With the generosity of our donors, TCA was able to sponsor 4 collegiate students to attend NATC as a participant. Our hope is that attending NATC will help the collegiate students learn more about taiko and the greater taiko community. These 4 students showed interest in NATC and ability to take what they learn at Read More
Category: General News

Announcing the NATC Matsuri Crashers’ Battle!
We are pleased to announce the 2017 NATC will host Kris Bergstrom and friends to guide us through a Matsuri Crashers Battle, Saturday night after Taiko Jam! DATE: Saturday, August 12 TIME: After Taiko Jam LOCATION: Atkinson Hall, UCSD DESCRIPTION: From Kris… “This Battle will be structured a bit differently, beginning with an explanation of Read More

Drummers’ Circle 2017: A Creative Community
Throughout the month of June, our fundraising committee has been busy with a crowdfunding campaign for this year’s Drummers’ Circle. The month long campaign has raised over $38,000 to date, approximately 70% of the $54,000 goal. Eighteen fundraisers across 10 teams have stepped up for some friendly fundraising competition. We are truly humbled by all Read More
Drummers’ Circle Matching Announcement from Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten
Yoshihiko Miyamoto, president of Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten has a special announcement as part of the 2017 Drummers’ Circle campaign! We are thankful for the generosity of Yoshihiko and the entire kaDON/Miyamoto family for this amazing matching challenge! Take this opportunity to make your contribution to this year’s Drummers’ Circle campaign and have your donation count Read More
The Drummer’s Circle Challenge!
Which corner of the taiko community can drum up the most support for NATC? The Drummer’s Circle are those individuals and groups that help cover the cost of Conference through donations. TCA is committed to keeping Conference registration costs down to maximize accessibility. However, that means that registration fees only cover 65% of the cost Read More

20 Years to NATC Timeline: BIG DRUM
From July 2005 to January 2006, the Japanese American National Museum was home to “Big Drum: Taiko in the United States.” Curated by Sojin Kim and opening while the 2005 NATC was held in Little Tokyo (Los Angeles, CA), this multimedia exhibition chronicled the growth of kumidaiko in the United States through the presentation of Read More
BREAKING NEWS: Collegiate Taiko NATC Scholarship!
Attention all Collegiate Taiko players! Thanks to the generosity of the taiko community, we are able to offer three scholarships to college students for participation in the 2017 North American Taiko Conference. This is a recent donation, and we’re still working out the details of the offer, but if you’re interested in hearing more, please Read More

20 Years of NATC Timeline: kaDON Takes Taiko to the Internet
CORRECTION: This version corrects an earlier version that incorrectly listed Kenny Endo and Kaoru Watanabe among the list of founding personnel for kaDON. Taiko pedagogy entered a new era in 2014 when kaDON was founded by Yoshihiko Miyamoto, Aya Yoshida, and Shoji Kameda. Powered by Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten, kaDON offers classes by celebrated artists like Read More

20 Years to NATC Timeline: Asano Taiko U.S.
Asano Taiko has always been a strong supporter of the North American taiko community, and in 2013 that support was taken to the next level when Asano Taiko US opened its doors in Torrance, CA. The facility is also home to Kato Taiko and the Los Angeles Taiko Institute. By hosting workshops, seminars, and special Read More

20 Years to NATC Timeline: Regional Taiko Gathering
At the first NATC in 1997, Duane Ebata, then Program Chair of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC), challenged attendees to start their own regional conferences. The first meeting to come from that challenge was the Regional Taiko Gathering. Held every two years since 1998 at various sites across the Pacific Northwest and Read More