A Brief History of Arashi Daiko

There were many involved in establishing Arashi Daiko (“storm drums”) in 1983; among them were Terry and May Yasunaka who gave their final performance at the group’s 20th Anniversary Concert in March 2003. Twenty years earlier, they had invited Vancouver's Naomi Shikaze to give a series of Japanese drumming workshops at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre of Montreal (www.jcccm.ca).  A small group of interested community members showed up to learn about this exciting form of expression and hence, Arashi Daiko was born.

From humble beginnings practicing on old rubber tires to the group's present-day collection of over 30 drums, Montreal's taiko group has changed and evolved over the years, bearing witness to a true “melange” of backgrounds in its members, while maintaining the original mission of its founders’ vision: to be a community-based group sharing this exciting aspect of Japanese culture with the public at large.

Throughout the years, members from all walks of life have joined and left the group. Although it is the magical and transformative power of the taiko that draws people into the group, it is the members' warmth and generosity of spirit of its members that nourishes this passion for the drums. All who have encountered Arashi Daiko have been touched by the family atmosphere its founders and members continue to cultivate.