Taiko in America

1) The Taiko performers described in this article are _______.a) Korean-Americansb) Japanese-Americansc) Chinese-Americansd) All of the above

2) KUMI DAIKO, or Taiko ensembles with multiple players, are a(n) _______, traced back to the _______.a) modern innovation; 1950s & 1960sb) ancient tradition; 12th Centuryc) Chinese tradition; Han Dynastyd) Christian tradition; Dark Ages

3) The first American Taiko ensemble was founded in _______.a) Tulsa, Oklahomab) San Francisco, Californiac) New Orleans, Louisianad) New York City, New York

As discussed assigned reading:

1) The Taiko performers described in this article are _______.a) Korean-Americansb) Japanese-Americansc) Chinese-Americansd) All of the above

2) KUMI DAIKO, or Taiko ensembles with multiple players, are a(n) _______, traced back to the _______.a) modern innovation; 1950s & 1960sb) ancient tradition; 12th Centuryc) Chinese tradition; Han Dynastyd) Christian tradition; Dark Ages

3) The first American Taiko ensemble was founded in _______.a) Tulsa, Oklahomab) San Francisco, Californiac) New Orleans, Louisianad) New York City, New York

As discussed assigned reading:

“Since the late 1950s and early 1960s in Japan, taiko has also referred to a new genre called kumi daiko ("group" drumming) performed primarily by an ensemble of drummers.”

“...its membership has included Asians who live in America, that is, Japanese Americans, persons of mixed Asian ancestry, Chinese Americans, Korean Americans, Filipino Americans, and so on.”

“Taiko's history in the United States begins in 1967 when Sensei Seii-chi Tanaka left Japan and arrived in San Francisco...This was the start of San Francisco Taiko Dojo”

Taiko’s Deep History in Japan➔ Taiko = ‘Big Drum’

◆ Refers to instrument, not style➔ Played with bachi sticks➔ Likely influenced by Chinese or

Korean musical practices➔ Ancient use in martial, religious,

and entertainment contexts◆ Typically one player/drum in

ensemble or or solo use

Obon Festivals➔ Japanese Buddhist

tradition of honoring ancestors

Japanese TheaterUsed in ensembles supporting Noh, Kabuki theater

Martial use➔ signaling advance,

retreat, other maneuvers

Innovation of Kumidaiko➔ 1951 Daihachi Oguchi creates

new ensemble taiko format of Kumidaiko

➔ Oguchi created pieces combining ancient rhythms with rock/jazz percussion arrangement◆ “It isn’t necessarily a good

thing to match up with the past no matter what” - Oguchi

➔ Performed in concert settings rather than trad. contexts. Canadian Taiko group Yakudo perform Oguchi’s first

Kumidaiko composition, ‘Suwa Ikazuchi’ from 1951

Kumidaiko Style➔ Intensely physical➔ Heavily Choreographed➔ Vocalizations

◆ “Spirit Voice”◆ More common in US

➔ Incorporating ancient rhythms into new compositions

➔ Ongoing experiments with instrumentation

Kumidaiko in America➔ Seiichi Tanaka first Taiko

instructor in US➔ Born in Japan, immigrated

to US➔ Studied with Oguchi in

Japan, also studied Jazz percussion

➔ Founded San Francisco’s Taiko Dojo ensemble

➔ Students formed many influential US Tiako groups

Asian American Movement➔ 1960s-70s marked generational shift in

political identities and strategies amongst Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino-Americans◆ From assimilation of older generations to

self-determination◆ Inspired by other Civil Rights

organizations, including Black Panthers➔ Japanese-American involvement greatly

shaped by previous generation’s experiences in WW2

Japanese-American Internment Following Pearl Harbor, Pres. Roosevelt issues Executive order 9066, forcibly removes all with Japanese ancestry from w. coast, interns at concentration camps

Manzanar Camp

Recovering the Past➔ Rediscovery of cultural history

strategically important to Asian-American movement

➔ Third World Liberation Front pressures SFSU to create Asian American Studies programs

➔ Taiko re-emerges as performative means of accessing past/heritage/ identity Leaders of Asian American, African American, and Latin

American student organization striked in 1968 to create the country’s first College of Ethnic Studies at San Fran

State College

Taiko Drumming as site for negotiating identity➔ Increasingly popular

amongst other SE Asian ethnicities

➔ Tension with distinctly Japanese connotations ◆ Yoon assigned reading

details Japanese-Korean history

Japan’s military aggression in the early 20th century continues to shape Asian-American relations, and Taiko

drumming today

Japanese occupation and colonization amidst World War 2

● Explicit references to Japanese culture sometimes troublesome for older generations of non-Japanese

● Some ensembles wear happi, a traditional Japanese coat, when performing

‘Big Drum’ Documentary➔ Gender: how is this music received across gender

lines and why might this be?➔ Instruments: how do American-made Taiko drums

differ from traditional drums?◆ How do some American Taiko players deal with the

perceived (in)authenticity of their work in light of this difference?