Fifteen years after its initial release as part of the groundbreaking exhibition at JANM, Big Drum: Taiko in the United States will be available online as part of the JANM Digital Film Festival! Featuring America’s pioneering taiko figures, this film documents the development of American taiko and includes interviews and footage of drum-making and performances that reflect the ongoing transformation and diversification of this exciting performing art.

Group taiko performance only developed in post-war Japan and the United States and Japanese Americans played a major role in its growing popularity. With few models to follow, the original three Nikkei groups in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Jose built their own drums, created their costumes, and wrote their own music. The result was the original three groups in 1973 grew to over 250 groups throughout North America. In 2005, the exhibition, Big Drum: Taiko in the United States, explored the growing phenomenon of taiko (Japanese drum) ensemble performances through the use of several media presentations, historic photographs, artifacts, and interactive activities.

Among the many groups included in the film are San Francisco Taiko Dojo, Kinnara Taiko, San Jose Taiko, Denver Taiko, Midwest Buddhist Temple Taiko Group, Soh Daiko, L.A. Matsuri Taiko, Shasta Taiko, Satori Taiko, Kogen Taiko, Kokyo Taiko, Hawaii Matsuri Taiko, Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble, Maui Taiko, Zenshin Taiko, Zenshuji Zendeko, Nen Daiko, Hoh Daiko, Sacramento Taiko Dan, and TAIKOPROJECT.

This film will be released on JANM’s YouTube channel on Friday, July 17.

WATCH NOW

Watch the documentary and then join us on Friday, July 24, at 6 p.m. (PDT) for a 15th anniversary celebration and conversation with curator Sojin Kim and featured performers Kenny Endo (Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble), Kay Fukumoto (Maui Taiko), Teddy Yoshikami (Soh Daiko), PJ Hirabayashi (Artistic Director Emeritus, San Jose Taiko), and more!

The documentary is also available on DVD at the JANM Store. The DVD also features extras, including historical footage and excerpts from the documentary Taiko: The Music of the Japanese Drums (1977).

Watch clips from interviews recorded for the documentary on Discover Nikkei.

JANM Digital Film Festival—Join us as we dive into films produced by the Japanese American National Museum’s Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center! Organize a (virtual) screening party with your friends or family or just get cozy and enjoy the JANM Digital Film Festival from the safety of your own home. We will also have Q&A sessions with the filmmakers and others involved in the projects.

Funding has been provided by California Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan of 2020.