San Francisco Taiko Dojo Unveils New Odaiko Ahead of 50th Anniversary International Taiko Festival
San Francisco Taiko Dojo invites the public for a rare look inside the dojo building itself, to get an up-close look at its priceless fleet of drums ahead of the 50th Anniversary International Taiko Festival.
- San Francisco, CA (1888PressRelease) October 17, 2018 - San Francisco Taiko Dojo, the first taiko* group in North America, today announced plans to unveil a new “big drum”, known as an odaiko** to the public in a special preview event ahead of their 50th Anniversary International Taiko Festival in November. The rare public viewing, to be held Saturday, October 27th at 2:30 p.m. at San Francisco Taiko Dojo in South San Francisco, is in celebration of the newest drum—the first added to the group’s fleet of drums since the 1990s.
The large instrument, provided by San Francisco Taiko Dojo sponsor Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten Co.,Ltd., is significant not only in size at four feet in diameter, but also the materials it is composed of. The company, which has been crafting drums since 1861, created this particular odaiko from recovered wood sourced from the wreckage of Japan’s 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
San Francisco Taiko Dojo’s signature piece, Tsunami, is equal parts eulogy for those lost and honoring the resilience of the human spirit in the face of natural disaster. A drum made possible by such catastrophic events is truly poetic, especially one which will serve as the central instrument for the song itself.
“Every time I play “Tsunami”, I pray,” said Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka, founder of San Francisco Taiko Dojo. “I visited Miyagi prefecture two months after the Tōhoku tsunami, I saw the devastation with my own eyes—”Tsunami” is a requiem, a memorial for victims of natural disaster everywhere.”
In addition to the new odaiko, visitors will also be able to view San Francisco Taiko Dojo’s largest drum; measuring five feet in diameter and sporting a hand-painted dragon mural, this odaiko has been featured in several high-profile performances including the feature film “Rising Sun” (1993). San Francisco Taiko Dojo sponsor Asano Taiko US recently re-stretched this drum head in preparation for the 50th International Taiko Festival.
The 50th International Taiko Festival will take place over two days at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center in San Mateo, CA. Performance times are Saturday, November 10th at 7 p.m. and Sunday, November 11th at 3 p.m. In addition to the San Francisco Taiko Dojo and San Francisco Taiko Dojo Rising Stars, audiences will also see a number of special guest performers from Japan and North America including Wako Daiko, Burlington Taiko, Fubuki Daiko, Fushu Daiko, Kenny Endo, Masato Baba, Shoji Kameda, Kaoru Watabe, Matsuriza, Taiyo Onoda, Sacramento Taiko Dan, and Shogo Yamada & Yamasho Kai.
About San Francisco Taiko Dojo
San Francisco Taiko Dojo was founded in 1968 by Tokyo-born Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka, who is widely considered the father of taiko in North America. In the school’s 50 years of operation, over 20,000 men, women, and children from all walks of life have studied under Tanaka. These students have gone on to establish over 250 other taiko groups throughout the United States and Canada. Tanaka and San Francisco Taiko Dojo have collaborated with a number of renowned artists, including Art Blakey, Tito Puente, Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck; they have also been featured in the movie soundtracks for “Apocalypse Now”, “The Right Stuff”, “Return of the Jedi” and “Rising Sun”. San Francisco Taiko Dojo currently offers classes for students of all levels in San Francisco and South San Francisco.
Media Contact:
Ryuma Tanaka
San Francisco Taiko Dojo
415-999-2424
taikodojo ( @ ) earthlink dot net
Taiko*: A traditional Japanese drum, may also refer to the art of playing said instrument.
Odaiko**: A large-scale taiko drum, generally larger than 3 feet in diameter.
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