About Taiko
Kumidaiko (ensemble Japanese drumming) is a relatively modern fusion of jazz and folk music that was formulated in post-war Japan in the 1950's. It's originators used it as a entertainment commodity in the post-war urban boom, an ethnomusical study of the varied folk traditions of old Japan, and as a critique to the materiality of the influx of Western capitalism and urban lifestyle during the reconstruction.
The first appearance of kumidaiko, or "taiko", in North America is thought to have been at the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival in 1968, performed by Seiichi Tanaka and the San Fransisco Taiko Dojo, although Japanese communities and traditions have been in Western North America since the late 1800's, and drums were also used in religious and festival contexts. Drums made from wine-barrels are credited to Kinnara Taiko, a group at the Senshin Buddhist Church in Los Angeles, making the art widely accessible to community groups. Taiko was used in the reinterpretation and building of Asian American ethnic identity during the Asian American movement in the 1970's.
Taiko is now a transnational art form and taiko is adapted by other musical genres and communities. Outside of Japan, the Western Coast of North America still hosts the the largest number of groups and players. Many of the large colleges along the West Coast feature taiko groups, the members of which form the Intercollegiate Taiko Council and have hosted an annual Invitational workshop and concert sing 1995. In 2011, a similar East Coast Taiko Conference began for schools on the East Coast.
Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan was founded at UC Davis in 2001 as a student organization, and performs today throughout the greater Sacramento Area and beyond. Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan has hosted an annual showcase, a taiko concert produced for stage, since 2012 and has hosted the Davis Cherry Blossom Festival since 2016. Bakuhatsu has performed at notable community events such as San Jose Obon, International Taiko Festival, Union Square Live in San Fransisco, the 150th anniversary of Wakamatsu Farm, performances with Sacramento Taiko Dan, and at the Manzanar Pilgrimage cultural exchange program.
The first appearance of kumidaiko, or "taiko", in North America is thought to have been at the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival in 1968, performed by Seiichi Tanaka and the San Fransisco Taiko Dojo, although Japanese communities and traditions have been in Western North America since the late 1800's, and drums were also used in religious and festival contexts. Drums made from wine-barrels are credited to Kinnara Taiko, a group at the Senshin Buddhist Church in Los Angeles, making the art widely accessible to community groups. Taiko was used in the reinterpretation and building of Asian American ethnic identity during the Asian American movement in the 1970's.
Taiko is now a transnational art form and taiko is adapted by other musical genres and communities. Outside of Japan, the Western Coast of North America still hosts the the largest number of groups and players. Many of the large colleges along the West Coast feature taiko groups, the members of which form the Intercollegiate Taiko Council and have hosted an annual Invitational workshop and concert sing 1995. In 2011, a similar East Coast Taiko Conference began for schools on the East Coast.
Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan was founded at UC Davis in 2001 as a student organization, and performs today throughout the greater Sacramento Area and beyond. Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan has hosted an annual showcase, a taiko concert produced for stage, since 2012 and has hosted the Davis Cherry Blossom Festival since 2016. Bakuhatsu has performed at notable community events such as San Jose Obon, International Taiko Festival, Union Square Live in San Fransisco, the 150th anniversary of Wakamatsu Farm, performances with Sacramento Taiko Dan, and at the Manzanar Pilgrimage cultural exchange program.