Original Issue Date: May 7, 1979
Translated by The North American Post Staff
The Seat tle Cher ry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival was held last Friday and Saturday at Seattle Center. While facing unusual bad weather in May, the festival was very successful i n int roducing Japanese cultur e to local Americans who enjoyed its many performances, demonstrations and exhibits, and also the event feature performance by Ondekoza. The event had more visitors than expected.
Mayor Charles Royer and Interim Consul-General Kiyoshi Nishikawa gave remarks. Nishikawa read a statement sent by Japanese Foreign Minister Sunao Sonoda, saying the festival would cont r ibute to the U.S.-Japan mutual understanding and friendship.
The main feature of the festival was a performance by Odenkoza. The 12 members played around a 10-feet yagura stage and a 700-pound giant taiko made from a 400-year-old tree. The audience cont inued to be impressed, saying, “wonderful” to their technique and stormy drumbeat and rhythm as the performers took its audiences to another world.
スワード公園で開かれていた桜祭りが、シアトルセンターに場所を移して初めて開催された１９７９年の記事。名称を桜・日本文化祭と変え、日本文化を地元社会へ伝える一大祭として大きく舵が取られた年となった。同年の目玉となる鬼太鼓座の公演を含め、集客などイベントとして成功を収めたことが記されている。その後の地元での太鼓団設立、シアトルセンターでのフェスタル開催など、社会的な効果、成果は大きく、その後もシアトル恒例行事として続けられるきっかけとなった。 （Ｎ・Ａ・Ｐ）
