the drumming ensemble, were part of the center’s goal to spread the culture of Japan, program development assistant Kitty Gabele said.
“It allows people who may never have the opportunity to go to Japan to get a taste of what it’s like,” she said.
When in Japan, it’s not uncommon to hear the taiko drums when walking down the street, Gabele said.
“You can see fans and calligraphy in every office there,” she said.
“Even though it’s a modern place, many cultural aspects have survived.”
More than 250 people participated in the event, said Judy Pugh, the center’s director.
“It was a diverse and exciting display of Japanese culture,” she said.
The picnic kicked off a series of Japan-centered events. Today, the film “Warm Water Under a Red Bridge” will play at 7 p.m. in room B102 of Wells Hall.
A lecture on Japanese medieval epics will be presented from 4-5:30 p.m. in rooms 303 and 305 of the International Center.
Using fans and swords, Michael Alexanian and Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu performed during the picnic’s martial arts demonstration, displaying the interpretation of a four-line Japanese poem with their movements.
After seeing the event listed on a calendar of events, psychology sophomore Cassy Devos said she came to the picnic with some friends to see the martial arts and practice calligraphy and origami.
“It just sounded like something really cool and interesting,” she said.
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