Thoughts on Taiko Competition

Published on Mon, 2024-04-08 22:15

I recently judged a taiko competition.  Along with David Wells and Mike Hirota, we picked winners in "Blossom Bash", a naname (slant-drum) battle organized by Alex Ito for collegiate taiko players.  I was glad to have been a part of the event -- it was well-attended, warm-hearted, and participants had a good time -- but I left wondering about taiko competition generally, and how it might help or hurt the U.S. taiko community.  Here is my attempt to explore the risks and benefits to taiko, and brainstorm how we might best approach competition.