By Andrew Hamlin
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Photo by Takashi Okamoto. Courtesy of Kodō.
The prestigious Kodō ensemble, a leading light of Japanese taiko drumming, has long made its home on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan. But its members can come from any place on Earth. Taiyo Onoda, age 31, traveled roughly 5,102 miles from his home in the U.S.
“I was born in San Francisco, California,” remembers Onoda. Onoda will perform with the group this coming weekend, Jan. 31-Feb. 1, at the Meany Center for the Performing Arts on the group’s “One Earth Tour 2025: Warabe.”
“One of my earliest memories of San Francisco is attending the local mochi pounding gathering. I loved going there because my favorite food back then (and to this day) is mochi,” Onoda remembered. “Coincidentally, there was taiko at the mochi gathering, and that was my introduction to taiko. I then joined San Francisco Taiko Dojo when I was 8.”
Kodō group set up shop in 1981, splitting off from the older Ondekoza group. An original lead performer, Eitetsu Hayashi, came up with the new group’s name, which translates as both “drum children” and “heartbeat.”
Kodō established its worldwide reputation by touring continuously for seven years between 1981 and 1988. When the group finally got home to Japan, they set up not only a headquarters and workshop, but an entire small village named Kodō Village on Sado Island.
Onoda first saw Kodō perform at the Mondavi Center at the University of California, Davis.
“I was a student there, and I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity,” he said. “I still vividly remember the three Odaiko (big drum) players and how powerful they were. It’s surreal that I am playing taiko with those people now!”
Photo by Takashi Okamoto. Courtesy of Kodō.
“My impression [of taiko] didn’t necessarily change, but I am constantly rediscovering why I was drawn to Kodō in the first place,” he continued. “The biggest reason why is because of the meticulous detail we put in to fine-tune our sound. I may be biased, but I don’t think there are any other teams that listen to the sound of taiko [like] we do.”
As he prepared to graduate from UC Davis, he heard about Kodō’s apprentice program. He won admission, but he quickly realized he was in for a hard grind.
“During the apprenticeship,” Onoda explained, “we practice taiko while living communally for two years, without cellphones, computers, or TV. Because we don’t have these distractions, we’re essentially forced to face tasks and problems within the team head on. This mentality is crucial in Kodō of course, but definitely treasured in ‘normal’ jobs as well.”
“While living communally, we learned not just about taiko, but all sorts of Japanese art forms like the bamboo flute, traditional folk dance, Noh theater, and the tea ceremony,” he continued. “We also had a small farm for veggies and a rice paddy that we took care of, amidst all of these subjects. I really enjoyed being immersed in Japanese culture. All the topics were not something that could be experienced regularly in a ‘normal’ life.”
Asked about favorite pieces to play, he singled out a traditional tune designated as a song for fishermen.
“‘Miyake’ has always been a challenge for me, but I’ve always enjoyed performing and perfecting [it],” he said. “It’s very difficult to keep the mind clear and body relaxed enough to play the piece, while being in a squat for a couple of minutes. But that challenge helps me grow as a performer, so I love working on this piece.”
He isn’t sure if he’ll get time to tour Seattle, but he’s got one destination in mind.
“I have been to Seattle in 2023 for our previous tour, ‘Tsuzumi.’ Since Seattle was our first stop then, I was pretty jet lagged and didn’t have much energy or time to explore,” Onoda said. “I am a huge baseball fan, especially of Ichiro’s, so I am thinking about visiting T-Mobile Park to take a look at the jersey lineup!”
Kodō performs Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at the Meany Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, visit https://meanycenter.org/tickets/2025-01/production/kodo.