about

My name is Reiko. I’m a martial artist, a mom, a director, a sensei, an actor, a friend,  mostly just a girl trying to make the best of this crazy life.

I own an amazing dojo called Red Lotus Hawaii filled with passionate, dedicated students who inspire me daily.

Maybe we can inspire you, too.

ABOUT SENSEI REIKO

Sensei Reiko has been teaching martial arts since 1992. She is a Hapkido master in addition to being a nationally certified group fitness instructor and trainer since 1997. She has provided instruction to students in many locations both here and in Los Angeles, including Hapkido International and the Honolulu Club.

She holds a Master’s degree in Theater and Dance and is a director, actor, and educator. In addition to being a sensei, she is an accomplished theatre artist who loves creating works that speak to the diverse communities of her island home. Much of her directorial focus has been on showcasing original plays by Hawai’i artists and creating space for local representation.She is an Artistic Associate for Honolulu Theatre for Youth and part of the Emmy® Award winning team creating HTYʻs hit tv show, The HI Way.  She is also the coach for Civil Beatʻs Hawaii Storytellers Series.

She also served as the Director of Programming for the ARTS at Marks Garage In addition, she was the interim Artistic Director of EVOLVE Theatre Company and the Education Director for ‘Ohi’a Productions, a professional Theatre for Youth company. She also served as the Upper School Dean of Students and Drama Director at La Pietra-Hawaii School for Girls for eight years, and she was the director of Smart Karate, a program that sends blackbelt instructors into local schools as part of their A+ after school programming with a focus on developing leadership skills.

Directorial projects for the 2021-22 season include the upcoming Cambodian Rock Band (MVT) and The Carp Who Would Not Quit (HTY) that she also wrote- which will tour nationally in April. This past fall she directed The Joy Luck Club (MVT) and Lee Catalunaʻs Musubi Man (HTY). Upcoming projects for next fall  include devising an original work about Asian American identity for UHM, an original preschool show about Health Equity in Early Childhood Education for HTY, and Lloyd Suhʻs The Chinese Lady for Theatre Tierra del Sol in Florida.

Sensei Reiko believes that engaging the mind, body, and spirit is the key to overall health and fitness. “Martial Arts training empowers students and prepares them for success in every facet of their lives.”