UCLA Kyodo Taiko is a collegiate taiko group specializing in taiko drumming. Kyodo has two meanings- one is family, and the other is loud children.
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Influenced by San Jose Taiko, Mark Honda founded Kyodo Taiko in 1990 under the Nikkei Student Union at UCLA. Kyodo was the first collegiate taiko group to form in North America and paved the way for other collegiate taiko groups to form. Honda used what he learned from San Jose Taiko to lay the foundation for Kyodo to become one of the most recognizable students groups at UCLA.
Kyodo is composed entirely of college students, with no sensei; thus, there is a constant turnover of senior members who graduate and new members who audition for and join the group. Many of the members also do not have a great deal of experience when they first start playing taiko. As such, new members of Kyodo must quickly learn the basics of taiko in order to learn how to play the songs. All of Kyodo’s songs are written by members of the group, fostering innovation and creativity.
Kyodo continues to grow to this day, and regularly has 30-50 people audition each year. It is one of the most popular student groups in UCLA, and has excited both the members of the group and their audiences.
History
Originally there was no practice space for the group and no instruments to play. Thus, members of Kyodo practiced on tires, and became familiar with “air bachi,” where the players would simulate playing by hitting on an imaginary drum in the air.
In the summer of 1991, members of Kyodo built their first four chu-daiko drums, with the help of Kinnara Taiko, Tom Endo, and Kevin Higa.
Kyodo Taiko had their first performance at Royce Hall in 1992 for the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Japanese-American internment. Kyodo’s performance was an enormous success, and this concert put Kyodo on the map, paving the way for the group to grow.
Kyodo started performing in the UCLA Culture Night, a festival held towards the end of February that showcased UCLA’s unique diversity. Culture Nights were one of the signature events on the UCLA calendar, and Kyodo played three to four of their biggest hits during the night. Kyodo continues to perform at Culture Night to this day.
In 1995, Kyodo participated in the first Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational held at Stanford. Many groups performed, including Kyodo, University of California-Irvine Jodaiko, and Stanford Taiko. Kyodo regularly performs at this festival when it occurs.
UCLA Kyodo performs at various venues, including campus and community events, outreach programs, K-12 school presentations, and private functions. They also hold an annual spring concert, and have been annual participants of the Nisei Week festivities, the L.A. Tofu Festival, and in recent years, the Lotus Festival, and the First Annual U.S. Sumo Open.
After Honda graduated, Kyodo formally broke from the Nikkei Student Union and started to receive funding, were allowed to use the UCLA Wooden Center as their practice space, and gained support from UCLA. However, Kyodo and NSU still have a mutual support system, and Kyodo continuously performs at NSU events.
Membership
Many of Kyodo’s members are not of Japanese descent. These varied backgrounds and experiences of the members, coupled with the Japanese American perspective of taiko, create diversity in composition and performance.
The list of charter members, who played in Kyodo in 1990, include:
Mark Honda, Isa Polk, Peter Babida Jesse Chavez, Lisa Kumagai, Jason Lew, Chiaki Miura, Sid Park, Summer Teruya, Lori Ushijima, and Marvin Yee
The current members, as of the 2014-2015 school year, include:
Fourth year members: Sarah McGee, Bowei Su
Third year members: Justin Lo, Joanna Shen, Nick Sugo, Clara Takahashi, Kendall Tani, Daniel Tran, Vivian Vo
Second year members: Ryan Togashi, Lynn Tran, David Riccobono, Leslie Lam, Sean Oh, Sharlyn Zeng, Nick Petrik, Lea Chang, Kristen Lee
First year members: Nina Fukuma, Kelly Furuya, Kevin Huynh, Ashley Mochizuki, Sean Okada, Amy Suzuki, Brandon Wang, Yugo Watanabe
Many other members of the group, such as Michelle Fujii have gone to play taiko professionally, and have played in groups such as Taiko Project, On Ensemble, and Portland Taiko.
Popular Songs
“Renshu Taiko” and “Matsuri Taiko” are staples of Kyodo’s repertoire, and are used to break in new members (Honda). “Yonsei” and “Swing” are also some of Kyodo’s most popular songs Other songs of UCLA Kyodo include, “Encore”, composed by Jason Lew (a piece utilizing original rhythm patterns from “Shoshin Wasurebekarazu,” composed by Tamon Norimoto), “Rai”, composed by Ron Peterson (2001), “Tatsu,” composed by Marvin Yee (1992), “Genki,” composed by Shozo Yoshikawa (1999), “Hashire,” composed by Walter Satoshi Tsushima (2001), and “Encore Remix,” composed by Craig Ishii, Jason Osajima, and Christine Kimura (2007).
Mission Statement
UCLA Kyodo Taiko aims to promote the art of Japanese-American taiko drumming within the UCLA and surrounding communities, to involve and educate Kyodo Taiko members in playing taiko, as well as in the history and traditions of the art form, to instill within the community a sense of respect and understanding of the Japanese American culture, and to support Asian American groups and organizations in and around the campus and community.
Legacy
Kyodo, by being the first collegiate taiko group, blazed the trail for collegiate taiko and set the tone for other groups to form. The experimental yet supportive attitude of Kyodo allowed members to experiment with the art form, make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. The group fostered a culture where committed, dedicated, and passionate members could come together to make unique and wonderful taiko music. The teaching style also ensures that knowledge is continually passed on and developed in new players, which is critical for the longevity of the art form, given the continual turn over in membership that averages around 100% in three-four years.