It took serious coordination for students from H.P. Baldwin High School and King Kekaulike High School to lift and carry a “mikoshi,” or portable shrine, on their shoulders through the streets of Waikiki as part of the recent Honolulu Festival’s Grand Parade.

The mikoshi, designed by the Baldwin High School Japanese Club, was so heavy that parading it required more than 20 people working in unity. Baldwin students said participating in the event brought to life the festival’s theme, “Walk Together With Aloha, Pass the Baton to a Sustainable and Peaceful Future.”

It’s a theme that they know all too well, having lived through the deadly Aug. 8 wildfires, which have been linked to climate change given the heavy winds and parched grasslands that contri­buted to the fire’s spread. This year was the Baldwin team’s second Honolulu Festival Maui mikoshi design contest win in a row, but the experience was made more poignant given the tragic fire and the symbolism of the mikoshi, which in Japan often represents worship or good fortune.

Baldwin senior Rachel Takamiya, 17, said, “It was a feeling of coming together. I think our mikoshi showed the island of Maui how we all came together as a community. When the fires first started, the whole island really came together to help rebuild. It was a sense of unity.”

Baldwin students told the Honolulu Star- Advertiser that the design focused on the importance of sharing cultures and giving each other a helping hand. The front panel featured geta and slippers to illustrate the concept of walking together. A staircase was added to symbolize hardships and the way that cross-cultural connections illuminate the path uphill.

On the back and side panels of the mikoshi, the students depicted conservation and sustainability. They used a waterfall, which supports the growth of taro, to illustrate passing knowledge from one generation to the next.

Isaiah Coppa, a 15-year-old Baldwin Japanese club member, said it was exciting for students to see the Honolulu Festival bring their paper designs to life.

”When they first unveiled it, we were surprised by that fact that it was 3D. It felt more immersive,” Coppa said. “My favorite part of the design was the contrast of the sun and moon, which really showed a sense of balance. I think that concept goes along really well with sustainability.”

Baldwin senior Zander Ribao, 17, said just participating in the design process was a step toward healing.

“I know with the wildfires a lot of us were impacted. During natural disasters the creative arts are the first to be ignored or be put aside because you are too focused on trying to find a roof over your head or trying to secure food for today,” Ribao said. “By participating in this event, it shows as a community that we have regained the luxury of being able to indulge in the creative process, and beyond just surviving we’ve been able to recover.”

Ted Kubo, JTB Hawaii president, said as a reward for winning this year’s Maui mikoshi contest, students in Baldwin’s Japanese Club, joined by an adviser and chaperone, were invited to showcase their mikoshi design in the Honolulu Festival. Kubo said this year to support Maui, festival organizers also invited five students and an adviser from King Kekaulike High School’s Japanese class, the second-place finishers in the design contest. He said he was touched when the Baldwin students invited the King Keakaulike students to join them in marching during the parade.

Rory Sato, Baldwin High School Japanese teacher and Japanese Club adviser, said the foundation underwrote costs for the students to travel to Oahu for the three-day festival.

“Being able to participate in something so big with so many people cheering was a positive experience,” Sato said. “From the cultural side, this allowed them to participate in something that they might never have the chance to do again in their lifetime. I can’t replicate that in my classroom.”

The Baldwin club’s winning mikoshi design was unveiled during a ceremony at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, where it was part of the cultural displays for other school students and visitors to see.

Ribao said, “Not only did it allow us to engage with all the cultures around the Pacific Rim, it also allowed us to educate others.”

The highlight, however, was when the Baldwin and King Keakaulike high school students carried the mikoshi in the festival’s Grand Parade, which snaked through Waikiki.

Baldwin Japanese Club President Zach Kuraoka, 17, said the experience taught the students how much they need each other and reminded them of how much support they have from Japan and elsewhere.

“It was heavy. It was a total of 26 of us carrying it, and every single one of us felt impacted. There was hard wood on our shoulders, and many of us have battle scars, bruises,” Kuraoka said. “As we marched down Kalakaua, throughout half the parade we were resting it on a cart to pass through parts where there were no exhibits, but at the intersections and the stages, we vibrantly lifted it up and down and made figure eights. Coming from Maui, we definitely felt the positive energy and the kindness and overall sense of support.”