'You can't ignore the sound of the drum': Hinode Taiko celebrates 40 years

A Winnipeg-based Japanese drum group is celebrating four decades of high energy beats.

Hinode Taiko held two performances of its 40th anniversary concert – titled "Hikari" - at the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain (CCFM) this weekend.

Artistic director Yuko Nozoe said it's an important milestone.

"For such a small community to sustain such a group for 40 years, it just speaks to the strength of the community," she said. "The commitment and the dedication of not just the players, but the people that support us as well."

Nozoe said that taiko - the Japanese word for "drum" – is an art form she has a strong connection to.

"The first time that I was exposed to this style of drumming was when I was three years old, and I went to Japan for the first time," said Nozoe. "I still remember how I felt when I first heard the instrument, and it's just been with me ever since.”

Hinode Taiko is Canada's longest-running taiko group east of the Rockies. Nozoe became involved with the group five years ago, when she moved to Winnipeg from Toronto.

"You can't ignore the sound of the drum. It's just like an unapologetic expression of my Japanese-Canadian-ness," she said.

Nozoe added the performance makes her feel connected to her Japanese heritage in a physical way.

"In Japanese tradition it's said that the sound of the taiko resembles the sound of a mothers heartbeat as heard from an unborn child, so its one of the first sounds that we hear," she said.

She said that even though the drumming is high energy and loud, it still has a calming effect.

"For me, the taiko drum represents all of our hearts beating as one, so I hope that we can connect on heartbeat level with the audience," said Nozoe.