Meet Women Taiko Drummers Keeping the Japanese Art Strong | If Cities Could Dance

While men once dominated taiko, considered the heart beat of Japan's culture, Sacramento, California's Tiffany Tamaribuchi is among today’s master practitioners.
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Our history. Our culture. Our moves.
KQED Arts’ award-winning video series #IfCitiesCouldDance​ is back for a fifth season, with new episodes, dance tutorials and shorts dropping every other Wednesday. In each episode, meet dancers from across the country representing their city’s signature moves.
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Experience thunderous performances by professional taiko player and teacher Tamaribuchi and other women taiko players in Sacramento’s William Land Park and what remains of the city’s Japantown. In Sacramento Taiko Dan’s dojo, Tamaribuchi also plays a 780-pound drum, the largest traditionally-crafted odaiko in North America on loan to her from the 413-year-old Japanese manufacturer Asano Taiko.

As a child growing up in Sacramento, California, Tamaribuchi was captivated by the Japanese folk music and the big drum that kept a steady beat as people danced at the Placer Buddhist Church during Obon, the Japanese festival honoring one’s ancestors. She clearly remembers being told she could not play the drum because of her gender, but she didn’t let that stop her.
After studying in San Francisco with Seiichi Tanaka (known by many as the “father of Taiko” in North America), in 1988 Tamaribuchi founded Jodaiko, the first all-women taiko ensemble. Then, a year later, she founded the first taiko group in her hometown, Sacramento Taiko Dan. In the ‘90s, she traveled the world touring with the first international taiko performance group from Japan, Ondekoza, honing her skills on the odaiko—a large drum role usually played by men. She was the only woman out of 23 contestants in a 2002 national odaiko competition in Fukui, Japan—and she took home the trophy. For more than three decades, Tamaribuchi has elevated other women in the art form.

00:00 - Intro
01:00 - The Art of Taiko Drumming
01:46 - Taiko in North America and Seiichi Tanaka
02:11 - Tiffany's Odaiko Drum Practice and Family Story
02:46 - Japanese American Internment and the Impact on Sacramento
03:36 - Tiffany Becomes an Internationally Recognized Taiko Player
04:17 - The Tradition of Obon and Odenko
05:47 - Drumming Performance and the Spirit of Taiko Players

🥁 Featured Performers:
Tiffany Tamaribuchi, Nicole Stansbury, Sascha Molina, Ezrah Molina, Claire Yee, Toshiye Kawamura, Henry Mizushima

🖼️ Featured Murals and Public Art:
Kosono Okina, Federico Díaz, Mateus Bailon

Captioning: Rick Goldman
Captioning QC: Rebecca Phelps
Audio Description Scriptwriter: Valerie Hunter
Audio Description Voice Over Artist: Debbie Grattan
Audio Description Editor: Heather Warren
Accessibility Engineering: Kyle Sisk

📌 Editor’s note: This episode was filmed under strict guidelines due to the coronavirus pandemic. Safety parameters were followed to protect the health of the dancers and video production team.

#taiko #japaneseculture

[laurenkawana]

I've seen taiko performances many times, and even played taiko before, but directing this episode about Tiffany and Sacramento Taiko Dan was the ultimate taiko experience! The passion and joy Tiffany, Sascha, and Nicole have for the art form is contagious, and I will always remember Tiffany allowing me to play the 780-lb odaiko in the Sacramento Taiko Dan dojo. Feeling the energy of the drum beats fill the room was awe-inspiring. Would love to hear from you all out there about your favorite taiko memory, event or experience! Please comment and share below!

[LMD]

Tiffany is awesome. Had the opportunity to study with her a few times. She is truly an artist, and Sacramento Taiko Dan is a GREAT group! I wish I lived there so I could be in it.

[DrumlineArchives]

So cool to see Tiffany still doing her thing! I got my start playing drums as a kid in the late 90s with the Sacramento Taiko Dan. It really gave me a unique view of music and performance that I carried with me through my whole performance career, and now teach my students as a music educator. Tiffany is a great teacher - motivating, patient, and EXTREMELY knowledgeable of her craft. Thank you for everything you taught me Tiffany!

[AprilMartinChartrandMS]

Just saw the movie/documentary "FINDING HER BEAT". What an exceptional documentary. I cried at least 5 times. Bravo for uplifting women to do this level of Taiko. Taking up space and letting the men know that women can Drum and beat the panties off some of the men lolo.

[poppybell]

YES YES God, I LOVE playing Taiko!!! Love love! I feel it in my bones, you know?

[imwest]

Loved seeing this! Remember when Tiffany was first starting to make drums back in the day. Great to watch the group!

[valerieinto]

So cool! Thanks for the opportunity for me and my colleagues at DCMP to collab with you on the Audio Description! (For everyone else: you can find the AD track in Settings! Support AD tracks on YouTube! 👍🏻)

[LeRainbow]

This is like yoga or taichi but for the mind, body and ear. Cool! Love the japanese ways of doing things, be it music, tea or food. Thanks for the videos!

[MyoniePayton]

Before this vid I had never heard of Japan town.

[julialittlejohn]

Be still my beating heart. I grew up in Shibuya, then Setagaya-ku Japan. I love your video, your dancing, Taiko drumming, and flute. Domo Arigato Gozaimasu.

[stormyweather]

We have women here in Los Angeles who drum taiko, the only problem, I have is they don't teach ppl outside of their race.

[anthonyguarino]

This was interesting BUT what about San Jose Taiko I have watched this group thought the years . There was a Japan Town here in San Jose. I love tiako and have supported San Jose Taiko though the years so please get your facts right. I see this person is very talented but she is not not the only woman . San Jose Taiko was started by a husband and wife to help young Japanese kids learn about their culture.I remember way back in the 80s going to San Jose Tiako performance's The drummers were mostly girls.
. I might add when they had shows they were sold out. That being said I see this person is so passionate about her drumming and her culture she is very talented. I do not want to take that from her. Just wanted to tell about San Jose Taiko.