San Jose Taiko Celebrates 45 Years with Japantown Immersive
This Saturday, all of San Jose’s Japantown is a stage. And everyone has their part.
Beginning at 5:30 p.m., the streets will close to cars and come alive with scenes and activities, all while inviting guests to participate in the experience, like extras on the backlot of a movie studio. Japantown Immersive is part of San Jose Taiko’s 45th anniversary celebration, funded in part by a Creative California Communities grant from the California Arts Council. The taiko group is a longtime grantee of the CAC, with their first funding awarded nearly 25 years ago.
The organization’s milestone is an invitation to both looking back and looking ahead. “It’s reflection point for us, centered on where are we headed and where we come from,” said Wisa Uemura, Executive Director of San Jose Taiko.
Taiko drumming is an ancient practice dating back to the 6th century B.C. The instruments were used in temple rituals and warfare strategy, in celebration of good harvest or to clear the fields of pests. But taiko drumming as many know it today has more modern roots. The first percussive ensemble outside of the traditional performance setting, or kumi-daiko, was developed in Japan in 1951. A relatively short while later, in 1973, San Jose Taiko was born, co-founded by longtime director Roy Hirabayashi.
As a Bay Area company, comprised of third-generation Japanese-Americans with 1970s California sensibilities awash in the civil rights movement, SJT made a distinct place for itself as the third U.S.-formed taiko ensemble. The group develops original compositions that blend the historical sounds of Japanese drumming with that of other world rhythms and music styles, African, Brazilian, Filipino, Latin and jazz among them.
“It was a question of how to express ourselves, all of our influences, and to tie it to our roots,” Uemura said. “We have always labeled ourselves as contemporary, taking inspiration from tradition and trying to find the relevance and the voice from our current membership and students.”
Japantown Immersive will activate four separate “corridors” of activity, each with its own unique theme. Within each area, activities and performances range from smaller hands-on opportunities, like making mochi or handheld fans; to improvisational pop-up style shows from Japantown-based artists; to longer, bigger “marquee” productions featuring San Jose Taiko, in collaboration with multiple dance and music groups.
To make sure the audience is aware of all the evening has to offer, event guides dressed in the style of “newsies” will be on hand to pass out programs, make announcements, give directions and answer questions.
“In a way, it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet of Japantown,” said Franco Imperial, SJT’s Artistic Director. “For someone who is not familiar with this community, this will give them deep cuts of the quintessential Japantown flavors that locals feel are important.”
SJT’s special blend of traditional and modern was the compass for designing Japantown Immersive, in collaboration with event partner with Epic Immersive. Tasked with discovering how to involve the audience and move beyond the conventional performance space, the partnership developed two smaller experimental events last year.
The first of the two, Swingposium, synthesized the music and the Japanese-American experience by merging the rhythms of taiko drumming with that of big band swing, a spirited sound that brought hope to social halls behind the barbed wire fencing of World War II internment camps.
“It was a very difficult time in our country and our people’s history. Putting that into a space where folks could come and dance and enjoy the place while also delivering that message and that history allows the experience to linger,” said Imperial.
The second experiment involved closing down the streets for Japantown’s annual Halloween celebration, helping SJT build some “muscle memory” on how to operate within that specific space. Now, the organization is geared up to take its learnings into Saturday’s big event.
“It’s been a fascinating collaboration to watch and be a part of: How do we play, but still make the audience be a part of the storyline?” said Uemura.
“It’s a love letter to our Japantown and our arts community,” said Imperial. “To collaborate with businesses and residents to create something this authentic has been a big part of the enjoyment for us artists.”
San Jose Taiko’s Japantown Immersive takes place Saturday, May 12, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit https://taiko.org/japantownimmersive.
