Tag Archives: Taiko

KODO One Earth Tour 2013: Legend
By terry!

お久しぶり！(Ohisashiburi!) Well, it’s certainly been a while since I have blogged with Ganbare Japanese. I apologize for my unintentional hiatus. Sometimes the days just get away from me and the next I know, it’s a new year!

ANYWAY, if any of you East Coast readers have some free time in the coming days, then I definitely recommend checking out a performance by world-renowned taiko (Japanese drumming) group, KODO. KODO is a taiko group that I have long admired for their organization and precision.

 

KODO

image courtesy of KODO

I have seen KODO in concert about a dozen times and actually visited Sado Island (located in Japan’s Niigata prefecture in the Sea of Japan) last summer to learn taiko from KODO members and apprentices. I liked KODO before this experience, but after all was said and done in Japan, I love KODO and have a newfound appreciation for them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qq_cw22Ors

Get a ticket and go to a KODO concert in the coming days. I promise you will not regret it! . They are wrapping up their 2-month-long US tour and won’t be back on tour in the States till early 2015. A few of my friends will be performing onstage, so please clap and cheer loudly for them!

Check out the remaining tour dates HERE

They will also be touring Japan in May and June and I highly recommend going to a KODO concert if you are in Japan–that’s something that is definitely on my bucket list! It seems KODO is more popular outside of Japan…I hope those of you living in Japan can appreciate their talent, too… they are definitely my all-time favorite taiko troupe forever and ever!

-terry

Makoto Taiko at Pasadena’s Art Night
By OnikazeKenta

On March 9th, 2012, I went to watch Makoto Taiko perform at the annual Art Night in the city of Pasadena.  Makoto Taiko performed three songs, every hour from 6-10pm, and I watched their last two performances at 8:15pm and 9:15pm.

"Art Night" Program

 

The pieces they performed were called: Shobayashi, Yattai Bayashi, and Revelation.

According to a Makoto Taiko member, “Shobayashi was composed by Imafuku Masaru from Ondekoza” and the song was first performed by the Shumei Taiko Ensemble (Makoto Taiko’s previous name).

Makoto Taiko performing "Shobayashi"

 

Yattai Bayashi is another piece composed by a member of Ondekoza and is a well-known piece performed by Ondekoza and Kodo.  Yattai Bayashi is based on a drumming style called Yattai, where the drummers sit on the ground and play the taiko drum while supporting the drum between their legs (as you will see in the photos below).

Getting ready for "Yattai Bayashi"

Switching from the Yattai to the Shimei (smaller drum)

Member playing on the Yattai drum for "Yattai Bayashi"

These players must have strong abs in order to play on the Yattai like this

 

Revelation was composed by the current chief instructor: Nakamura Koji.

Makoto Taiko performing "Revelation"

 

The chief instructor of Mokoto Taiko, Nakamura Koji, trained with members of Ondekoza before establishing the Shumei Taiko Ensemble; so it is not surprising that Makoto Taiko performs pieces written by Ondekoza members.

Overall, the performance and acoustics of the room were great!  I heard many audience members praising the performance after it had ended and seemed very impressed.  Taiko drumming is definitely something you must experience in person.  Seeing Makoto Taiko has not disappointed me and I look forward to seeing more taiko performances in the near future!

If you are interested in more information about Makoto taiko, you can go to their website at:  http://www.makototaiko.org/

I heard that Kishin Daiko from West Covina is performing at the annual Cherry Blossom Festival at the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center on March 31st. Here’s a link to their site:  ESGVJCC’s Cherry Blossom Festival

I’ll definitely be there and will post more about taiko!  =)

In the mean time, enjoy the coming of spring!

-Onikaze

“Arigato from Japan”
By OnikazeKenta

On March 2nd, I went to the “Arigato from Japan” appreciation concert in Los Angeles, presented by the Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles and the Japan Foundation, where we watched performances by the Tohoku Folk Performance group and the world famous Ondekoza taiko group and other musicians.

I’ve always wanted to see Ondekoza perform, ever since going to Kodo’s “One Earth Tour” concert.  The original Kodo members were all part of Ondekoza at first, until they split from Ondekoza to make their own group.  Kodo remained in Sado Island, while the founder of Ondekoza moved to Shizuouka prefecture to continue Ondekoza.  So seeing the roots of Kodo was very exciting, especially watching the performers playing on their Oodaiko (large taiko) on their well known yagura (the platform that the oodaiko is played on).

Below, you can see both Ondekoza’s and Kodo’s Oodaiko on their Yaguras.  They may look the same, but the Chouchin (Lanterns) have the name of each group written on them.

Ondekoza's Oodaiko on their Yagura

Kodo's Oodaiko on their Yagura

 

In addition to the awesome taiko drumming, there was a nice clip that was shown at the beginning of the concert.  The clip summarized the devastating events that occurred on March 11th, 2011 and then showed the progress Japan has made since the disaster.  It’s a nice heartwarming clip, especially for those who have contributed to any of the relief fundraisers for Japan.  I’ll post a link to the clip below and hope you all enjoy it.

I love taiko drumming and there will be a performance by Kishin Daiko coming up at the end of March at the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center’s annual Chery Blossom festival, so expect more posts about taiko from me soon!  =)

Happy March everyone!