Kokon Taiko

Seattle Kokon Taiko is a performing arts group based in the local Japanese American community. SKT traces its roots to the Seattle Taiko Group, which formed in April 1980 following a dynamic performance by Ondekoza at the Seattle Cherry Blossom Festival. In 1987, three members left STG to form Kokon Taiko Ensemble and focus on smaller, more musical performance pieces. In 1992, these two groups merged to form Seattle Kokon Taiko. Teachers and influences include: Seiichi Tanaka, San Jose Taiko, Kinnara Taiko, Katari Taiko, Uzume Taiko, Kenny Endo and Kodo. Over the years, SKT has performed in concerts, programs and festivals throughout Washington and Oregon. Taiko is a dynamic synthesis of rhythm, movement and spirit originating in Japan and evolving as a folk art over the last several hundred years. Seattle Kokon Taiko combines the ancient with the modern in a mix of traditional pieces and contemporary compositions. Through taiko, the group contributes to the development of a uniquely Japanese American art form—Japanese in origin, American in expression—that weaves threads of continuity between generations and builds bridges of understanding among people of all nationalities and walks of life. www.seattlekokontaiko.org/