ABOUT US
OUR MISSION
Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan's mission is to cultivate musical development, creativity, and self-expression through the teaching and performing of kumi-daiko (ensemble drumming). Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan is open to UC Davis students of all backgrounds and celebrates its diversity. They strive to spread their love and respect for Japanese American taiko by exposing, educating, and entertaining within the campus and greater community.
"Bakuhatsu" translates to "explosion," expressing their high energy and enthusiasm on stage.
Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan's mission is to cultivate musical development, creativity, and self-expression through the teaching and performing of kumi-daiko (ensemble drumming). Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan is open to UC Davis students of all backgrounds and celebrates its diversity. They strive to spread their love and respect for Japanese American taiko by exposing, educating, and entertaining within the campus and greater community.
"Bakuhatsu" translates to "explosion," expressing their high energy and enthusiasm on stage.
OUR HISTORY
Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan was founded by John Shinozaki and Stacey Clark in 2001. John Shinozaki had two years of taiko experience from playing in a group with his high school friends and was surprised that there was no taiko group at UC Davis. With a goal of having fun and sharing taiko with others on campus, he approached the campus newspaper about advertising rates for a new taiko group. Instead of giving him a quote, he was asked if they could write an article about him, which was featured on the newspaper’s front cover. Through this article, Stacey Clark, an experienced taiko drummer, found John. Stacey was an experienced player and patient teacher, and she composed and taught the group’s first songs. Shio no Michihi and Inu Shoubu are songs that Stacey wrote that are still played today. Stacey’s father, Greg Clark, studied under Tanaka-sensei at the San Francisco Taiko Dojo and was a founding member of Emeryville Taiko. Bakuhatsu made their first drums at the Clark’s workshop in the Bay Area, which allowed them to transition from the tires they had been practicing on. John and Stacey called their new group “Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan.” Bakuhatsu, meaning explosion, was chosen to represent the explosive energy and passion that is created in a taiko performance. With the name, the legacy of high energy and joyful performances still defines Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan.
In 2004, Stacey graduated from UC Davis and John went to study abroad in Japan, studying Japanese and Engineering. The team faced an early and rough challenge with their leaders leaving. Answering this challenge, a dedicated and passionate member, Gary Wong, took leadership of the club. He created a system of writing kuchishoga (vocal song mnemonics) for members to review songs outside of practice. During this time, there was an emphasis on becoming a performing ensemble, accepting new gigs and performing for broader audiences. After UC Davis, Gary joined San Jose Taiko.
From around 2010-2013, an influx of students with previous taiko experience joined Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan, bringing with them a blend of techniques that have shaped the team’s kata (form). These members include Kristine Lee 2010, San Jose Junior Taiko), Taiyo Onoda (2011, San Francisco Taiko Dojo), Henry Knight (2011, groups growing up in Japan), Eric Amemiya (2012, San Jose Junior Taiko), Holly Higa (2012, San Jose Junior Taiko), Kelsey Kawaguchi (2012, San Jose Junior Taiko), Jenny Matsushita (2012, San Jose Junior Taiko), Amanda Zucker (2012, San Jose Junior Taiko), and Morgan Imel (2013, Grass Valley Taiko). Taiyo Onoda was a San Francisco Taiko Dojo Rising Star before college and had played taiko from a young age. After college, Taiyo joined the internationally acclaimed taiko group Kodo, based in Sado Island, Japan. Through Taiyo’s connection with San Francisco Taiko Dojo, Bakuhatsu had the privilege to attend workshops and study under Tanaka-sensei. The group also attended workshops with San Jose Taiko and Sacramento Taiko.
In 2012, under the leadership of Catherine Kuo, who later went on to play with the pioneering taiko group Ondekoza, Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan hosted its first annual showcase, a Spring Quarter taiko stage production. The group also continued to expanded performances on campus, in Davis, and in the Greater Sacramento and Bay Areas. In the Fall of 2012, Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan performed at the International Taiko Festival hosted by San Francisco Taiko Dojo. Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan also performed with San Francisco Taiko Dojo at the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival for a few years during this time.
In 2016, the team hosted its first Davis Cherry Blossom Festival, a community event and charity fundraiser that features other taiko groups, student performers, and local artists. The festival became supported by the City of Davis and publicly funded in 2019. In 2017, Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan entered a hand-powered yatai (float) in the Picnic Day Parade, winning Marshall’s choice. The float’s original wooden wheels broke in 2018 and the float was not entered that year, but the float returned in 2019 with metal casters to win Marshall’s choice again.
Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan maintains and emphasizes its involvement in the greater Asian American and North American Taiko Communities. Bakuhatsu has performed at San Jose Obon annually since 2012. Since 2013, Bakuhatsu has performed at the Sacramento JACL Crab Feed. In 2016, Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan hosted the Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational at UC Davis. In 2017, Bakuhatsu performed in downtown San Francisco as part of a Union Square Live event hosted by the Japanese Consulate in San Francisco. In 2018, Bakuhatsu performed as part of a cultural exchange program with the Florin JACL Manzanar pilgrimage in a collaborative performance with Aka Mya, a cultural group from the Big Pine Paiute. In the summer of 2018, Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan performed at the Walnut Grove Bazaar, an Obon-season event hosted by the Buddhist Church there. In 2019, Bakuhatsu performed at the 150th Anniversary of Wakamatsu Farm, the home of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States. In 2020, Bakuhatsu collaborated with Tsuru for Solidarity at a protest of ICE detention at the Yuba County Jail.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic starting in March 2020, the entire UC Davis community was sent home for their own safety. The team kept up their love for taiko by hosting online practices to teach new songs to newer members, and to maintain their skills. When the 2020-21 school year came around, Bakuhatsu was still dedicated to spreading taiko to the Davis community and beyond with virtual events and online open practices, which saw an entirely different gen join the team, Gen XX. Gen XX started to learn taiko completely online and continued to do so throughout the school year. The team as a whole also met pandemic-related challenges head on by continuing to host the Davis Cherry Blossom Festival and their annual Showcase (ISHIN). Now Bakuhatsu is looking forward to coming back in person in the fall and being able to perform taiko again together.
As always, Bakuhatsu strives live up to its name with an explosive performance energy and love for taiko. In a 2019 Nichi Bei article, John Shinozaki said watching the group grow over the past 18 years has been wonderful. His message: “I hope future Bakuhatsu members will continue to freely adapt and grow the club based on their personal joy and passion for playing taiko. That’s what got me started. Because if they can do that, the audience and your peers will feel that special joy that you bring. Seeing the different songs and performances I can catch here and there on YouTube seems like they are doing a great job doing that.”
Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan was founded by John Shinozaki and Stacey Clark in 2001. John Shinozaki had two years of taiko experience from playing in a group with his high school friends and was surprised that there was no taiko group at UC Davis. With a goal of having fun and sharing taiko with others on campus, he approached the campus newspaper about advertising rates for a new taiko group. Instead of giving him a quote, he was asked if they could write an article about him, which was featured on the newspaper’s front cover. Through this article, Stacey Clark, an experienced taiko drummer, found John. Stacey was an experienced player and patient teacher, and she composed and taught the group’s first songs. Shio no Michihi and Inu Shoubu are songs that Stacey wrote that are still played today. Stacey’s father, Greg Clark, studied under Tanaka-sensei at the San Francisco Taiko Dojo and was a founding member of Emeryville Taiko. Bakuhatsu made their first drums at the Clark’s workshop in the Bay Area, which allowed them to transition from the tires they had been practicing on. John and Stacey called their new group “Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan.” Bakuhatsu, meaning explosion, was chosen to represent the explosive energy and passion that is created in a taiko performance. With the name, the legacy of high energy and joyful performances still defines Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan.
In 2004, Stacey graduated from UC Davis and John went to study abroad in Japan, studying Japanese and Engineering. The team faced an early and rough challenge with their leaders leaving. Answering this challenge, a dedicated and passionate member, Gary Wong, took leadership of the club. He created a system of writing kuchishoga (vocal song mnemonics) for members to review songs outside of practice. During this time, there was an emphasis on becoming a performing ensemble, accepting new gigs and performing for broader audiences. After UC Davis, Gary joined San Jose Taiko.
