SILVERDALE — On the field beside Kitsap Regional Library on Thursday, July 30, parents and children set up their lawn chairs and blankets. In front of them, 10 drums were ready to be played while four performers from The School of TAIKO waited for their cue.
Ringtaro Tateishi stood before the crowd, leading chants, encouraging the audience to dance and switching between playing the drums and flute. He’s the lead instructor, professional Taiko drummer and co-founder of The School of TAIKO alongside Asako Tateishi.
Asako joined him on stage, followed by Rhina Suganuma and Yumi Ezaki, each finding the rhythm in unison as they play taiko, or “drum” in Japanese, sharing a piece of Japanese culture on a summer afternoon.
School of Taiko drummers perform for those gathered on the lawn of Kitsap Regional Library’s Silverdale branch on Thursday, July 30, 2026.
Kitsap Regional Library hosted three performances by the Taiko drummers in July, including in Bremerton and Kingston as well,. Ana Cuprill Comas, the Silverdale branch manager for Kitsap Regional Library, said the ability to fund visits from institutions like The School of TAIKO benefit everyone in the community.
“It’s really nice that we have the funding from the community and from the (Kitsap Library) Foundation to be able to bring performances like this to our locations,” she said. “It’s always just lovely to see all the little kids and have them make memories… be able to be joyful and loud and dance.”
Japan Creative Arts, or The School of TAIKO, is a Seattle-based Japanese traditional drumming and arts institution with the goal to empower youth and encourage connection between culture and people through music. With over 80 programs offered, performers taught at the school travel alongside Tateishi throughout Washington state to perform and host events dedicated to music, education and cross-cultural experiences.
“This is their third performance with kids at (the) library this summer. We try to make sure that the different areas of the county can have them… they are amazing and so easy to work with,” Cuprill Comas said. “It’s making memories and it’s building a culture with the library and the community.”
School of Taiko drummers perform for those gathered on the lawn of Kitsap Regional Library’s Silverdale branch on Thursday, July 30, 2026.
Anyone interested in viewing authentic Taiko performances or learning more about the institution can visit their website.
To find more summer events for children and families going on at Kitsap Regional Library branches, visit www.krl.org/kids/.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Japanese drummers bring the beat to Silverdale library lawn