As the new fall 2011 quarter kicks off, De Anza College was treated to a performance from San Jose Taiko, a performing arts group based in the Japantown neighborhood of San Jose. 

The event was presented by De Anza Inter-Club Council (ICC) who had funded the live performance through efforts of the De Anza Student Body Senate.

La Donna Yumori-Kaku, De Anza’s college life advisor said “I found the event to be very exciting. It was an educational experience and it helped with promoting student activities.”  Said La Donna, De Anza’s college life advisor.

The taiko drummers started their routine at noon and concluded at 1 p.m. on De Anza’s cafeteria quad stage.

Eshita Shah, biology major and audience member said the performance “was enthusiastic and it was nice to have entertainment alongside work.”

Tiako is a Japanese word that means drum. In the United States, the same term is used to describe both the Japanese drum and the art form of Kumidaiko (ensemble with Japanese drums). 

“I heard drum sounds and I wanted to see what they were doing,” Simon Stahl, a 35-yearold systems programming major stated.  The drum beats were dynamic, ranging from a slow tempo to a high energy finale with rapid drumming. 

The taiko group was formed in 1973 under Roy Hirabayashi, Dean Miyakuzu, and Rev. Hiroshi Abiko.  The creators’ intentions were to develop youth appeal to their local Buddhist temple.  Once the group started to perform, it gained adult appeal and that of college students.

Franco Imperial, the group’s art director and performer said, “Our performance is meant to attract all audiences. We give them a sense of culture and expression of identity. We use Taiko to celebrate the human spirit through performing arts.”

For more information about San Jose Taiko and its performances, visit:  http://www.taiko.org.