Duo units, Maido Mind (shinobue and piano/voice), and Takohachi X (multi-Japanese instrumental) are actively performing. The smaller ensembles and Solo projects allow her to do more collaborations with other musicians and artists in different genres. With all the newer projects, she freely expresses her originality in music using Taiko drums, Shinobue (bamboo flutes), and Tsugaru Shamisen (Japanese lute). She also has undertaken a solo project Kotori Japanese Music focusing more on cultural content. In recent years she established a smaller ensemble, Takohachi’s Q-Ensemble, to perform flexibly with high demand. She has created hundreds of Takohachi shows to educate and entertain throughout Oregon at schools, libraries, festivals, and cultural events. Takohachi became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2007 to preserve traditional Japanese music and dance and create innovative taiko drum performances using Japan's strongly moving music and rhythm element. Yumi Torimaru founded her music ensemble, Takohachi, in 2006 in Portland, Oregon. This was made with my tsugaru shamisen teacher (Ryuhiro Oyama), his sister (Chigusa Takehana, vocal), and her two daughters (Marino/ Minori Kajiwara, taiko/Narimono) with my shinobue. Sakura in Spanish Wind by Toshi Onizuka (guitar/percussions/arrangement), Yumi Torimaru (shamisen/shinobue), Otsuki (vocal) Yumi sent me four audio excerpts which are interspersed throughout the interview: There is a lot of material on her websites and social media so please check out the links below. We covered a lot in our conversation including her early musical experience, finding taiko by chance in the US, the pros and cons of getting a natori (stage name), quitting her day job to be a full time musician, her recent trip to Japan, her many great teachers, and much more. Yumi is also very active with other projects where she collaborates with various musicians and other artists. In this way, I would love to see more taiko groups that simultaneously embrace their own voice and appreciate a deeper connection to the roots of the instruments and music which came from Japan. As I mention in the interview, my favorite part is their distinctly unique style where energetic original pieces are mixed with a minyo (Japanese folk arts) feel. Yumi’s group Takohachi is always fun to watch. Since then, we’ve become friends and colleagues who also share an appreciation for high-quality natto along with other food and drinks. It’s always nice to have a friendly greeting because going to a new location can be somewhat challenging. When I first moved to Portland, Yumi kindly bought me lunch and welcomed me to the area with warm enthusiasm. I think we have a mutual understanding especially because of our strong connection to both Japanese and North American arts and culture. I had a fun time talking with Yumi for this interview.
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