Fubuki Daiko of Canada

BERKELEY — Taiko groups from Japan and North America will be featured in the International Taiko Festival on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 23, at 3 p.m. at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall, located at Bancroft and Telegraph.

This year’s event will celebrate the 40th anniversary of San Francisco Taiko Dojo, which was established by Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka as the first taiko group in North America.

Following are profiles of the guest artists:

• Grand Master Seido Kobayashi and O Edo Sukeroku Taiko. In 1956, Kobayashi, born in Hongo, the Tokyo downtown area, first played taiko for the Bon Odori at the age of 12. He won first prize in the first Bon taiko contest held at Yushima Tenjin Shrine. Later he and the contest winners got together at the request of Minoru Sanada, a choreographer who was aiming at creating a new music group using the traditional Japanese drum, wa-daiko.

Under Sasazoh Kineya, they trained and built up their skills, then formed Shin-On Taiko, which transformed kabuki music into taiko performance. They were also members of the Bon taiko group Oedo Sukeroku Kai, lad by Seikoh Kobayashi.

In 1967, Seido Kobayashi, Yoshihisa Ishikura, Yutaka Ishizuka and Motoe Onozato started their career as Sukeroku Taiko, the first ensemble in Tokyo using only taiko. To honor and preserve the tradition, they dedicated the group to Yushima Tenjin Shrine. Since then, the sukeroku style has spread throughout Japan and overseas.

Kobayashi left Sukeroku Taiko and established Oedo Sukeroku Taiko to transform wa-daiko from a local folk art to a stage performing art. Sukeroku is the chivalrous main character of a theater piece who typifies the spirit of Edokko (a person born in Edo, the old name for Tokyo). The Sukeroku style is characterized by dynamic, sharp and acrobatic movements created with the whole body.

• Kitaro (performing Sunday only) is the winner of a Golden Globe for the soundtrack of the 1993 film “Heaven and Earth,” directed by Oliver Stone, and a Grammy for the album “Thinking of You,” and has received a total of five Grammy nominations. He has released scores of albums and sold millions in the U.S. alone in his 30-year career.

Kitaro continues to merge Eastern and Western cultures and traditions. In 2002, he received the Japan America Society’s “Art Without Borders” award at the organization’s 93rd annual dinner.

His initial popularity was due in large part to a NHK special program, “The Silk Road,” which was broadcast in 1980. In 1987 he released an album, “The Light of the Spirit,” and embarked on a successful tour of 25 U.S. cities — a first for a Japanese artist. That same year he won the Japan Record of the Year Special Award.

In 2000, Kitaro was designated an international environmental artist by the Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE). Throughout Asia, his concerts are major events. He has played to audiences of over 50,000 in Japan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and elsewhere.

• Burlington Taiko of Vermont has been mesmerizing audiences with the powerful sounds of the taiko since 1987. The group estimates it has introduced over half a million people to taiko via performances at such venues as the 100th running of the Boston Marathon, Burlington’s First Night, the Joseph Campbell Keepers of the Lore Festival, the Black Ships Festival in Newport, R.I., and over 200 corporate, collegiate and public events.

The group has twice been honored by the international taiko community, having been selected as a featured performer at both the 1998 International Taiko Festival in San Francisco and the 1999 North American Taiko Conference in Los Angeles.

In 2002, the group participated in its first tour of Japan, performing a series of concerts at the Gaina Matsuri in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture.

• Fubuki Daiko of Winnipeg, Canada, catapults Japanese drumming into the 21st century. Hints of jazz and funk fuse modern and ancient elements to create a truly eclectic experience that is part martial arts athleticism, part dance, and all rhythm.

Hiroshi Koshiyama, Naomi Guilbert, and Bruce Robertson apprenticed for four years with Grand Master Tanaka. After performing at Carnegie Hall and with their sensei’s blessing, the three relocated from San Francisco to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where they expanded into the four-member professional touring ensemble that is Fubuki (Blizzard) Daiko.

Koshiyama is the only Canadian formally trained in the art of the Japanese lion dance by world renowned lion dancer Nosuke Akiyama.

The group has since gone on to electrify audiences in festivals, rodeos, bars, temples, schools, legions, hockey arenas, land fills and concert halls from San Francisco to Prince Edward Island with innovative brand of taiko.

• Shasta Taiko of Mt. Shasta was founded in 1985 by Russel Hisashi Baba and Jeanne Aiko Mercer, both recognized artists in traditional and contemporary taiko, new music, and jazz. They were honored as influential American taiko pioneers at the “Big Drum: Taiko in the United States” exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles and at the North American Taiko Conference, sponsored by the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center.

Baba and Mercer led the first National Summer Taiko Institute for young American taiko leaders and have performed and led workshops for four North American Taiko Conferences, four National Collegiate Taiko Invitationals, and three Northwest Regional Taiko Gatherings.

Baba is also noted for his saxophone and flute work and innovative approach to his writing. He has worked with jazz artists — violinist Michael White, the late pianist Andrew Hill and drummer Eddie Moore; taiko artists — Tanaka, Kenny Endo and San Jose Taiko; gagaku (Japanese court music) master Suenobu Togi; African drummers Babatunde and the late Malonga Casquelourd; and Japanese butoh dancer Min Tanaka.

Baba has 34 years of taiko experience starting with San Francisco Taiko Dojo in 1972. He has produced three recordings of original work, “Hisashi” (1978), “Earth Prayer” with Andrew Hill (1992), and “Spirit Drum” with Mercer (1999).

• Fushu Daiko of Florida, established in 1990, practices in the pursuit of ever increasing mastery of taiko drumming, understanding and appreciating the way of taiko and Japanese culture. The group is made up of many nationalities and backgrounds, all drawn together by the taiko. Through its sound, Fushu Daiko seeks to create a sense of connection in the hearts of those who hear the drum’s beat.

The training began with Sensei Yoshiko Cane and Sensei Charles Cane, followed by generous help from Tanaka of San Francisco Taiko Dojo, Sensei Takemasa Ishikura of Orlando Matsuriza, and Sensei Etsuo Hongo of Los Angeles Matsuri Daiko.

Fushu Daiko has been recognized by Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz and Consul General of Japan Ko Kodaira for creating a greater understanding of the Japanese culture in the community and strengthening the bonds between Florida and Japan.

• Sacramento Taiko Dan is the premier Japanese drumming ensemble in the greater Sacramento region. Founded in 1989, it is a non-profit organization that includes community members and an international touring performance team.

Founded by Tiffany Tamaribuchi, the group makes annual appearances at the California State Fair, San Francisco’s Cherry Blossom Festival, Sacramento’s Pacific Rim Festival, and the International Taiko Festival. It has collaborated with several artists and arts organizations, including the Sacramento Ballet, Sacramento Symphony, Camellia Symphony and poet Julia Conner.

Tickets are $49, $42 and $38 with a $2 discount for students, UC Berkeley faculty and staff, and seniors. Call the box office at (510) 642-9988 or visit www.tickets.berkeley.edu.