With the powerful rhythm beating in sync to his pulse, senior Taiyo Onoda’s passion for the taiko drums is audible to all. For 17-year-old Onoda, playing the taiko drums, a traditional Japanese form of percussion, has become the o-uchi, the core of a taiko song, to his life. Onoda has been playing for 10 years — through tears, bloodshed and blisters from hours of practice — Onoda drums on. “I feel great when I play even though it’s physically and mentally demanding,” Onoda said. “I’ve learned how to pursue the task I enjoy doing until the very end.”

Nature overcame nurture to jump-start Onoda’s taiko-drumming  When he was three years old, his parents often brought him to Grateful Dead concerts. Onoda slept through most of the concerts, until the percussion solos came on. Like a light switch, he would suddenly awake to absorb the powerful drum rhythms, then return to his slumber. His parents were aware of his attraction to the drums and decided to enroll him with the San Francisco Taiko Dojo, but they advised Onoda to wait until he was six years old, so as to not injure his elbows and wrists. However, that didn’t stop Onoda from fulfilling his desires. He showed off his precocious skills by playing taiko drums at his pre-school graduation.
The dojo experience has not only shaped Onoda’s life, but also his personality. “Generally at the dojo you are supposed to be humble and put yourself at a position lower than everyone else, but I take extra care when around my Senpais (people who have been with the dojo longer) and Grandmaster Tanaka (Onoda’s teacher),” he said. “A little hierarchy has taught me respect.”
Besides creating a beat, Onoda releases himself when playing the drums. “It’s a great way to relieve stress, since you get to pound the hell out of the drums,” Onoda said.
Onoda’s drumming reached the next level when he took hold of the opportunity to perform at the 16th season of the “Taiko Unleashed” festival in Portland, Oregon last month from Oct. 2-3.  Although only 17, Onoda showcased his skills by performing with both Rising Stars and Dream Team, the dojo’s teen and adult groups.
In order to put on a memorable show, Onoda rehearsed three times a week, three to six hours a time, with both performing groups for three months. The powerful beating of his drum could sometimes even be heard late into the night. “The best I could do was practice, practice and practice so that I could represent the teen group and not pull the legs of the adult group,” Onoda said.
To give back to the community, Onoda performs regularly at local events, such as the Cherry Blossom Festival held in Japantown every year. His group will also hold the annual “International Taiko Festival” performance this year from Nov. 6-7 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Whether it is a Shime Daiko, a type of small taiko drum, or an O-Daiko, the largest type of taiko drum, that looms before him, Onoda takes on the challenge. Unlike playing most instruments, Onoda drums his taiko pieces by learning with his body rather than reading sheet music. He tests his physical boundaries when he must endure producing the staccato beat of a ten-minute drum roll. “Sometimes, during performances, it is really hard to not appear tired even though I am completely drained inside,” he said.
Outside Onoda’s taiko drumming world, he runs for the school’s cross-country team. “I like to run long distance since I build up more stamina and endurance for taiko,” Onoda said.
Playing taiko drums is no longer just a hobby for Onoda, but a lifestyle. He hopes to continue playing the drums through college. “I know of some colleges in the United States that have taiko groups,” he said.  “But I also have an option to study in Japan, where I can continue taiko drumming and learn Japanese culture while preparing for my future career.”

This article first appeared in the Nov. 5, 2010 issue of The Lowell.