Chizuko Endo is a multi-talented artist and supporter of Japanese culture through her multiple activities in art and taiko. She is the back-bone of Taiko Center of the Pacific, a school of traditional and contemporary Japanese drumming in Honolulu which she co-founded in 1994.
Chizuko began her taiko journey with the San Francisco Taiko Dojo in 1978 then continued her studies with O Edo Sukeroku Taiko of Tokyo, the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble (KETE), and Taiko Center of the Pacific. For the past 30 years, she has focused on teaching, performing, and producing concerts. In 2020, she was one of 18 female taiko players from the US, Canada, and Japan selected to participate in a residency and all female taiko concert. Her piece, Yamamba, was featured in the unprecedented concert.
Chizuko has an MA in Asian Studies with a focus on female Noh mask makers. She studied Noh masking in Japan and has exhibited in Japan and the US. Her masks have also been used by performing artists in theatre, dance, and taiko.
