Taiko and the Asian American Movement: (2 of 4)

A Second Wave

©Stanley N. Shikuma

A second wave of taiko groups started forming in the mid-1970's to mid-1980's. Their appearance coincided with three major developments. First, the three pioneer groups had developed a body of knowledge -- from how to build "wine-barrel" taiko and stands to a basic taiko repertoire, drills, form and style -- which they were willing to share and teach to the new groups. Second, Ondeko-za, one of the most famous of the modern Japanese taiko groups, first toured the United States in 1977, giving players here their first glimpse of "Japanese style" taiko and providing a vision of taiko as a modern performing art.

Third, the Redress Movement among Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians was emerging and gaining momentum. This community-wide struggle for justice sparked new interest in questions of identity, culture and self-expression among younger Sansei and Yonsei (third and fourth generation Nikkei), many of whom found taiko a natural and forceful way to both assert themselves and serve their community. Virtually all the groups formed in this period were taught, inspired and heavily influenced by the three pioneer groups. This second wave can be characterized by their formation within a Nikkei community and by the large numbers of members who were community activists before starting taiko.

Third and Fourth Waves

Since the late 1980's, taiko has experienced a third wave of new taiko groups. This wave is both more diverse and more numerous than the previous two waves. (While only a handful of groups existed in North America in 1975 , today there are well over 100 groups.) More groups today are being started by players who studied taiko in Japan, with little or no connection to the pioneer groups and with few if any ties to a local Japanese American community. Taiko players today often come with an interest primarily in music and performance, and seem less interested in the politics, identity or community aspects of the early groups. Taiko has also expanded beyond Japan and North America to include groups in Europe, Australia and South America.

As we enter the 21st century, a fourth wave of taiko groups is bound to emerge, even larger and more diverse than the last. Taiko will become more popular, gain wider and wider audiences and also become more commercialized. As taiko become more affordable and available as band instruments, including mass-produced, synthetic taikos, we can anticipate many more people playing and performing taiko with little or no training. We might also expect to see a proliferation of "taiko dojo's" or studios of varying philosophies and quality. It remains an open question how such changes might affect taiko's significance and meaning to the Nikkei community.

Cont'd: A Second Wave (next)
Taiko in the Pacific Northwest
A Modern Folk Art