About Konokai

“Wakayagi Ryu Konokai” is the only Japanese dance class in Hong Kong that officially teaches Wakayagi Ryu Japanese dance. Konokai was founded by Chika Wakayagi in 1999 and is actively working as a bridge for international cultural exchange through Japanese dance. Since 2007, she has been performing annual performances to announce the results of our daily practice.

      

Members

About 50 Hong Kongers and Japanese are enrolled, from children aged 7 to seniors in their 70s. To date, more than 200 students have shared the time to learn Japanese traditional performing arts, Japanese dance, and experience Japanese culture while repeating encounters and farewells with the fate of being in a fluid city, Hong Kong. In 2016, seven disciples were able to obtain “Natori” in Hong Kong for the first time. And in 2020, in the turbulent situation in Hong Kong, we were still able to have two more “Natori”. This is not very easy, and even for one of the five major groups, the Wakayagi group, which has a history of 100 years, the Chinese “Natori” is the first time.
In this Covid-19 situation, lifestyles have changed a lot and more and more people have to leave Hong Kong, but we will do our best not to turn off the lights of Japanese dance in Hong Kong that we have built. I will continue to go on.

Our history of activites

“I would like to perform a full-scale stage with costumes and wigs in Hong Kong!” On March 3, 2018, we invited Mr. Jyuen Wakayagi, the fourth generation family, and other stylists for costumes, wigs, and makeup from Kyoto. That was my dream that I had had been wishing for, for many years. The dream has come true. It was the first large-scale performance, and the disciples of the members who were involved in the preparation, the people who cooperated, and the staff were all the first people to work on the stage of Japanese dance, and it was time to open. It was a battle. Looking back, the first performance of the miracle, which was a great success, became one page of the precious history of Konokai. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the people who have supported and cooperated with us.

From February 28th to March 28th, 2014, “I want everyone in Hong Kong to see a real Japanese dance, Wakayagi style dance!” Mr. Jyuen Wakayagi, the fourth generation family, came from Kyoto to perform a wonderful Japanese dance. And was able to give lectures. It was very meaningful and gratifying to have people who are not familiar with Japanese dance feel free to touch and feel, “Actually, Japanese dance is deep and so interesting.” .. I think that even members learning Japanese dance in Hong Kong will continue to devote themselves to their own style with pride and confidence.

Let’s enjoy Japanese culture in Hong Kong

I didn’t have the opportunity to wear a yukata or kimono other than the lessons. So in order to make more chances to wear them, the KIMONO X’mas Party and Yukata Party have become established in Hong Kong as an event of Konokai.