Would you like to try Taiko
by Wendy Hamai
A couple of important milestones occurred in the recent months for our
group. We have a name! Rev. Yukawa won our contest by
coming up with our name - Tacoma Fuji Taiko - and won a handcrafted
glass chochin and bottle of (I was told w/ a very gleeful smile on his
face) wonderful sake. The “Fuji” is the wisteria that is our Jodo
Shinshu symbol as well as Mt. Rainier which many Japanese apparently
call it. We had our public debut at Bon Odori in July when we
opened festivities. Quite a few people remarked about how much
better we did from our Hanamatsuri entertainment!
We will be holding a workshop for children and adults this Fall on
Sat/Sun Nov. 14/15. We hope this will provide a fun opportunity
for adults and children who have wanted to get their hands on a pair of
bachi (sticks) and try drumming. We’ll cover some of the
fundamentals of taiko and teach a simple piece for folks to play.
In order to plan for this workshop, we need to have an idea of how many
people are interested and would plan to attend. We think a
separate children’s workshop would work best but that’s dependant on
how many children (under 14) sign up. The workshops might run
both days for about 2-3 hours each or a longer session (with break) on
one day. There may a nominal donation requested ($10 or
under). All of this depends on how many people are interested and
sign up now. “Friends of the Temple” are also welcomed to join
in. So, if you have extended famiy and friends who are not
members of the Temple but are interested, please let them know about
the workshop and encourage them to pre-register now.
Our group will continue to evolve and re-define itself after the
workshop when some of you might decide that you want to play more and
make the commitment to join an on-going group for regular
practices. A children’s group is also a possibility. Again,
this depends on interest and commitment. We’re excited that our
group is at a point in our development now that we can put on this
workshop and have a chance to share with you the fun and joy of playing
taiko. Please complete the form below and send it in by September
30. We will be contacting you in October with more details about
the workshop and asking you to confirm your registration then. If
you have any questions - you can e-mail me at hamaistoll@harbornet.com.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
YES! I am very interested in attending the Fall Taiko workshop and would plan to attend.
Name:____________________________________________________age____
______________________________________________________ __age____
_________________________________________________________age____
_________________________________________________________age____
Phone:______________________ e-mail________________________________
Deadline for pre-registration: Sept. 30
Mail to: Wendy Hamai 609 Vista Drive, Tacoma, WA 98465