Drumming Up Interest in an Ancient Art

Ten centuries ago, Japanese warriors pounded huge taiko drums on the battlefield to scare their enemies. For the last 200 years, Japanese farmers donned loincloths to play these mighty instruments at local harvest festivals.

Today, Americans in Oxnard drum them to get physical exercise--and spiritual centering.

The first-ever group of locally trained taiko drummers graduated this week from a beginners class at the Buddhist Church of Oxnard, at the corner of 2nd and H streets.

Donning taiko T-shirts, the 12 students--Yuki Bischoff, Grosvenor Brown, Carolyn Moris-Case, James Modlin, Betsy Parker, Kent Pearce, John and Linda Shishino-Cruz, Royce Summers, Kumi Takeuchi and Daniel and Timothy Ventura--who ranged in age from 9 to 60, performed two rousing taiko pieces.

The class is taught by Gordon Hall, a California native who first heard the intense, melodic drumming about six years ago on an English-teaching stint in Osaka, Japan.

Intrigued, he returned to San Diego, where he stumbled upon a Buddhist temple with “many drums, but no drummers.”

“Somehow the drums spoke to me,” Hall said. “Drums are truly spiritual. They are the first instrument man ever made.”

He threw himself into his training. Eventually he moved to Ventura, where he taught this first beginners class at Ventura College. In Japan, some of the most famous taiko drumming troupes live on the isolated island of Sado. There, an elite corps of muscular drummers runs 10 miles a day to train to play the giant drums. The biggest drums often cost as much as $5,000.

Here in Oxnard, training wasn’t quite as intense.

No running was required, and the drums are smaller--costing only about $350, Hall said.

“People get exercise,” Hall said. “The drumming is powerful and therapeutic.”

This first class was so successful that Hall plans to begin teaching another taiko drumming class soon. For more information, call 639-2176.