In the last few weeks, Bakuhatsu has been amping up our equipment maintenance after having so many events and performances for the last two months. From building new stands to re-heading three drums, we've done a lot but we're always finding new projects to complete. This last weekend, members of the team came together to clean and varnish beta stands, varnish shime stands, oil and sunbathe drums, organize tools, and re-head one of our drums.

For Bakuhatsu, maintaining our equipment is more than just keeping things clean and working. We treat our equipment like living members of our club. They've all been built and maintained by past and current members and the soul of our club lives inside every piece of equipment. 

Sometimes live gets busy, especially for a group of college students, but we have to make time for our equipment and remember there is more to taiko than just hitting drums. It's also about maintaining the bonds between members and our equipment, as well as learning how to treat everything around us with respect and making sure we never loose sight of what makes us who we are.

​Below are some photos from our latest equipment meeting taken by Bakuhatsu's Equipment Manager, Issa Takada.

Written by Shai Nielson, BTD Historian 2016-2017

Relay for Life Performance 5/6
​Every year, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life at UC Davis hosts an event on campus to celebrate cancer survivors and raise money for cancer research and programs. According to the Relay for Life at UC Davis Facebook page, "During the event, teams of people gather at schools, fairgrounds, or parks and take turns walking or running laps. Each team tries to keep at least one team member on the track at all times." Bakuhatsu was asked back again this year to support the participants by performing while they walked or rested.

Gakusei no Hi Performance 5/17
Every year, the UC Davis Japanese Department puts on an event called Gakusei no Hi ("Student's Day") to celebrate students in the language classes and those who are majoring or minoring in Japanese. There are skits and songs performed by students and the sensei join in the fun as well by doing a choreographed dance together. There's food, prizes, and lots of fun, but there's also another tradition that Bakuhatsu is quite proud of: we get to perform every year as well! 

This year's Gakusei no Hi performance was just as great as ones in the past and we love getting to be a part of such a great event that celebrates Japanese culture.

UC Davis MU Grand Re-Opening Performance 5/18
This week we also got to be apart of another amazing event, the grand re-opening of the Memorial Union (MU) at UC Davis. The MU is a place where students can study, go bowling, buy books, and more. Students have been waiting for over 2 years while it's been undergoing remodeling and it finally re-opened on May 1st. When we were asked to perform at the grand re-opening, we were so excited and jumped on the opportunity. It was a short but fun set outside with a lively audience. 

​Written by Shai Nielson, BTD Historian 2016-2017

This past Saturday, April 29th, was Bakuhatsu's 6th Annual Showcase, Kizuna, which means "bonds" or "the connections between people" in Japanese. It was more than just a theme for the show, though. Eight months of practicing and planning not only strengthened the kizuna between our members, but it also brought us closer to our roots, our alumni, our equipment, and our community. From our collaborations with Naoko and the California Aggie Marching Band-uh! to the incredible support of our sold-out audience full of family, friends, and community members, there was a special energy and connection in the theater that will we always cherish and never forget. However, we know there are so many out there who were unable to make it to the show and, even though we felt your support and presence even from a distance, we would like to try our best to share that day with everyone. Below is a playlist of some of our songs recorded by Michael Wong. 

Soon there will also be photos from our amazing photographers, so 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to know when they get posted to the website!

If you're interested in a DVD of Kizuna, please email us at bakuhatsu.taiko@gmail.com.

​Written by Shai Nielson, BTD Historian 2016-2017