Writer's Choice

Eisa Taiko is a Community
Eisa Taiko is a form of Okinawan drumming that is quite a large community throughout the world. I would say the number of groups that shares this interest is what forms the grounds of this community. What really holds these groups together is the pure appreciation of the sounds and the meaning of what Taiko is really about. In ancient times our ancestors of Ryuku, now known as Okinawa, believed that Taiko was a way of connecting people throughout all the nations, they believed it was a way to bring people together through the beat of the drum. Not only is there a community of taiko drummers, but there is a larger community of listeners and viewers that helps build a stronger and bigger community.

A lot of taiko drummers share the appreciation for taiko and its true meaning. Taiko is a great interest to have and it makes a person feel good about their selves. Having people feel at peace also makes the performers happy to share their music with the audience. The only difference that could work against the cohesion of this group is different cultures. Other cultures have their own way of showing what their community is about. This to me is a very minimal aspect of what would hold this community back, because people are interested in finding out about other cultures and their different communities and performing is a great way of doing so.

The community of Taiko is like my second home. I have been taking part of this community for nearly five years. The thing I enjoy most is performing and seeing people get out of their seats and dance along. Nothing beats the feeling of seeing you making others feel happy. Even though I am not of Okinawan descent I do not feel out of place one bit, because the people in my group are always welcoming no matter what the case maybe. Lastly the other benefit of belonging to this community is traveling and have other groups come up here. We always have people come here from Okinawa and it is such a privilege to unit with people oversea. The community of Taiko is such a strong one and I hope that more and more people are able to observe the beauty of this community.