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Ocean of Sound: Taiko in the Womb

I think from when we first starting playing it at Buddhist temples and different venues, [we] found people coming up to us afterwards and saying, “Oh that was incredible!” And juiced. You could tell people were just energized by it and that we would be energized by playing, too. Some kind of primal thing is happening here.

I started thinking about. This was back in ’76 or so, I shared a house with two women. One of the women was pregnant and had her child. I happened to be in Japan at the time. When I came back from Japan, she had had her child. She had somehow—somebody gave her, or she had found—this album, 33 1/3 album, Dr. Muraoka’s “Sounds from the Womb.” One whole side of this album, the 33 1/3 record, was recorded sounds of the womb. Ba-doom, thumb, eghhh, scweee, scweee, scweee… You know, all of these incredible thumping and gurgling and gooojin, gooojin kind of sounds that for nine months as babies, we’re exposed to. Then the written thing says then you’re born into this world and all of a sudden, it’s quiet, right? In the hospital room or whatever. People step lightly around babies, right? There might be a sudden bedpan falling—kgnnn. And then the baby’s going to freak out, right? So as embryos, as these neonatal form kind of thing, we are exposed to this ocean of sound. And maybe, when we hear Taiko, we go back to that.

There are stories in Japan, too, of babies falling asleep with this big taiko going off. What is that? That’s a interesting connection. But I think it has to do with that sound environment that we’re in when we’re children. We joke about the fact that Masato, when he was a baby, when was in Jeanne’s womb, was exposed to Taiko. Yeah, yeah. But in a way, all of us are exposed to Taiko, or something like Taiko. That energy, that juice that happens inside of the womb is related to the sound of Taiko. Theory. That’s the Moon Man theory.


drum music taiko

Date: December 10, 2004

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Art Hansen, Sojin Kim

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

Interviewee Bio

George Abe (b. 1944), renowned taiko and flute performer, was born at Manzanar concentration camp. He was one year old when his family relocated to Los Angeles, California. His mother was kibei, born in the city of Orange, California, moved to Japan when she was about nine years old, and returned to Los Angeles at about 26 years of age. His father was an Issei.

George grew up among artists and musicians, often attending biwa (lute) recitals with his mother. He played multiple instruments in his school band, including the clarinet, saxophone and oboe. As an adult, George remained fascinated with music, and learned to play the shakuhachi and fue, traditional Japanese flute-like instruments.

George was a founding member of Kinnara Taiko, a taiko group based at Senshin Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles, and remains associated with them today. Kinnara Taiko was one of the first taiko groups to form in North America, second only to Sensei Seichi Tanaka’s San Francisco Taiko Dojo. George believes in the influential power of art and the energizing effects of taiko. He uses his art to bring cultural, spiritual and community awareness to others. (December 10, 2004)

Kazuo Funai
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Kazuo Funai

Buying violin (Japanese)

(1900-2005) Issei businessman

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Seiichi Tanaka
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Seiichi Tanaka

Understanding Sansei taiko (Japanese)

(b.1943) Shin-issei grand master of taiko; founded San Francisco Taiko Dojo in 1968.

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Seiichi Tanaka
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Seiichi Tanaka

Soukou Bayashi: Dedicated to the Issei (Japanese)

(b.1943) Shin-issei grand master of taiko; founded San Francisco Taiko Dojo in 1968.

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Seiichi Tanaka
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Seiichi Tanaka

Handmade taiko (Japanese)

(b.1943) Shin-issei grand master of taiko; founded San Francisco Taiko Dojo in 1968.

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Seiichi Tanaka
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Seiichi Tanaka

Taiko philosophy (Japanese)

(b.1943) Shin-issei grand master of taiko; founded San Francisco Taiko Dojo in 1968.

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Nosuke Akiyama
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Nosuke Akiyama

Rediscovery of Japanese culture through taiko (Japanese)

Shishimai (Lion dance) and Taiko player with San Francisco Taiko Dojo.

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Etsuo Hongo
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Etsuo Hongo

The reason he came to the United States (Japanese)

(1949 - 2019) Taiko player. Founded five taiko groups in Southern California

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Etsuo Hongo
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Etsuo Hongo

First taiko performance in the United States (Japanese)

(1949 - 2019) Taiko player. Founded five taiko groups in Southern California

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Etsuo Hongo
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Etsuo Hongo

Differences in taiko style (Japanese)

(1949 - 2019) Taiko player. Founded five taiko groups in Southern California

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Etsuo Hongo
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Etsuo Hongo

Originality of each taiko group (Japanese)

(1949 - 2019) Taiko player. Founded five taiko groups in Southern California

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Etsuo Hongo
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Etsuo Hongo

Benefits of living in the United States (Japanese)

(1949 - 2019) Taiko player. Founded five taiko groups in Southern California

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Etsuo Hongo
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Etsuo Hongo

Promoting group identity through taiko contests (Japanese)

(1949 - 2019) Taiko player. Founded five taiko groups in Southern California

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Etsuo Hongo
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Etsuo Hongo

Taiko's sounds as Japanese cultural tradition (Japanese)

(1949 - 2019) Taiko player. Founded five taiko groups in Southern California

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Kenny Endo
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Kenny Endo

Differences between Kinnara and San Francisco Taiko Dojo

(b.1952) Master drummer, artistic director of the Taiko Center of the Pacific

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Kenny Endo
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Kenny Endo

Being free of the tradition

(b.1952) Master drummer, artistic director of the Taiko Center of the Pacific

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