San Jose Taiko

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San Jose Taiko, founded in 1973, joined San Francisco Taiko Dojo (est, 1968) and Kinnara Taiko (est. 1969) as only the third Kumi-daiko, or ensemble taiko group, in North America. [1] Initially a youth program at the San Jose Betsuin, a member of the Buddhist Churches of America, the group has evolved into a leading arts group not only in the Japanese American community but also in Asian American arts while maintaining unwaivering allegiance to Japantown, San Jose. [2] [3]

Contents

San Jose Taiko
Origin San Jose, California
Years active1973-present
Website taiko.org

History

San Jose Taiko was founded by Roy Hirabayashi, Dean Miyakusu and Rev. Hiroshi Abiko. [4] After the three attended a Kinnara retreat in Santa Barbara, they returned to San Jose where Hirabayashi and Miyakusu raised funds by tapping into the Japanese American band scene [5] in the San Francisco Bay Area and holding dances for San Jose Sansei. Hugely popular events, the dances soon provided them with funds to travel to Los Angeles and tap Rev. Kodani and Kinnara Taiko for drumbuilding expertise and materials.

The group gave their first performance in October 1973. [6] The next summer they played their first Obon at San Jose Betsuin and have been a mainstay of the annual festival since then.

In the 1985, Roy Hirabayashi and Irene Matsumoto launched San Jose Taiko Junior Taiko, the first program to teach taiko to young people. Mark Honda, a student from that program helped establish UCLA Kyodo Taiko, the first collegiate taiko group, in 1990. UCI Jodaiko and Stanford Taiko were formed shortly after that in 1992. The formation of Stanford Taiko is notable because it was inspired by a class taught at Stanford by Susan Hayase, a San Jose Taiko alumna. [7]

Community

Many of the original members of the group were involved with San Jose State University's nascent Asian American Studies program. Since their founding, San Jose Taiko has nurtured their ties to San Jose Japantown. During the 1970's and 1980's many members supported community action in San Jose Japantown that led to the establishment of San Jose Taiko as a 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization but also to the senior center, Yu Ai Kai, and legal support for the community through the Asian Law Alliance. As a national and international touring company, San Jose Taiko continues to serve as an ambassador far beyond the borders of their hometown. In San Jose Japantown, Roy Hirabayashi and San Jose Taiko continue to work towards an arts center for Japantown that is slated to be built in Heinlenville Park. [8] [9] [10]

San Jose Taiko's influence in establishing and expanding the global taiko community is particularly notable. Not only were alumni of San Jose Taiko programs instrumental in inspiring the development of collegiate taiko in North America, Roy and PJ Hirabayashi and members of San Jose Taiko encouraged and empowered collegiate players. [11]

Repertoire

From its start, San Jose Taiko developed their own repertoire. In compositions, they drew—and draw—inspiration from the music that surrounds them such as Latin, R&B, jazz, soul, pop, rock, and hip hop. The group incorporates instruments from around the world—shekere, kulintang, cowbell— that reflect their commitment to diversity and experimentation. Founder Roy Hirabayashi explains, “Soul and jazz were derived from the Black experience, but nothing on the popular market (was derived from) the Asian American experience…We were Japanese Americans who found taiko as a connection to our ethnic identity”.

Leadership

Roy Hirabayashi served as the group's first managing director and PJ Hirabayashi was its inaugural artistic director. The pair were recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts with a National Heritage Fellowship in 2011 for their role in developing and nurturing taiko, a significant newcomer to the American music scene. [12] The two served in San Jose Taiko leadership until 2011 when Wisa Uemura stepped in as executive director and Franco Imperial became artistic director.

Membership

Membership in the group is through a rigorous audition process. Before the advent of collegiate taiko groups, San Jose Taiko performers were often community members whose only experience with taiko was through San Jose Taiko's audition process. Recently, almost three-fouths of the performing members join San Jose Taiko with collegiate taiko experience.

Members and former members of San Jose Taiko play significant roles in the expansion of the North American taiko and arts communities. Some examples: Gary Tsujimoto and Nancy Ozaki, founders of One World Taiko; Janet Koike, founder of Rhythmix Cultural Works; Toni Yagami, founder, Taiko with Toni; Wisa Uemura, treasurer, Taiko. Community Alliance.

