Interviews

1. Experiencing discrimination as a child

2. Feeling empowered by taiko

3. Taiko as self-expression

4. Sense of lineage between Sansei and Issei through Taiko

5. Learning from and appreciating the Nisei experience

6. Diverse membership in San Jose Taiko

7. Bringing Japanese American taiko to Japan

8. A “principally-based” taiko group in England creating a global taiko community

Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko

A “principally-based” taiko group in England creating a global taiko community

Having the experience of going to England in December, last year, and seeing one of our—he was not a performing member, he was only a training member in 1996 to ’97. Jonathan Kirby was just so taken by the Taiko experience, learning with San Jose Taiko, that he was inspired to need to start a Taiko group in England once he went back. He realized that he could never be culturally-based because he’s not Japanese, not Japanese American. None of his members are Japanese or Asian. And yet he said, “We exist because we are principally-based.” And he’s taken San Jose Taiko principles as the basis of why they play Taiko. Because we feel that we are empowered by our experiences in the culture of which we grew up with, he felt that that’s a perfect way for him to take the drum and also start to learn about his own English background and infuse with his creativity through composing music that really became very English inspired. But he’s there using the rudiments of principle, of philosophy of how he works as a group, how he is able to operate his organization. That’s part of the global community.

arts California communities drum England Jonathan Kirby music San Jose San Jose Taiko taiko United Kingdom United States

Date: January 26, 2005

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Art Hansen, Sojin Kim

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Patti Jo “PJ” Hirabayashi is among the most prominent women taiko players in the United States. Born and raised in Northern California, she attended Cal State Hayward where she became involved in Asian American movement activities before transferring to UC Berkeley. After graduation, she spent a year living in Japan before returning to San Jose where she was a graduate student in Urban and Regional Planning at San Jose State University. While there, she became acting director of the school’s Asian American Studies Center. She wrote her master’s thesis about the future of San Jose’s Japantown.

Hirabayashi joined San Jose Taiko in January 1974 as a charter member of the group. She is now the creative director of the ensemble, and she draws inspiration from the Asian American civil rights movement. She performs, trains, teaches, develops repertoire, tours, holds public workshops and conducts school outreach programs.(January 26, 2005)