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Performance for Bushido, Fight Night

Thornbury Theatre, 27 November 2021
Report by Aki Kimura
Bushido Performance Taiko

Five of us, Ayako, Peggy, Irene, Jasmine and I, performed at Bushido, Fight Night on 27 Nov 2021 for its opening show.  We knew very little about this mixed martial arts event but were excited about showcasing our “KOKORO” on the stage. We were also secretly hoping that we might find future Miyake performers amongst the fighters (and audience).  

For those who don’t know “KOKORO”, KOKORO is the name of our biggest and most beautiful taiko. Due to its size and weight, 65kg, we use it only for special occasions, but this time, thanks to Bushido staff, KOKORO got to the top of the long flight of stairs and to the stage in no time!

Following behind KOKORO, when we got into the theatre; what jumped out at us was a UFC style cage in the middle of the main room! From outside of the theatre, who would think such an event was happening there.  We also saw fighters, trainers, referees, doctors, organisers and other staff running around to get ready for the night.  Yes, the atmosphere was so different from our usual local community events like a Japanese festival.

Eventually, the organiser and MC explained us how they would like to run the event. We discussed the timing and when our performance should begin.  At the very beginning, the MC would announce the commencement of the event and greet the audience, and then Kagura would start.  After two rounds of Kagura, when Kiyari starts the MC would introduce the contestants one by one, and each fighter would pass behind us to get into the cage. 

Ayako was in Mao chan (Shishimai, lion dance)  on the other side of the stage to welcome the fighters.  Unfortunately, there was not enough space around the cage for her to go down and perform closer to the audience.  

It was a very short performance but our strong sound must have impressed the audience and fired up the fighting sprits of the contestants. Obviously, none of the audience expected to see our performance that night, so it must have been a great entertainment for them, and it was also an excellent opportunity for us to promote Taiko as well as Miyake Kai!

After the performance, we waited for the interval so Bushido staff would have a chance to get KOKORO back to the car.  While we were watching the bouts at the back, the organiser came up with an idea of getting one of us to present the trophy to the winner.  As Ayako had left the venue to get the car, I was asked to go into the cage on behalf of Miyake Kai.   

I was honoured and thrilled with the mission but needed to dress appropriately, so Peggy and I quickly swapped T-shirts and I managed to squeezed myself (size M) into Peggy’s (size S) Miyake tee. Led by the organiser, nervously I entered inside the cage (first time!) and my mission was successfully completed on very short notice. Well done!!

However, there was a very distinct possibility that the winner would have preferred a young bikini girl as a presenter rather than a Taiko performer of his mother’s age.  

Question: Next performance at a mixed martial arts event, should the performers wear bikini under Yukata (!) just in case? The answer is somewhat debatable. 😂

Lessons learned:

  • Be adaptable – you may be in charge of an additional task at very short notice 
  • Be prepared  go to the performance in black Miyake T-shirts, or at least take it with you. Bikinis may be useful for some situations

Humans of Taikokoro

A monthly piece introducing a Taikokoro member

- Alisha -

Hi everyone! 

My name is Alisha, I’m currently doing a bachelor degree studying criminology, whilst also working as a part-time medical receptionist! 

I joined Taikokoro in 2020 and the rest is history! Whilst I’ve explored many different styles of drumming, I haven’t had the chance to dive into the world of drums and will continue to seek this curiosity in the future. But at this point, Taiko has been my absolute passion since I was 11.

Joining a small taiko team in Cairns with my Mother, began a journey I was not expecting. From there we created our own team “Drum Mugendai” and formed a group eager to learn the taiko ways! As more teachers from Japan came to Australia, or as I went to Japan to take more classes, I fell more and more in love with my culture that is so close to my heart. 

The drumming is empowering, it demonstrates so much culture and history and I feel so honored to have discovered it. Over time, I got the amazing opportunity to join the “Super Taiko Junior” project led by Hiro Hayashida and take part in a festival tour in Hungary showcasing taiko. It was the best year and memory of my life!

I love Taiko because not only do you meet so many people that creates a family community, you also get to grow so much as a person through meeting your strengths and weaknesses. It’s always about the mindset! It’s a real challenge but it’s so exhilarating! Being half Japanese and being passionate about taiko has really made me connect to the person I am today, and I look forward to pushing the boundaries with Taiko and creating more amazing performances in the future!

