Taiko History 

• Intro to Bondaiko

• Intro to Buddhist Temple Taiko: Kinnara Taiko

• Intro to San Francisco Taiko Dojo's Founder Seiichi Tanaka

Piece Resources

• Film Inspiration: https://www.netflix.com/title/81028343

• Meaning of Wasshoi: https://www.wasshoimagazine.org/wasshoi

Practice Resources

We should all practice at home!  The optimum practice setting is using bachi and real Taiko drums but not many people are blessed with time and space and money for that!  Luckily there are a lot of cheap alternatives that are just as good:

How you practice depends on what you want to practice.  For example, if you want to work on:

• being more on time and rhythms, I'd recommend buying bachi and using a practice pad.  

• full body movement with real hits, I would recommend Tire drum and real bachi.  

• Choreography and flow, I would recommend a Pillow

Practice Drums at Home Options

Asano Taiko US has a great website with how to construct practice drums at home.  For your convenience, I"ve listed them here!

• Tire Drums ($15 but requires construction, Large and loud, doesn't bounce back)

• Mesh Drum ($30 but requires construction, Smaller and quieter, good bounce)

• Practice Pad ($50-80, Smaller and somewhat quiet, Great bounce) 

• Pillow or rolled up Yoga Mat! (Smaller and quiet, no bounce, no expense)

• Real Taiko Drum (Loud, bounces well, Expensive)

  • Email me if you are considering this option! Options change but chudaiko go ~$600-$2k-$4k and shime go $500-$2k.

  • Many people have used drums for sale for cheap!

Practice Bachi at Home

• Any sticks/oblong objects you can find

  • Roll up thick paper (Free, flimsy but they work if you play them on a desk)

  • Chopsticks

  • Pens

  • Cardboard paper towel (Free)

  • Your hands

• Bachi

  • Asano US Taiko Online Store (~$25, for most chudaiko playing we use Kaede/Maple 02-7514 )

  • KaDon US Taiko Online Store (~$25, for most chudaiko playing we use 42 cm Maple Bachi)

  • Buy dowel at the Hardware store and sand the edges down

Want to listen to other teachers aside from Koh?

• Naname Playing Basics by Isaku Kageyama

• KaDON online Taiko courses (monthly subscription required but super worth it)

• Asano Taiko US online Taiko courses (Flat $160 fee for 12 videos from Yuta Kato, arguably best player in the US, definitely best teacher in the US)

Want to listen/watch other Taiko that's out there?

• Bondaiko on the Internet