Stanford Taiko

Stanford Taiko is a collegiate taiko group based at Stanford University. One of the first collegiate taiko groups to form in North America, it was founded in the winter of 1992 by students Ann Ishimaru and Valerie Mih as a way to share taiko with the university community. As the founding organization of the Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational, Stanford Taiko has been instrumental in the development of collegiate taiko throughout the United States, as well as the larger North American taiko community through performing at the Taiko Jam of the North American Taiko Conference. Since 2000, the group has been active in the international scene through tours and exchange concerts in countries such as Japan, China, and Thailand.

Stanford Taiko is a student-run group under the guidance of the Department of Music and faculty advisors Stephen M. Sano and Linda Uyechi. Stanford Taiko continues to spread understanding of the art form among the university community and build upon its knowledge through workshops with professional groups from Japan such as Tao.

Ann Ishimaru first saw taiko in a Seattle festival and was inspired by the energy and intensity of the art form. During her freshman year at Stanford University, she enrolled in a course offered by Susan Hayase, a former San Jose Taiko member and Stanford alum. Part of the Stanford Workshop on Political and Social Issues (SWOPSI) program, the 1990 course, called Redress Now!: The JA Internment and Taiko, was a half-history, half-practicum course that brought Ishimaru in contact with Valerie Mih. Soon afterwards, Ishimaru and Mih submitted a grant to build a taiko drum, which they used to start Stanford Taiko. The group was officially formed as a student organization in January 1992.

Stanford Taiko's first official activity was a workshop with San Jose Taiko, then led by PJ Hirabayashi and Roy Hirabayashi. The group held additional workshops with Susan Hayase and One World Taiko. During the first year, the group spent weekends drum building in Ishimaru's house, which helped the members bond. The members practiced in the ballroom of the Asian American Activities Center at Stanford.

The group debuted in the spring of 1992 at White Plaza in Stanford with their first two pieces, renshu and matsuri, and their instruments: two chuu daiko, one odaiko, a tom-tom drum, and a cowbell. In the spring of 1995, Stanford Taiko founded in the first Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational, joining groups from UCLA and UC Irvine and working with professional taiko players such as Kenny Endo. Stanford Taiko member Susan Kanagawa (Yuen) organized the logistics for the Stanford-based event. The invitational exposed Stanford Taiko to the larger collegiate taiko community and was one of the turning points in the group's history. Today, Stanford Taiko is a cultural staple of Stanford, performing at such events as New Student Orientation, its annual spring concert, and the university's annual baccalaureate service.

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