  1. Would you rather have unlimited sushi or tacos for life?
    Unlimited sushi for life – How can you not drool over fresh tuna and salmon!
  2. What is your most embarrassing favourite song?
    Butter by BTS – BTS is my guilty pleasure.. Their music just hits the right vibe.
  3. What is the dumbest way you’ve been injured
    Getting my flu vaccine in my left arm – My left arm is weaker in Miyake and I should have gotten it in my right arm, so I could work on my left more (to make it stronger). Not an injury but felt like one.

Humans of Taikokoro

A monthly piece introducing a Taikokoro member

- Melanie -

Hi, everyone! I’m Melanie Taylor. 

I‘m a Japanese-to-English translator and interpreter who specialises in taiko-related content. I’m one of the only interpreters I know who brings earplugs to work. I live in my hometown, Auckland, New Zealand, and I joined Taikokoro when it launched as a Rinjin member.

I started playing taiko in 2001 when I was teaching English on the JET Programme in Ehime, Japan. There was a newly-formed group in the village where I lived, and when I was invited to give it a go, I said yes because I needed a hobby and I wanted to make some local friends. Joining that group changed my life. Instead of staying in Japan for 2 or 3 years as I originally planned, I decided to stay longer and keep working on my Japanese and to keep playing taiko. After volunteering at Earth Celebration, the annual music festival hosted by Kodo —one of Japan’s leading taiko groups— I was offered a job as staff with the ensemble. They needed an in-house translator and an international tour manager, which was a big change from my teaching experience. I decided to take the plunge and moved to Sado Island to work for Kodo in 2007. I was based there for 6.5 years, and 14 years on, I still handle their translation and English PR. While I lived on Sado, I played taiko sporadically due to my very irregular schedule. I got to play when I was staffing Kodo Juku workshops, and in a Hachijo Daiko circle that ran once or twice a month. During my years of touring, I traveled around the world with Kodo and our truck full of taiko to give performances throughout Europe, South America, Australia, and Japan. I

 have a lot of taiko travel stories, so feel free to ask me about those over a drink in person some time.

So how did I find out about Taikokoro? Through Ayako Tsunazawa, who I was introduced to through Kodo during our 2009 Australia Tour with Taikoz. Later, another plot twist, I ended up living in Melbourne. From 2013 to 2016, I played taiko very occasionally with Australia Miyake Kai, Shome Shome Club, and Dokkoisa Wachi Kai around my busy Master of Interpreting and Translation Studies coursework at Monash University. During my time in Melbourne, I clocked up a lot of hours interpreting at taiko workshops and Miyake Taiko Intensive Workshops. I spent more time talking about taiko than playing it. But in recent years, before COVID anyway, I’ve been playing Miyake Taiko in Tokyo during business trips there. It’s been great to start playing again. I’ve been back to Australia to catch up with friends, interpret at taiko workshops, and attend taiko concerts. I hope to be back over there again soon to see everyone.

I love how taiko brings people together. The sound connects people and spreads joy for one, and when people play taiko, it opens their hearts, resets their minds, and gives them an energy boost. I think it’s a great form of physical and mental therapy for people who play it and people who hear it alike.

One of my best taiko memories is when I was on tour with Kodo in Montreal, where we were performing the taiko music for Kaguyahime—The Moon Princess, a work that combines ballet with Western percussion, taiko, and Japanese court music. I was sitting at the back of the theater, near the lighting operator, when the house lights dimmed for the second act to begin. The odaiko (big drum) appeared on stage, lit up to look like a full moon and the audience drew breath. A Kodo performer, Eiichi Saito, appeared, steadied himself, and beat the drum with a mighty stroke. Boooommmmm. A low, quiet howl echoed out from deep within the guide dog lying on the floor, at his visually-impaired owner’s feet, three seats down from me. The golden lab couldn’t see the stage, but that sound had unleashed a primal reaction that he couldn’t hold back. His owner gave him a reassuring pat and I clamped both hands over my mouth to hold back the giggles. When I hear the first strike of the big drum, I often remember that moment.

 

  1. Would you rather have unlimited sushi or unlimited tacos for life and why?
    Tacos. You can fit more avocado into tacos and no one bats an eyelid when you load them up with cheese.
  1. What is your most embarrassing favourite song?
    Baby Shark. It’s a favourite for breaking the ice with little kids. It gets people dancing, and it has a good beat. And you can make it as long or short as you need it to be.
  1. What is the dumbest way you’ve been injured (taiko or non-taiko related)?
    I dislocated my knee when I reached down to pick up a receipt of the floor. And I broke stuff inside it when I tried to put it back in myself. Apparently you should never attempt this. Never. Always seek help from a medical professional.

