History
Makoto Taiko, originally the Shumei America Taiko Group, was established in 1999 under the leadership of Steven Tokunaga in Pasadena, CA. Steven had undergone intensive taiko training with the renowned Shumei Taiko Ensemble in Japan before establishing Shumei America Taiko almost a decade later. The group later changed its name to Makoto Taiko. Tokunaga-sensei is currently in Brazil, continuing to spread his passion for taiko.
In 2006, Koji Nakamura arrived in the US after studying and performing with the Japan-based group Ondekoza and subsequently leading the Shumei Taiko Ensemble in Japan from 1985-2001. Koji soon expanded Makoto Taiko to the local Pasadena community in order to share the spirit of taiko and to teach members to play with a pure heart, sincerity, and truth, and to serve the community. In 2008, Koji received the Grammy Award for his collaboration CD with Paul Winter titled “Crestone” and officially became director of Makoto Taiko.
In 2015, Makoto Taiko became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to unite people of all backgrounds in our local and global communities by preserving and sharing the spirit of Japanese taiko drumming through performances, classes, and other charitable and educational activities.
In 2017, Makoto Taiko formed a small group of members, called the Community Performing Group, to provide high quality performances at local community events. Over the past decade, Makoto Taiko has grown from a dozen members to about 80 members. In order to accommodate Makoto Taiko’s growing membership and to advance our musicality, Makoto Taiko doubled its studio space in 2018 and began investing in additional drums and equipment.
Makoto Taiko has consistently presented high quality annual concerts to nearly sold out audiences since 2009. In 2019 Makoto Taiko celebrated its 20th anniversary with a two-day concert at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center before a combined audience of more than 1,300 people. Our annual concerts continue to fill venues and our expanded repertoire of original compositions thrill audiences.
For the past decade, Makoto Taiko has offered taiko classes ranging from beginner to advanced levels to our members who range in age from 6 to 80 years young. For the past several years, approximately 10 classes were offered each week on a continuous basis. Membership to Makoto Taiko is open to the public.