Taiko is a unique and expressive drumming style of Japanese origin. It has been around for hundreds and possibly thousands of years.

One of the first known uses of Taiko drumming was on the battlefields of ancient Japan. Armies would use the thundering noise created by the drum to coordinate battle formations as well as intimidate their enemies.

It is also said that the borders of a village could only extend as far as the Taiko drum can be heard. This meant bigger villages, had bigger drums.

Today, Taiko drumming is considered as the first native Japanese music to spread throughout the world. The word Taiko literally means, “Fat drum”. There are many different forms of Taiko drums, and together they form an ensemble called, Kumi-Daiko.

There are over 8,000 Taiko groups in the world today offering dynamic performances of the ancient Japanese style drumming. Every Taiko performance is accompanied with an abundant amount of choreographed movement that identifies with Japanese martial arts.

The Taiko drum performances have become very successful over the years. They have appeared in the form of street performances, in talent shows, cultural festivals and even movies such as Rising Sun and The Hunted.

One World Taiko is a Taiko ensemble based in Seattle, Washington. “We really enjoy performing and interacting with the college audience.  We feel we connect with college students with our Taiko songs and when we do hands on drumming with them,” said Gary Tsujimoto, a founding member of One World Taiko.

Pierce College will be hosting a Taiko drum performance at noon on Wednesday, March 12, at the Performance Lounge by One World Taiko.