By JLM

Looking for a high-energy musical performance, punctuated with an educational and cultural message?

That is just what Denver Taiko delivers. Denver Taiko is a Japanese American ensemble cast filled with self-taught third and fourth generation male and female drummers that perform in Colorado, and throughout the United States.

Kenzo Kawanabe, a trial attorney at Davis, Graham & Stubbs in Denver joined Denver Taiko three years ago, after he was energized at a local performance, and knew that he wanted to become a part of Denver Taiko. With no formal training, Kawanabe began to attend practices at the Denver Buddhist Temple. He is now a performing member of Denver Taiko. After three years of lessons and performing, Kawanabe now teaches new members of all ages, and welcomes the opportunity to share taiko with others.

The word taiko (pronounced “tie-koh”) means drum in Japanese, and taiko is referred to as the Japanese style of drumming. Many believe that taiko came to Japan around the fifth century from China and Korea, following the paths of Buddhism and theatrical arts. Sensei Seiichi Tanaka, founder of the San Francisco Taiko Dojo, then brought Taiko to the United States in the 1960’s. Formed in 1976, Denver Taiko is now one of more than a hundred taiko groups in North America today.

While watching a Denver Taiko performance, one is immediately taken with the high-energy drum selections that are accentuated by crisp body movements, along with inspirational cries and shouts from its members. Kawanabe explains that members are encouraged to focus their energy while performing. In eastern culture, the energy focus is the center of the body and focusing one’s energy is an integral part of a taiko performance. Taiko was used historically in traditional Japanese court music.

Not much has changed since the eleventh century. While highlighting the artistry and rhythmic sounds of the drum selections, a Denver Taiko performance is punctuated with instructional stories and historical facts about Japanese culture, history, and philosophy. According to Kawanabe, many in the audience are unfamiliar with taiko and Japanese culture. Taiko is an educational tool. Kawanabe hopes that the audience will enjoy not only the musical component of the performance, but will leave with an appreciation of the Japanese American community and the contributions of its members throughout the history of the United States.

Sharing a musical performance, along with an educational, historical and cultural message is a seemingly effortless task for Denver Taiko. Denver Taiko’s philosophy is simple: to play as one drum. A beautiful metaphor for the contributions of the Japanese American community to the cultural landscape of the United States.

Come out and enjoy a Denver Taiko performance and move to the beat of a different drum. For more information on Denver Taiko, and performance dates and locations, check out their website at www.denvertaiko.org. Historical facts and background information, which were used in the preparation of this article, are also available on the website.M

August 2000