Basic Information

Leadership Structure

Directors

Background Information

Group's Mission and Motivation

Kodama is a group of percussionists from the greater Los Angeles area who are dedicated to performing both traditional and contemporary pieces through the sounds of taiko. The group is primarily composed of working professionals who enjoy spending their "off" time learning and creating entertaining performance pieces.

Kodama is best known for their unique Mochitsuki (rice cake pounding) performance which combines the age-old tradition of hand-pounding mochi (sweet rice) with the sounds of taiko. This energetic custom is typically performed during the Japanese New Year¹s (Oshogatsu), but has lately been expanded to include any celebratory occasion. Makoto Fujii of the Japan based group Medetaya instructed Kodama in combining the art of taiko and Mochitsuki.

Kodama takes their name from the Japanese word for "echo," and literally translated means "echoing sounds." Kodama¹s roots stem from the collegiate group Jishin Daiko which was started in January 1994. The new name echoes back to October 1997, when Jishin Daiko founding members Dean Mimura and Karren Tsutsui reformed the group as Kodama.

The group has performed at many events and festivals around the Los Angeles area. Some past public performances include the Japan Expo, the L.A. Tofu Festival, and Nisei Week events. Kodama also performs for private functions such as weddings and corporate events.

Kodama is based out of the Pasadena Japanese Cultural Institute and their practices are every Thursday nights from 7:30PM until 10:00PM.