{"id":162,"date":"2011-11-16T06:06:40","date_gmt":"2011-11-16T06:06:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/apsaramusic.com\/?p=162"},"modified":"2023-04-30T21:27:21","modified_gmt":"2023-04-30T21:27:21","slug":"taikopeace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/apsaramusic.com\/?p=162","title":{"rendered":"FROM WAR DRUMS TO TAIKOPEACE"},"content":{"rendered":"

To anyone living on the West Coast, taiko is a familiar fixture at folk festivals and at college events. But what about its history, especially in North America? In this <\/em>Apsara guest post, Seattle composer and musician Byron Au Yong<\/a><\/strong> introduces the history of North American taiko and uses it as a lens for exploring the question: How can music be brought into a larger social, political, and spiritual sphere?<\/em><\/p>\n

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PJ Hirabayashi, Co-founder of San Jose Taiko (Mel Higashi Design)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How can music be brought into a larger social, political, and spiritual sphere? By coining the word “TaikoPeace,” PJ Hirabayashi<\/a> (artistic director emeritus of San Jose Taiko<\/a>) attempts to reconnect with the core of playing music. Along with her husband Roy, Hirabayashi received the 2011 NEA National Heritage Fellowship. As co-founders of San Jose Taiko, they have contributed to the development of taiko music in the Bay Area and beyond.<\/p>\n

For new audiences, a group taiko (or kumi-daiko<\/em>) show may seem to be music passed down through many generations. In actuality, modern ensemble taiko performances started in the late 20th century. Tokyo-based jazz drummer Daihachi Oguchi founded Osuwa Daiko in 1951. While Japanese religious, theatrical, or village taiko may influence kumi-daiko<\/em> performances, most taiko in North America is a form of new music or neo-folk performance generated by a vibrant, soul-searching community of amateur and professional musicians.<\/p>\n

San Jose Taiko formed as part of the Asian American identity movement in 1973. As the third kumi-daiko<\/em> group created outside of Japan, San Jose Taiko currently performs for over 100,000 people a year. In 1968, Seiichi Tanaka<\/a> started San Francisco Taiko Dojo<\/a>, which was the first kumi-daiko<\/em> group in North America. The second group, Kinnara Taiko, started at \u00c2 Senshin Buddhist Temple<\/a>\u00a0in South Central Los Angeles as a musical club that transitioned from a chant and gagaku<\/em>\u00a0(court music) group to a taiko group in 1969.<\/p>\n

In less than 50 years, over 150 taiko groups outside of Japan have formed. Many follow the model of a community music-making group such as San Jose Taiko, a school such as Taiko Dojo, or a Buddhist temple activity such as Kinnara. Additionally, there are taiko professionals influenced by jazz pickup groups such as Russell Baba and Jeanne Mercer of Shasta Taiko<\/a>, Kenny Endo Contemporary Ensemble<\/a> in Hawai’i, and rock bands such as\u00a0LOUD<\/a> from Vancouver and\u00a0On Ensemble<\/a>\u00a0from Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

On Ensemble: Taiko & Turntable<\/strong><\/p>\n