Related Research Articles

<i>Taiko</i> Japanese percussion instruments

Taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term taiko refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called wadaiko and to the form of ensemble taiko drumming more specifically called kumi-daiko. The process of constructing taiko varies between manufacturers, and the preparation of both the drum body and skin can take several years depending on the method.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japantown, San Jose</span> Neighborhood of San Jose in Santa Clara, California, United States

Japantown, commonly known as J Town, is a historic cultural district of San Jose, California, north of Downtown San Jose. Historically a center for San Jose's Japanese American and Chinese American communities, San Jose's Japantown is one of only three Japantowns that still exist in the United States, alongside San Francisco's Japantown and Los Angeles's Little Tokyo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Endo</span> American musician and taiko master

Kenny Endo is an American musician and taiko master. He is the leader of several taiko ensembles and regularly tours, performing traditional and contemporary taiko music. Endo is also the first non-Japanese national to receive a natori in the field of hogaku hayashi, Japanese classical drumming. Today Endo composes his own music and plays taiko professionally as a solo artist, with his ensembles, and in collaboration with other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PJ Hirabayashi</span> American taiko musician and composer

Patti Jo "PJ" Hirabayashi is one of the pioneers of the North American Taiko movement. She is the founder of TaikoPeace, President of Kodo Arts Sphere America (KASA), and co-founder of Creatives for Compassionate Communities-a grassroots art-ivist group originating in San Jose, California. She is also the Artistic Director Emeritus and charter member of San Jose Taiko, the third taiko group to form in the United States. Her signature composition, "Ei Ja Nai Ka", is a celebration of immigrant life expressed in taiko drumming, dance, and voice that continues to be performed around the world.

Mark Miyoshi is a Japanese-American taiko maker. He is the owner and principal craftsman at Miyoshi Daiko, based in Mt. Shasta, California.

Kristofer Bergstrom is a leading American taiko player. He is a former member of Los Angeles-based taiko quartet, On Ensemble. In addition to taiko, Bergstrom plays the shamisen, koto, and turntable.

Johnny Mori is a third-generation (Sansei) Japanese American musician and arts educator/administrator from Los Angeles. He was one of the seminal members of the taiko group Kinnara Taiko and the original taiko drummer for the Grammy nominated jazz-fusion band Hiroshima.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Hirabayashi</span> American Taiko musician and composer

Roy Hirabayashi is a Japanese American composer, performer, teacher and activist known for his work as a leader in North American Taiko. He is co-founder of San Jose Taiko, the group's former Artistic and Executive Director, and was active in developing San Jose's Japantown and arts community.

Stanford Taiko is a collegiate taiko group based at Stanford University. One of the first collegiate taiko groups to form in North America, it was founded in the winter of 1992 by students Ann Ishimaru and Valerie Mih as a way to share taiko with the university community. As the founding organization of the Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational, Stanford Taiko has been instrumental in the development of collegiate taiko throughout the United States, as well as the larger North American taiko community through performing at the Taiko Jam of the North American Taiko Conference. Since 2000, the group has been active in the international scene through tours and exchange concerts in countries such as Japan, China, and Thailand.

The Midwest Buddhist Temple Taiko group is a self-taught taiko group based in Chicago, Illinois, at the Midwest Buddhist Temple. The group started in 1977 based upon Buddhistic principals after the model of Kinnara Taiko in Los Angeles. The Midwest Buddhist Temple Taiko group performs for the temple, the Buddhist community, the Japanese American community, other communities, commercial gigs, business conferences, and different ethnic fairs. They do not consider themselves to be primarily a performing group, and they do service projects with the temple such as performing at the Midwest Buddhist Temple Ginza Holiday Festival.

Denver Taiko is the fourth taiko group founded in North America and the first taiko ensemble outside of California, United States. The group has a close partnership with the Tri-State Denver Buddhist Temple and performs throughout Colorado and neighboring states. In 2001, Denver Taiko received the Excellence in the Arts Award from Denver Mayor Wellington Webb. Today, Denver Taiko is an ensemble of third, fourth, and fifth generation Japanese Americans with a shared interest in honoring their Japanese American cultural heritage.