Humans of Taikokoro

A monthly piece introducing a Taikokoro member

- Jasmin -
Jasmin

My name is Jasmin.

I’m a Software Developer and I build and maintain customer communication applications for a company based in Perth, so I work remotely from home. 

I discovered taiko about six years ago while I was still living in Perth. I attended a summer Japanese Festival and watched an amazing ‘Taiko On’ performance. I instantly fell in love with the beauty and energy that emanates from the Japanese drums. I never knew you could actually play songs with just drums! 

Later that year, I moved to Melbourne and guess what was the first thing I looked for? Taiko classes! I joined Rindo classes and about a year later, I decided to join Australia Miyake Kai after seeing them perform several times in some festivals around Melbourne. I was a little hesitant to try it at first because Miyake style seemed difficult to play and physically demanding but the powerful pose of the performers and the strong drumbeat motivated me to learn how to look and play like them. 

I was lucky enough to have joined AMK just before one of the Tsumura family workshops so I basically learnt the basics from the senseis themselves. The following year, I traveled to Japan and was very fortunate to be invited to play along with ‘Miyake-Jima Geino Doushi-Kai’ at the Otoro festival in Iruma. We played Miyake from midday to sunset while walking the streets of Iruma town, this is so far the most amazing and rewarding experience taiko-wise I’ve ever had.

I became a Taikokoro member when it was established in 2019 and have been practising not only Miyake, but also Wachi and Hachijo daiko and have learnt a lot from different teachers in the diverse taiko workshops organised by Taikokoro. I’m looking forward to continuing practising and improving my taiko drumming with Taikokoro!

 

  1. Would you rather have unlimited sushi or unlimited tacos for life and why?
    – Unlimited sushi, they’re delicious and there are many varieties to choose from.

     

     

  2. What is your most embarrassing favourite song?
    – Hhmm… I can’t say I have an embarrassing favourite song but to betray my favourite music genre, I like to listen to Lady Gaga.
  3. What is the dumbest way you’ve been injured?
    – I have an ongoing ankle issue, due to stretching of my foot ligaments while sleeping!

Humans of Taikokoro

A monthly piece introducing a Taikokoro member

- Shin -

Hello everyone, I’m Shin.

I’m sure some people have been in a long lockdown, but are you all doing well?  

I’ve been a member of Taikokoro since its establishment, but I don’t play taiko. 
My occupation is a chef and I have been cooking Japanese food for over 30 years.

I think that the traditional drums (Miyake Taiko, Wachi Daiko and Hachjijo/Kanju Daiko) that Taikokoro is working on have different charms such as behaviour, rhythm, costumes, teamwork, people, sounds and I like them a lot.  Although Taikokoro members may not be aware of them, the team has been doing wonderful activities.

There are great Taiko performers beginner to advanced players in Australia, Japan and all over the world and there are various beautiful Taiko styles.

Taikokoro has invited a variety of Taiko performers to learn together with the Australian Taiko community – not only taiko skills but also about conduct, how to handle taiko and bachi, memorial service for Taiko bachi etc, etc.

I believe that those Taiko performers also learned a lot from the Australian Taiko community and reflected it in their activities.

More importantly, Taikokoro is very important as a team that belongs to our multiculturalism in Australia. Also, all of us could be a part of the histories of Miyake Taiko, Wachi Daiko and Hachijo/Kanju Daiko in Japan.

Therefore, we are valuable and also fun people.

The best memory of taiko I had was the taiko tour where we all went to Tokyo → Sado → Hachijojima → Aogashima → Wachi. There were many happenings.  I was impressed by the wonderful Taiko people who love drums that everyone enjoys and entertains.

I know this lockdown period is giving us lots of stress. But, stay positive! I am looking forward to seeing you in person soon.

Would you rather have unlimited sushi or unlimited tacos for life and why?
→ Sushi, as I am a sushi machine!

What is your most embarrassing favourite song?
→ Merry-go-round song.  My mum wanted to take photos of me on the merry-go-round, but I was so embarrassed to ride on it because it is for little kids.  When this battle with my mum was happening, this song was on….. 

What is the dumbest way you’ve been injured?
→ I have been in an ambulance 9 times so far.  5 of them are injury related.