The group that stands before me, lined up around a set of seven drums, is an interesting conglomeration.

Students of the Capitol School, UA students and staff and members of the Tuscaloosa community have gathered here in the cramped office of Capstone International, around a set of seven Japanese taiko drums. Most are holding pairs of thick sticks, tapping on the edges or beating on the centers of the drums. At the instructor’s request, they kick off their shoes. Sock-footed, they continue to interact casually, joking as much as they are beating aimlessly on the drums.

Instructor Laurie Arizumi, brunette, bespectacled, in a flowing skirt, brings the group to order as she makes adjustments to the drums’ positioning and the drummers’ playing stances. They stand before their drums with their legs spread front to back, knees slightly bent, and looking like they could spring into action any moment.

In the middle of the setup are the two thin hira daiko; the long, red-roped okedo; and the two high-pitched leading drum shime daiko. Flanking the five inner drums are large drums called nagado. A click of sticks and the warm-up begins for Tuscaloosa’s local taiko drumming ensemble, Nozomi Daiko.

There are more players than drums, so practice works on a rotation system. Every so often, the players switch drums and someone sits back down, letting a new person join the ensemble. As it is early in the year, a certain amount of the practice is devoted to proper technique - then the group gets to move on to learning actual pieces of music with specific parts and rhythms.

The shime daiko, hira daiko and okedo players hold their sticks straight in front of them, dropping the sticks fluidly one at a time in the slow pattern. The nagado players stretch their entire bodies diagonally, using not just their wrists but their entire arms with each stroke. The experience levels of the group are varied. Some are just beginning taiko, while others have been in the group or played previously. Not all the notes are in unison; not all the strokes look the same. This year’s group is still young, though, and I am confident that after just a few more practices Nozomi Daiko will be a force to behold.

Arizumi darts between the players- correcting posture, rhythms, grips on the sticks and strokes. She laughs often as she teaches; her pupils are obedient and respectful. At one particular moment, Arizumi stops to explain the proper way to stand at the drums. She begins by stating, “Taiko is a sport.”

Poised before the nagado, she lifts her sticks and—in seconds—transforms. Her body twists, her arms flail, the sticks curve over her head as she beats the drum. She is something fierce, wild and yet incredibly disciplined - lashing out in almost unexpected ways while keeping to the strict and specific techniques of taiko playing. In a matter of moments she stops and laughs. Most taiko players are also marathon runners, she explains. It takes a lot of endurance and energy to play for more than a few minutes.

Not so long ago, Arizumi was a clarinet principal at The Florida State University. I was curious as to how she came to teach taiko. "I started playing koto [a Japanese string instrument] in 1981 at FSU, so I had to take Japanese language to sing," explains Arizumi.

She continues by adding that she met her husband Koji at FSU and the two “ended up living in Japan” for some time. In addition to taiko and koto, Arizumi has studied quena and siku (Andean panpipes), cuatro (a guitarlike Venezuelan instrument), chin and cheng (a Chinese harp and a piped instrument, respectively), and Scottish folk harp.

A member of the Black Warrior Rowing Club, Arizumi also has a black belt in Yoseikan Budo, a type of Japanese martial arts. She currently teaches Japanese both in the classroom and online. Capstone International asked her to teach taiko: purchasing the seven drums and bringing in a renowned taiko player to give a workshop.

In the years since Arizumi started Nozomi Daiko, the group has averaged at seven to eight members and played many different venues. Nozomi Daiko has performed in Alabama and Georgia at Japanese festivals, UA sponsored event and even various corporations’ business meetings. Already, Nozomi Daiko has been asked to play at the Crossroads Community Culture Fest in Northport on Sunday, October 4.

The sheer theatrics of taiko are fascinating to watch- from the intimidating determination of the players on the small drums, staring straight ahead, seemingly independent from their hands, to the windmilling arms and whole-body movement of the nagado players.

For now, Nozomi Daiko is still in the practice stage. Everyone makes mistakes; everyone forgets a rhythm or loses focus for a moment. Yet, I see a similar attitude of determination and power in every drummer. Even if for only one moment, their heads are up, looking out fiercely in concentration, while their bodies flow back and forth, striking the drums with great force to produce a tremendous sound.

by Meg Brandl