Emily at the Dojo (Part 1)
Intro to an upcoming series for those interested in studying taiko in Japan through Emily's lens.
*Disclaimer: I am a native English speaker purely speaking about my own experiences. I’m excited that this substack has made international reach, but sometimes I use strange words and phrases. If you are reading this through AI translation, some ideas, words, and nuances may not be correct in your language. Please ask if you have any questions.*
*If you click on the photos directly on the substack website, you can see full photos.
Happy New Year, Substackers!
Thanks for coming back to this after a long pause. Recently, there’s been an influx of foreigners interested in studying taiko in Japan for various lengths of time, and I’m fortunate to have been contacted by some. So for this month, I will post about attending a Tawoo practice (Kaoly san’s dojo), my overall general recommendations, and a very detailed reflection on what I wish I would’ve done differently in her dojo.
And to those that don’t play taiko, I’ll still end the posts with reflections on life AND FOOD. OF COURSE FOOD. So erm, please keep reading these!
But wait, Emily, you mentioned you were at the Hachijo Daiko 24 Hour challenge and separately, Izumo with Gocoo. You’re not going to talk about that? Also, you’ve been traveling, right?
In the words of one of my dearest Hachijo Daiko lover friend (you know who you are), I have an insecurity monster on my shoulder when talking about Hachijo Daiko. I’ve written about it in the past with many references for a reason because it’s a taiko form that represents the life of an island, the people who live there, and its history. I don’t believe a couple of workshops and trips grant me the legitimacy to be a storyteller of Hachijo, and ideally, you’d go there yourself. But that’s not easy, so there are other incredible people who can tell you about it:
Shogo Yoshi’s introduction to the history and background of Hachijo Daiko and its rhythms. Also the first person who introduced Ho Etsu to Hachijo Daiko:
https://kadon.com/lesson/intro-to-yoko-uchi-lesson-3-hachijo-rhythms/
Yuta Kato on Hachijo Daiko and Yoshio Okuyama’s 24 hour Hachijo Daiko Challenge. He introduced me to Yoshio san:
https://www.eienhunterishikawa.com/blog/tag/yuta+kato
https://estoestaikomagazine.wordpress.com/2015/09/07/why-hachijo-jima/
Regarding Izumo Kami-ari-zuki, aka when all of Japan’s gods leave their shrine and gather for a week-long annual convention in November in the area of Izumo, I need to do more research, but you can read about it here. I’d rather talk in-person about Miura Daiko in Aichi Prefecture and being part of making Kaoly san’s new okedo using the Chiba forest’s tree. Invite me to your place sometime for coffee! And for the intellectuals, you can read about Miura Daiko here!
It’s important to recognize my taiko mentors, teachers, leaders, and caretakers who if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here. The caring KaDON team of Shoji, Aya, Jason, and Diana alone brought Kaoly san to North America and proceeded to foster my connection to her. It’s also been shaped by taiko pioneers like Kenny and Chizuko Endo, my experience with Shuji Komagata’s Somei Taiko group, and taiko mentors like Eien Hunter-Ishikawa, Ai Matsuda, and Shoji Kameda who taught me about the history and sounds of Tokyo and taiko’s inseparable relation to festivals. And of course, the friends’ I’ve met in Tokyo. The group of ex-pats studying taiko in Japan is small, so again, you know who you are ;)
And of course, I have to thank Jason Matsumoto and my experiences with Ho Etsu Taiko. My connections and experience to the taiko world stems from the hard work of Ho Etsu’s past and present members, as well as the connections and magic that only Jason has. As HET is an offshoot from the Midwest Buddhist Temple Taiko Group, which stems from Kinnara Taiko (#taikohistory), I’m also part of the North American Taiko lineage that has its own beautiful rooted history.
So whenever I write about something or recommend something to you, it’s influenced not only by Kaoly san, Tawoo, and Gocoo, but also by these taiko people, and so many more, who are in or from America and their generous efforts to continue the legacy, values, history, and spirit of taiko.
Okay okay, time for a non-ish taiko story that was originally posted on Ho Etsu’s website about…FLUTES:
Whenever I travel outside of Tokyo, I always bring my shinobue (Japanese bamboo flute). I really enjoy practicing outside alone on the beach or in a forest. Although it may sound magical, I’m so new to the instrument that it’s a bit painful to listen to. Recently, I was on top of a hill overlooking Mt. Fuji and the ocean, and a young couple came up to me. They requested I play, despite explaining how new I am to the instrument. They were very encouraging, but their smiles were so forced while I was playing, I was embarrassed for them! Although my pride was hurt, it was a good learning experience to recognize what I need to work on, such as the ability to relax when I’m not comfortable. The right sound can’t be produced if everything is tense which could hurt your thumb or neck, but also, maybe the ability to relax during uncomfortable situations should be applied to life.
And FOOD! Here’s some homemade Tokyo style ozoni (soup with mochi) with genmai mochi (Japanese brown rice sticky rice cake) hand pounded by Tawoo (the dojo Kaoly leads)!
Happy New Year, and stay tuned for more in this series! And if you like this, please pass it along to a friend! I won’t be in Japan forever, so I hope that this can be read by those while it’s still fresh! Thanks, and keep being you!