From around 2010-2013, an influx of students with previous taiko experience joined Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan, bringing with them a blend of techniques that have shaped the team’s kata (form). These members include Kristine Lee 2010, San Jose Junior Taiko), Taiyo Onoda (2011, San Francisco Taiko Dojo), Henry Knight (2011, groups growing up in Japan), Eric Amemiya (2012, San Jose Junior Taiko), Holly Higa (2012, San Jose Junior Taiko), Kelsey Kawaguchi (2012, San Jose Junior Taiko), Jenny Matsushita (2012, San Jose Junior Taiko), Amanda Zucker (2012, San Jose Junior Taiko), and Morgan Imel (2013, Grass Valley Taiko). Taiyo Onoda was a San Francisco Taiko Dojo Rising Star before college and had played taiko from a young age. After college, Taiyo joined the internationally acclaimed taiko group Kodo, based in Sado Island, Japan. Through Taiyo’s connection with San Francisco Taiko Dojo, Bakuhatsu had the privilege to attend workshops and study under Tanaka-sensei. The group also attended workshops with San Jose Taiko and Sacramento Taiko.
In 2012, under the leadership of Catherine Kuo, who later went on to play with the pioneering taiko group Ondekoza, Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan hosted its first annual showcase, a Spring Quarter taiko stage production. The group also continued to expanded performances on campus, in Davis, and in the Greater Sacramento and Bay Areas. In the Fall of 2012, Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan performed at the International Taiko Festival hosted by San Francisco Taiko Dojo. Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan also performed with San Francisco Taiko Dojo at the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival for a few years during this time.
In 2016, the team hosted its first Davis Cherry Blossom Festival, a community event and charity fundraiser that features other taiko groups, student performers, and local artists. The festival became supported by the City of Davis and publicly funded in 2019. In 2017, Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan entered a hand-powered yatai (float) in the Picnic Day Parade, winning Marshall’s choice. The float’s original wooden wheels broke in 2018 and the float was not entered that year, but the float returned in 2019 with metal casters to win Marshall’s choice again.
Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan maintains and emphasizes its involvement in the greater Asian American and North American Taiko Communities. Bakuhatsu has performed at San Jose Obon annually since 2012. Since 2013, Bakuhatsu has performed at the Sacramento JACL Crab Feed. In 2016, Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan hosted the Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational at UC Davis. In 2017, Bakuhatsu performed in downtown San Francisco as part of a Union Square Live event hosted by the Japanese Consulate in San Francisco. In 2018, Bakuhatsu performed as part of a cultural exchange program with the Florin JACL Manzanar pilgrimage in a collaborative performance with Aka Mya, a cultural group from the Big Pine Paiute. In the summer of 2018, Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan performed at the Walnut Grove Bazaar, an Obon-season event hosted by the Buddhist Church there. In 2019, Bakuhatsu performed at the 150th Anniversary of Wakamatsu Farm, the home of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States. In 2020, Bakuhatsu collaborated with Tsuru for Solidarity at a protest of ICE detention at the Yuba County Jail.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic starting in March 2020, the entire UC Davis community was sent home for their own safety. The team kept up their love for taiko by hosting online practices to teach new songs to newer members, and to maintain their skills. When the 2020-21 school year came around, Bakuhatsu was still dedicated to spreading taiko to the Davis community and beyond with virtual events and online open practices, which saw an entirely different gen join the team, Gen XX. Gen XX started to learn taiko completely online and continued to do so throughout the school year. The team as a whole also met pandemic-related challenges head on by continuing to host the Davis Cherry Blossom Festival and their annual Showcase (ISHIN). Now Bakuhatsu is looking forward to coming back in person in the fall and being able to perform taiko again together.
As always, Bakuhatsu strives live up to its name with an explosive performance energy and love for taiko. In a 2019 Nichi Bei article, John Shinozaki said watching the group grow over the past 18 years has been wonderful. His message: “I hope future Bakuhatsu members will continue to freely adapt and grow the club based on their personal joy and passion for playing taiko. That’s what got me started. Because if they can do that, the audience and your peers will feel that special joy that you bring. Seeing the different songs and performances I can catch here and there on YouTube seems like they are doing a great job doing that.”
Showcases:
Akebono (2012), Ikioi (2013), Kokoro (2014), Todoroki (2015), Fushigi (2016), Kizuna (2017), Saisei (2018), Konjō (2019), Netsui (2020), Ishin (2021)
Akebono (2012), Ikioi (2013), Kokoro (2014), Todoroki (2015), Fushigi (2016), Kizuna (2017), Saisei (2018), Konjō (2019), Netsui (2020), Ishin (2021)
