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Soh Daiko - History

Soh Daiko was organized in 1979 under the guidance of the New York Buddhist Church. Among our beliefs, objectives, and purposes are:

  • An appreciation of Japanese and Japanese American heritage.
  • A belief in the oneness of the universe.
  • A desire to promote and propagate an understanding and love for taiko music.
  • The development of our taiko skills.
  • The development of Japanese-American taiko music.
  • A desire to learn about the history, tradition and values of taiko.
  • The development of a spirit of togetherness, oneness and fellowship within our group.
Soh Daiko was formed in December 1979 by members of the New York Buddhist Church as a youth activity after members of the Young Buddhist Association saw Chicago's taiko group at an EYBL (Eastern Young Buddhist League) convention. Organized by membership chairman Mamoru Funai, who gathered adult advisors Jim Moran, Merle and Alan Okada, they started a taiko group with a "seed" grant from the Church and set about learning to make barrel drums the hard way--through trial and error and with help of drum-making instruction from the Chicago and Kinnara taiko groups and David Matsushita.

Asking Reverend Hozen Seki for a name that would mean "peace, harmony, working together," the group was given the name of "Soh." The group gained early instruction from taiko players, Reverend Ron Miyamura of Chicago and Reverend Masao Kodani of Los Angeles about drum building, basic taiko techniques and philosophy. The group evolved into an adult group.

Russel Baba, a musician and a former member of the San Francisco Taiko dojo, helped the group to understand what taiko could be and encouraged the group to seek more advanced instruction from Sensei Seiichi Tanaka of the San Francisco Dojo. With funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Soh Daiko conducted two intensive week-long workshops with Tanaka-sensei. These workshops dramatically changed Soh Daiko's style and repertoire.

Instruction from the Tachibana Dance Group and visiting taiko players, especially members of the Kodo taiko group, proved inspirational. This friendship with Kodo resulted in a unique joint concert, "Kodo/Soh Daiko: A Taiko Celebration" at the Japan Society in 1987. Shortly afterwards, Soh Daiko took its first trip to Japan, highlighted by a stay with their hosts, the Kodo group on Sado Island.

Soh Daiko is the first taiko group on the East Coast. It has steadily increased its varied repertoire to include traditional compositions from the Shinto music tradition, pieces adapted from existing taiko compositions and original compositions by members of Soh Daiko. In addition to drums, the group incorporates accessories such as bamboo flute, brass bells, conch shells and gongs. Much more than mere percussion, there is always the visual element of movement and choreography, requiring physical strength, endurance and energy that makes taiko such an exciting performance experience.

They have received critical acclaim from the New York Times, been featured on Public Television's Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow and National Public Radio. In the New York area, they have performed at Carnegie Hall, the American Museum of Natural History, Japan Society, the Metropolitan Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Lincoln Center and Jacob's Pillow. Their Performances have taken them further afield as well as to the Smithsonian Institution, the Walker Art Center, Minnesota; the Morikami Museum, Florida; the USA-JAPAN Taiko Festival, San Francisco and Berkeley; Puerto Rico; and the United Kingdom. Their CDs and tapes are available at Tower Records on the Lyrichord Discs label.