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1967
History of San Francisco Taiko Dojo
Seiichi Tanaka travels to the United States and attends San Francisco's first Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown
1968
1969
1971
1969 - Cherry Blossom Festival.
1985 - First self-produced concert outside of Japantown. Unosuke Miyamoto, Grand Master Tanaka, Chizuko Endo, Kiyonari Tosha, Seido Kobayashi, George Takei
and Gisela Getty.
1975
1976
1977
1978
1981
1983
1982
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1990
1991
1995
1994
1993
1992
1996
2002
1997
2001
1998
2003
1989 - The late Tito Puente and Grand Master Tanaka
1990 - Sacred Drum Tour. Warren Sata, the late Mario Bauza and Grand Master Tanaka
1992 - Rising Sun. Jimmy Nakagawa, Leigh Sata, Heidi Varian, Sean Connery, Sarita Escobar, and Grand Master Tanaka
1997 - Sacred Run benefit. Grand Master Tanaka, Dennis Banks, Narada Michael Walden, and Ryuma Tanaka
2001 - NEA National Heritage Fellowship Award. NEA Chairman Bill Ivey, and Grand Master Tanaka
2002 - International Taiko Festival
1978 - 10th annivesary of San Francisco Taiko Dojo
2004
Seiichi Tanaka makes his debut appearance alone at the Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco. This is the first milestone of San Francisco Taiko Dojo and for taiko in North America
First meeting with Sukeroku Taiko at Circle Star Theater
Performance with the original Temptations
Seiichi Tanaka is requested for a command performance by Emperor Hirohito in San Francisco
First International Taiko tour to Mexico
Seiichi Tanaka performs with the late great jazz drummer Art Blakey at the Keystone Korner club in San Francisco
First Taiko tour to France, Switzerland, Austria, and Japan
A special edition of Dennis the Menace comic book covering the Cherry Blossom Festival, featuring Seiichi Tanaka and the San Francisco Taiko Dojo
San Francisco Taiko Dojo recordes for the movie Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola
First self-produced concert celebrating San Francisco Taiko Dojo's 10th anniversary
First Japan/USA Taiko Festival with Grand Master Daihachi Oguchi and Osuwa Daiko
San Francisco Taiko Dojo records for George Lucas' Return of the Jedi
San Francisco Taiko Dojo releases their first recording for the movie The Right Stuff, directed by Philip Kaufman
Performance at the MLB All-Star Game Celebration in San Francisco
San Francisco Taiko Dojo releases their second recording, Japan US Taiko Festival
Seiichi Tanaka performs at the Tsukuba World Expo in Japan
First self-produced concert outside of Japantown at the Palace of Fine Arts
The International Taiko Festival finds a new home at the University of California, Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall. The show becomes part of the Cal Performances series and is the most prestigious Taiko festival of its kind in the United States
San Francisco Taiko Dojo performs with Bobby McFerrin, Linda Rondstadt and the San Francisco Ballet in the first AID and Comfort Benefit
20th anniversary of the International Taiko Festival and San Francisco Taiko Dojo. San Francisco Taiko Dojo Live, their third recording is released
Seiichi Tanaka performs in the first annual Sacred Drum concert. Featured artists include: Max Roach, Tito Puente, Mario Bauza, and Babatunde Olatunji
San Francisco Taiko Dojo receives an award from San Francisco Mayor, Art Agnos
Performance at the Nelson Mandella Freedom Celebration at the Oakland Coliseum
Seiichi Tanaka forms the youth group, San Francisco Taiko Dojo Little League. Classes to teach Taiko for youth forms in the San Francisco East Bay
Inori, their first compact disc, is released
The largest Taiko drum in the United States is donated by Asano Taiko Ten to Seiichi Tanaka in honor of his signature song, Tsunami
San Francisco Taiko Dojo showroom opens in Japantown and is the first taiko store top open in the US. Open for retail purchases of Taiko products, t-shirts, compact discs, videos, drum sticks, original artwork by Kumiko Tanaka, and more
San Francisco Taiko Dojo performs Tsunami, their signature piece, in the movie Rising Sun, directed by Philip Kaufman
San Francisco Taiko Dojo's 25th anniversary
Seiichi Tanaka receives an award from San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan
Nihon Taiko Dojo is formed by Unosuke Miyamoto based on the teaching styles of Seiichi Tanaka and San Francisco Taiko Dojo
Rising Sun soundtrack is released on 20th Century Fox Film Scores
San Francisco Taiko Dojo performs at New York's Carnegie Hall
Performance at the Ticotin Japanese Museum opening in Haifa, Israel
Performance at the Hiroshima 50th Anniversary Commemoration in Japan
Two members of the San Francisco Taiko Dojo are chosen by George Lucas to appear in Return of the Jedi, Special Edition
Jeremy Harris, the Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii, declares June 15th, Seiichi Tanaka Day
Performance with Tony Bennett
Recording with Kitaro
Performance in Dennis Banks' Sacred Run benefit with Narada Michael Walden
San Francisco Taiko Dojo records and releases their cd, Tsunami, at the Skywalker Sound Studio
San Francisco Taiko Dojo voted Best Percussive Performance Group in the "Best of the Bay" by San Francisco Bay Guardian
30th anniversary of San Francisco Taiko Dojo. Special guests of the International Taiko Festival include Kitaro and Narada Michael Walden
San Francisco Taiko Dojo performs at Visa International's Nagano Winter Olympics celebration
San Francisco Taiko Dojo's first web site is launched
San Francisco Taiko Dojo records for a Sony Playstation game (soon to be released)
Performance at the Japanese Immagration to Cuba Centennial Celebration in Havana, Cuba
San Francisco Taiko Dojo records and releases their latest CD, Sacred Drum
Grand Master Tanaka receives The United States National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship
Peformance with Dave Brubeck celebrating the 50th anniversary of the US/Japan Peace Treaty signed in San Francisco
Japanese American Cultural & Community Center awards Grand Master Tanaka their 2002 President's Award for his contribution to the appreciation of Japanese and Japanese American culture, educatin, social welfare, and community service in the United States
Grand Master Tanaka turns 60
Grand Master Tanaka receives the Foreign Ministers Commendation from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
San Francisco Taiko Dojo and Grand Master Tanaka celebrates the 35th anniversary of Taiko in America
San Francisco Taiko Dojo performs in Japan, Arizona
Seiichi Tanaka visits Brazil representing Taiko from the United States
1970 - With the original Temptations.
1975 - With the late Art Blakey, Keystone Corner club.
2001 - Eiji Tsuchiya, Ryuma Tanaka, Dave Brubeck, Grand Master Tanaka, Nosuke Akiyama and Tadao Terajima.
Featured News
International Taiko Festival
Yerba Buena Center
for the Arts
Saturday November 6th
7:00pm
for the Arts
Saturday November 6th
7:00pm
Featuring:
Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka & San Francisco Taiko Dojo
SF Taiko Dojo Rising Stars
With special guests from Japan:
Osuwa Daiko
