The seeds of Hawaiian culture, music and hula have been sown across the world and after years of careful tending, we are now experiencing the blossoming of those buds as Hawaiian music and arts gain global popularity. A shining example of this cultivation is the exponential growth of hula and Hawaiian music in Japan. It’s no secret that Hawaiian musicians and hula dancers travel regularly across the Pacific to share Hawai‘i’s culture. The appreciation that the Japanese have shown for Hawaiian music and culture has grown such that there are hundreds of Japanese Hawaiian music bands in Japan and more hula dancers per capita there than anywhere in the world. But no Japanese Hawaiian music group has ever successfully broken into Hawai‘i’s Hawaiian music market…until now.
In 2012, the Japanese Hawaiian music band, Kaulana, became the only international group in history to ever be awarded a coveted Nā Hōkū Hanohano award for their album, ʻOhana. Two years later, they’ve collaborated with multi Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winners, Kūpaoa, and assembled this collection of 12 original Hawaiian songs. Nā Pua Mōhala, the title track, is a Hawaiian translation of the beloved Japanese anthem, Hana Wā Saku, penned for all affected by the Great Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsumani of 2011. Other new compositions were inspired by both Hawai‘i and Japan; including a new Hawaiian translation of an international favorite, Sukiyaki.
This garland of songs, strung with flowers that have blossomed near and far, bridges the efforts of two cultures striving for the same goal: the perpetuation of Hawaiian music and hula. These efforts are presented for all to enjoy in Nā Pua Mōhala.
1 Aia I Lanipō view
2 Nani Noe ʻAilana view
3 He Lā Maikaʻi Nō view
4 Hemolele Ke Ola view
5 Ke Aloha O Ke Hoa view
6 E Nani ʻAilana view
7 Ka Heihei Leʻaleʻa view
8 Nā Pua Mōhala view
9 Ka Nani O Molokaʻi view
10 Sukiyaki view
11 Pua Mokihana view
12 Tōhoku