LA’s Taiko Drumming Scene Is Loud And Proud — And For Everyone

It starts with a loud, guttural scream, a sort of call by a leader to the rest of the drummers. The others respond and the drumming gradually builds, gathering sonic energy, until an aural explosion envelops everything.

This is Taiko, a Japanese tradition that goes back more than 500 years. But in the last six decades or so, it’s been brought to the main stage by way of Los Angeles and a universal immigrant story.

Halle Fukawa started playing at age seven. She’s now fifteen and said she just can’t stop.

published on June 19, 2019