Japan -Canada 90th Anniversary Commemorative Event: Kodo Drummers Founding Member Holds Collaborative Concert with Toronto’s Nagata Shachu Ensemble

On Feb. 17, a collaborative concert was held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre between Ms. Chieko Kojima, a founding member of the legendary Kodo drummers of Japan, and Nagata Shachu, a celebrated taiko drum ensemble from Toronto led by Mr. Kiyoshi Nagata. Consul-General of Japan in Toronto Takako Ito was in attendance.

Consul-General Ito in her speech explained that, although taiko have been used in various ways in Japan for centuries, the ensemble performance form popular today was invented only in the 1950s by Mr. Daihachi Oguchi. As Mr. Nagata studied under Mr. Oguchi, and since Kodo was a major influence on popularizing taiko around the world, “a great deal of taiko’s history is present here at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre tonight,” said Consul-General Ito. “It is a convergence of some of the tradition’s major forces.”

This performance was an official commemorative event of the 90th anniversary of Japan-Canada diplomatic relations. For a listing of other events, please refer to the calendar here.