by Sandy Kiyomura
Did you know that San Jose Taiko is celebrating its 45th year? Last year they performed for the Golden State Warriors during Asian American Heritage week. They have performed in 44 states and 250 cities! I had never seen them perform, but Edna Koyama invited some of us to see her daughter perform. You have to watch these videos to get a sense of what they did. There was a Jazz band, dancing and singing throughout the performances. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z62wWoaKCg
Their Swing routine wanted to recapture some of the times during the Internment Camps of WWII. As you know 120,000 Japanese Americans were interned. Life behind barbed wire fences was harsh and we may never know the exact toll it took on the lives and spirits of those incarcerated. However, they had some fun times too. Some of the detainees played musical instruments. Bands were formed and provided music to dance to. This must have been the best therapy many had.
San Jose Taiko also performed with the Aswat ensemble. This is an Arab music ensemble composed of diverse multi-ethnic musicians. The Japanese were one of the first to stand up for Muslims when our president wanted to exclude them. It was quite touching to see the bands join together.
The founders are Roy and PJ Hirabayashi. I remember them from my college days and it was wonderful to see how they have made San Jose Taiko grow. Thank you to Edna and her daughter Alix Koyama for a wonderful evening. San Jose Taiko rocks!
