"All efforts to become more human are ultimately a struggle for peace."
Mission
Creating peace is to forge ahead when you would rather stand
aside and avoid the inevitable pain of active engagement. The struggle
always begins with your self. This is true more today than at any time
in human history. So many people are paralyzed by a sense of
alienation. They are constantly bombarded by shallow distractions, and
are surrounded by strangers. So many people surrender to this
disconnected world. They seek passive entertainment, and follow
addictions of both body and of mind to numb themselves from the
hopelessness of complete alienation. They are, to quote Sogyal
Rinpoche, “Living Corpses”
I do not like to be a living corpse…. I would face the hardships,
exhaustion, and frustrations of struggle before resigning myself to a
living grave. All efforts to become more human are ultimately a
struggle for peace.
I have chosen Taiko drumming to feel more alive, and I would have
others join me to be part of an active life enhancing community of
drummers. I am looking for people who feel as I do. Meanwhile, I keep
doing what I need to do. I believe Carl Jung’s words. “No matter how
isolated you are and how lonely you feel, if you do your work truly and
conscientiously, unknown friends will come and seek you.”
We live in a modern world filled with words. Children are encouraged to
express their feelings using words. With the heavy emphasis on science
and logical mathematical learning in U. S. culture, much language is
structured as formulae to lead to objective thoughts devoid of
emotional content. I sometimes sense that the words the speaker uses
and the speaker are not connected. We are encouraged to think
rationally rather than emotionally. When I am in a rational mood for
too long, I crave something fundamental to pull me back to know who I
am, what I am, and what I want in life. Taiko drumming prevents me from
drowning in a pool of alienation, and it keeps me aligned with a sense
of wholeness.
I am not saying that rational thinking is wrong. We need both rational
and emotional approaches to understand ourselves and the world around
us. How to balance these two is the challenge we face.
Wrapped in the large booming voice of Taiko, I am lost to the deep soft
sound that resonates from the drum. The sound of taiko gives me a sense
of “awe”. Creating this awesome sound is very hard. It requires
physical training and absolute concentration to be in right position,
right form and right mind. The power of taiko synchronizes the power of
life in me. When this happens, I feel alive.
There are many roads to peace. The artist that works to reach out to
the community is also an activist for peace. Art is a passage to reach
cultural profundity….. to provide a context in which people find and
create meaning in their lives. I chose Taiko as my personal and social
expression to rediscover the emotional vibrancy of my native culture. I
grew up in a traditional farming village that placed value in community
events, and expressed itself in many of the art forms associated with
Japan. As a child, I was steeped in group activities and felt connected
and appreciated. Even though we were poor and life was harsh, I felt
centered and at peace. As an adult, I wish to return to that
wonderfully grounded feeling.
My artistic vision begins with the sound of Taiko, but includes other
Japanese art forms such as dancing, chanting, singing, folk games,
story telling, Japanese symbolism and mythology.
I am especially interested in folklore and mythology because both are
grounded in archetypes that express the commonality of human
experience. When we read familiar stories or hear them, the doors of
childhood spring open. In our performances we include the elements of
mythology, dance and song combined with nature sounds and creative
lighting to foster people’s imagination….. to draw them away from the
bounds of rational thought.
My goal in presenting the unity of various Japanese disciplines is to
reach common ground of what is essentially human – that which lie
underneath “culture”. The use of mythology and folklore brings a
realization that there are patterns and latent elements within these
remarkably similar stories, found in all cultures, that address
essential human emotions. These patterns touch deep emotional chords
within our unconscious. I believe this vast realm of the psyche tapped
by various art disciplines is something all humans share. Art is
unique, yet it is universal because of the roots we start with…the
emotional content of all human experience.
The nature of art takes a form of active participation. The culmination
of art is when something happens that connects the artists’ work with a
wider community, in such a way, that the line between the observer and
the observed is blurred. The audience is no longer separated from the
art. These incredible feelings of shared experience are life affirming.
This is bread for the soul … sustenance to help people continue with
their own struggles for peace.