Jodaiko is a performing group based in University of California, Irvine that is specialized in taiko. Originally named "Tomo No Taiko", Jodaiko's origins lie in UCI's Japanese-American student group, Tomo No Kai ; it is often referred to as Tomo No Kai's sister group. Tomo No Taiko was founded in 1992 by Peggy Kamon and David Shiwota, both integral members in the Tomo No Kai community, in preparation for 1993 ‘’’Cultural Night’’’. Their influence on the group is reflected through the group's core values of bringing enjoyment of taiko--to both drummers and the audience alike--and spreading Japanese culture. Kamon, in charge of teaching interested Tomo No Kai members how to play taiko, also integrated core Buddhist values into Tomo No Taiko’s practices, performances, and policies. These Buddhist influences are also a result of Jodaiko's connection with Reverend Mas Kodani of Gardena Buddhist Church and Reverend George Matsubayashi of Venice Buddhist Church. Both provided the group with drums or their first performances in 1992, and continue to support their growth as a collegiate taiko group.

UCLA Kyodo Taiko is a collegiate taiko group specializing in taiko drumming. Founded in 1990, Kyodo is the first collegiate taiko group in the country. Kyodo is a Japanese term that means both "family" and "loud children." Many of Kyodo's members are not of Japanese descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Taiko</span> Musical artist

Portland Taiko is a kumidaiko performance group based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Kumidaiko is the Japanese art form of ensemble drumming, also well known as "taiko", the Japanese word for drum. Portland Taiko was created in early 1994 by Ann Ishimaru and Zack Semke, both charter members of Stanford Taiko, Kyle Kajihiro, Valerie Otani, Kenji Spielman, and June Arima Schumann. Portland Taiko is an active organization to the present day and maintains professionalism in national performance tours, workshops, educational and community outreach and innovation in taiko playing. Portland Taiko is one of the only large taiko groups in the Pacific Northwest, with their closest counterpart being Seattle Kokon Taiko in Seattle, Washington.

Seattle Kokon Taiko is a North American taiko ensemble based in Seattle, Washington.

San Francisco Taiko Dojo, founded in 1968 by Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka, was the first taiko group in North America, and has been seen as the primary link between the Japanese and North American branches of the art form. Additionally, Tanaka's belief that learning to play taiko only requires a genuine interest in the art form, has greatly contributed to taiko's success and growth outside Japan.

Kinnara Taiko is a Japanese American drumming ensemble based out of Senshin Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles, US. They began playing taiko in 1969 when a few third-generation Japanese Americans gathered after an Obon festival and had an impromptu experimental session on an odaiko drum.

The Nichi Bei Times is a Japanese American news agency operated by the Nichi Bei Foundation and headquartered in San Francisco. As of 2009 it was the oldest Japanese American newspaper in Northern California.

There is a Japanese American and a Japanese national population in San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay Area. The center of the Japanese and Japanese American community is in San Francisco's Japantown.

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References

  1. ↑ Terada, Yoshitaka. "Shifting identities of Taiko music in North America". Transcending Boundaries: Asian Musics in North America: 37–60.
  2. ↑ Ahlgren, Angie (2018). Drumming Asian America: Taiko, Performance, and Cultural Politics. Oxford University Press. pp. 25–48. ISBN   9780199374052.
  3. ↑ KQED (2009-01-21). San Jose Taiko | KQED Spark . Retrieved 2024-06-11– via YouTube.
  4. ↑ Kawamoto, Jon (2022-12-06). "Rev. Abiko Fondly Recalled for His Buddhist Example". BCA. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  5. ↑ "How a Japanese American Dance Party Subculture of the '60s and '70s Fostered a Sense of Belonging". PBS SoCal. 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  6. ↑ "Big Drum Articles—San Jose Taiko | Japanese American National Museum". www.janm.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  7. ↑ "About – Stanford Taiko" . Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  8. ↑ "Creative Center for the Arts". SVCREATES. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  9. ↑ Tahara, Derek (2023-10-26). "Heinlenville Park opens in San Jose's Japantown | Nichi Bei News". Nichi Bei News. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  10. ↑ "Heinlenville Park opens in Japantown". xSJtoday. 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  11. ↑ Yoon, Joshua; Uyechi, Linda (2022). "Community empowerment via symbiosis: the impact of collegiate taiko drumming in the United States, 1990-2019". SocArXiv.
  12. ↑ "Roy and PJ Hirabayashi". www.arts.gov. 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
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