\u201cA lot of their cultural legacy was sort of hidden away from them,\u201d Executive Director Wisa Uemura told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cEspecially coming off the Civil Rights Movement, they were like, \u2018Who are we? We should stand proud.\u2019 They selected the taiko because it was so loud, so powerful, so anti-stereotype of what Japanese had been seen as: docile, quiet, reserved.\u201d<\/p>\n
San Jose Taiko<\/a> plans to break ground on a permanent facility in Japantown in late 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving a permanent facility in Japantown<\/a> would mean the world to us,\u201d Uemura said.<\/p>\n San Jose Taiko began as a San Jose Buddhist Church youth group activity. The Rev. Hiroshi Abiko recruited Roy Hirabayashi and Dean Miyakusu to launch the group, and in October 1973 they held their first performance.<\/p>\n Hirabayashi and his wife PJ \u2014 a charter member and artistic director of the nonprofit \u2014 led San Jose Taiko for 38 years before they retired. The couple received the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in September 2011.<\/p>\n \u201cThey quickly found there was a lot of interest in the outer community, particularly by the young adults who were attending San Jose State,\u201d Uemura said. \u201cThat group seeded a lot of the organizations in Japantown today<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Like Uemura, her husband and Artistic Director Franco Imperial joined San Jose Taiko in 1998.<\/p>\n \u201cI came initially for the music, and I stayed for the community,\u201d Imperial told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThere\u2019s joy in what we do. San Jose Taiko was one of the first taiko groups to be more openly joyful with their emotions and connect with an audience in a way that made it very accessible. We hope people feel filled with good energy when they leave.\u201d<\/p>\n Uemura is committed to carrying forward the legacy of San Jose Taiko\u2019s founders.<\/p>\n The group\u2019s philosophy is based on the principles of attitude, emotion, energy and musical technique. The vibrations and reverberations of the drums, including one with a five-foot diameter, create powerful energy which moves people \u2014 sometimes to tears, Uemura said.<\/p>\n San Jose Taiko has played at Carnegie Hall and at games for the Golden State Warriors, San Jose Earthquakes, San Francisco Giants, San Jose Giants and San Jose Sharks. But for Uemura, the group\u2019s most meaningful performance portrays how swing dance and music kept hope alive for the young people in the World War II internment camps. She said within the spoken story, taiko is used as an emblem of hope.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the audition process for San Jose Taiko, you learn about the connection to Japantown and how important this art form is to people of Japanese and Asian heritage \u2014 how much it can speak for and be a symbol of them,\u201d she said. \u201cThat has connected me even more strongly to my heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n San Jose Taiko blends movement, teamwork, focus, physicality and music, Uemura said, and fosters a greater understanding of Japanese American culture. By adding world rhythms and instruments, it also transcends cultural barriers.<\/p>\n \u201cTaiko is a different type of creative expression,\u201d she said. \u201cIt has to do with the full body movement, as well as working together as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/PXL_20260522_041608738-1024x771.jpg\")
San Jose Taiko happened out of a need for third generation Japanese Americans to find their place in society. San Jose Taiko member Stewart Kume (left), Artistic Director Franco Imperial and Executive Director Wisa Uemura joined San Jose Taiko in 1998. Photo by Lorraine Gabbert.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SanJoseTaiko_MarkShigenaga_DSC00599-1024x683.jpg\")
San Jose Taiko performed at the San Jose Obon Festival in Japantown. Photo courtesy of San Jose Taiko.<\/p>\n
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