Issho Open Taiko (IOT)
“Issho” means “together.” IOT is a monthly community taiko educations program that promotes and supports taiko locally. We are a non-performing program that introduces participants to beginning level taiko, while also having lots of fun together. IOT is sponsored by the Tacoma Buddhist Temple.
Who comes? IOT sessions are cross-generational. Participants range in age from teens to mid 80s and most are first time players. IOT has also ben a pipeline to Fuji Taiko for participants who want to take their playing further with weekly practices and public performances.
When? Sessions are held monthly on a Saturday morning. Occasional workshops may be held several weeks in a row to learn longer songs. Attendance is “come when you can,” which makes it easier for busy people to learn and play taiko.
What do I learn? Participants come to an introductory session that covers the history of taiko in Japan and the U.S. Taiko fundamentals and basic skills are learned in a structured form and reinforced at sessions. Participants drum songs and rhythms that they can successfully learn in one session and have fun playing together.
What else has Issho Open Taiko done in the community and how can you get involved? Some examples of what kind of community education have been done and how you can get involved include:
Hour and a half to two hour workshops for various organizations and groups (Girl Scouts, high school Japanese language classes, Senior workshops) and team building experience for businesses and agencies.
Non-performance drum support for local Asian American events.
Support of other local taiko groups.
Lecture at UPS World Music class followed by a field trip to the temple for hands on.
How to sign up for IOT sessions or want more information?
Contact Wendy Hamai at: wfhamai@rainierconnect.com
About your host and instructor:
I wanted to learn and play taiko for 30 years before attending the 2007 North American Taiko Conference held in Seattle. That experience helped energize and inspire me, and in 2009 I helped form Fuji Taiko, the Tacoma Buddhist Temple’s performing group. The Issho Open Taiko community education program was started in 2010 in response to an appeal for opportunities to learn and play taiko without public performances.
Over the years, I attended regional and national conferences and numerous workshops. I also took private lessons for five years from a leader of a Seattle taiko group. In September, 2014, I had the privilege of spending a week with other North American taiko players at the KODO apprentice center on Sado Island, Japan. This experience remains a highlight and more than anything, we learned about SPIRIT!
In 2025 I was the subject of and helped put together a short documentary film “Bang the Drum: Taiko in Tacoma,” sponsored by the Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation (CRPF) and Tacoma Creates. It features the four taiko groups in Tacoma/Pierce County. It can be viewed on the CRPF’s website under their film series “Our Community, Our Neighbors”. https://crpftacoma.org
I am particularly interested in the evolving role of taiko and am learning more about taiko with health and healing, aging, disability, and Parkinson’s. There’s a power to taiko regardless of age, physical ability, ethnic identity. I continue to grow and learn and am active in the broader taiko community. I am happy to help open the door to the world of taiko and share what I know so others can experience the meaning, power and joy of drumming.
