Dance instructor 'Ruthie' Hirai, 85, helped perpetuate Japanese culture

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Tsutae "Ruthie" Hirai, who along with her sister helped revive and perpetuate Japanese culture through song and dance on the Big Island, died May 2. She was 85.

Hirai was born on March 15, 1919, in Hilo to immigrants from Japan. Her mother was raised at a temple in Japan and she insisted that Ruthie and younger daughter Tsukie learn everything they could about their culture.

From an early age, the sisters studied dance and song, and both learned to play the shamisen and taiko. Although Ruthie preferred to play baseball with the boys, she dutifully went to classes and soon became an accomplished shamisen player and dancer, said her niece, Penny Yu.

The sisters opened a dance studio in Hilo, but World War II put a halt to everything Japanese and the studio closed, Yu said. After the war, Japanese churches slowly reopened, but many lacked the expertise to revive cultural activities, such as bon dances.

"So the two of them went all around the island and every single Buddhist church used my mom and aunty to revive their bon dance," Yu said. "They would teach practice classes before the actual bon dance night and take carloads of people to all the bon dances. About half the dances that we use now were choreographed by them."

The sisters continued their teaching, even though they were complete opposites, Yu said. Yu's mother had a strong business sense, while Ruthie was a perfectionist.

"My biggest memory of (Hirai) growing up was that everything had to be done just right and don't ever try to cut corners," said Yu, who has taken over operations of the Parker Hirai Dance Studio. "When they used to teach together, I remember this one student of theirs who used to check and if Aunty Ruthie was teaching she would try and run away."

In her day, Hirai was one of the top shamisen players in the state, Yu said. "She could play it like a banjo. She could do anything with it."

"She was really something with the music and the dance," Yu added. "When you watched her dance, it was like watching someone become the character they were portraying."

In 1995, Hawai'i County honored the sisters as Living Legends for their contributions to the cultural heritage of Hawai'i.

Hirai is survived by her sister, Tsukie Parker; brother, Kowashi; and nieces and nephews.

Visitation is at noon Saturday at Dodo Chapel in Hilo. The service is at 1 p.m.

Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.