山彦太鼓　Yamabiko (meaning ‘Mountain Echo’ in Japanese) Taiko was founded in 2003 in Kelowna, BC, Canada.

The Beginnings
Yamabiko Taiko began with very humble and simple desires: purely to enjoy and play Japanese Taiko-style drums and be lost in their power and grace. With only a few members led by Eri Uchida, we were able to acquire our very crude but effective drums. They were homemade with regular packing tape and, believe it or not, cut-to-size sewer pipes (unused of course!) donated by the City of Kelowna. Weekly practices weren’t even scheduled; the group gathered together whenever possible in the basement of a member’s house. And so with this Yamabiko Taiko  was born! Who knew what was to come…

Today
Yamabiko Taiko has evolved into a regularly performing group. Most performances are held in the southern interior of BC. Practices are held on Monday and Thursday evenings in the basement of the Kelowna Buddhist Temple. For more information, email Yamabiko Taiko from our Contact page.   You can also find us on Facebook.

Part of the Venables Alive! Local Artist Series