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

A Modern Folk Art

From its beginnings as a community activity to its development into a modern performing art, taiko has consistently been a source of pride and cultural rejuvenation for the Nikkei community. For many taiko groups, I would further argue that taiko is being used to develop or create a modern folklore here in North America.

Folklore can be viewed as the accumulated wisdom, values, customs and beliefs of a cultural community. It is an ancient and useful way to preserve and pass on a common cultural heritage, and in this way serves to bind people together into a coherent, sustainable community. It helps us shape our individual identity, place ourselves in a social-cultural context vis-a-vis our neighbors, and locate ourselves in the larger world community.

In Nikkei communities of the Pacific Coast, forces of racism, discrimination and segregation altered and curtailed the growth and development of our folklore. World War II and the incarceration camps almost crushed it. Policies of forced assimilation and cultural genocide, similar in some respects to those practiced on native or indigenous peoples, took a heavy toll. Nihonmachis and Little Tokyos were destroyed, Japanese language was suppressed, the family structure was turned upside down, and anything Japanese became a source of suspicion and shame during the period of mass incarceration and beyond into the post-war years.

Taiko began in the United States and Canada largely as a rejection of the notion that Nikkei children should be ashamed of their heritage. It was a means of asserting one's identity and, initially at least, a means of defining oneself in opposition to the prevalent stereotypes and expectations of society. Simply playing taiko was a liberating activity for many Sansei youth. Today, however, taiko is no longer viewed as a rebellious activity but as a performing art. It is no longer confined to small community street fairs and church bazaars but now appears in nightclubs and concert halls and can be heard on TV and in movies.

Taiko is a tradition in and of itself. Like ikebana or kendo, taiko carries its own aesthetic and inherent beauty. Taiko is rich with possibilities for imparting values, conveying customs, telling stories, reflecting on our history. It can draw from the old and develop in new directions. Taiko as folklore can help preserve and develop Japanese AND American (or Canadian) culture and be a path to a common ground of understanding and respect between people of differing backgrounds. This may be the greatest challenge -- and the greatest legacy -- for taiko in North America and the Pacific Northwest/Canadian Southwest region.

Introduction
A Second Wave
Taiko in the Northwest (back)