14 Jun 2024
Posted by Kelly Fleck 
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Toronto taiko troupe Nagata Shachu wraps its 26th season with Possibilities at Fleck Dance Theatre on June 21. Photo courtesy: Nagata Shachu.
TORONTO — As a child, taiko master Kiyoshi Nagata would volunteer with his family at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. It was during the annual Caravan festival that Nagata experienced taiko for the first time. The group was Osuwa Daiko, a world-renowned troupe from Nagano Prefecture, invited to perform at the JCCC’s Tokyo Pavilion in 1981.
“It was the first time I had ever seen a taiko group before, and I was just totally blown away to see 13 people playing these massive drums. I still remember the feeling of the vibrations and just being in awe,” Nagata tells Nikkei Voice in an interview.
The following year, Osuwa Daiko’s leader and founder, Daihachi Oguchi, returned to start a taiko group in Toronto called Suwa Daiko. Only 12 or 13 at the time, Nagata joined the following year, marking the beginning of his taiko career. Now celebrating his 40th year in taiko, Nagata has played a pivotal role in shaping the taiko landscape in Toronto.
Nagata is the founder and artistic director of professional taiko troupe Nagata Shachu. The troupe has enthralled audiences across Canada, the U.S., Europe, Mexico, and the Middle East with heart-pounding and ground-breaking performances.
Toronto taiko troupe Nagata Shachu in performance. Photo courtesy: Nagata Shachu.
Along with performing and composing, Nagata also teaches—for 24 years with the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, a public taiko course he established at the Royal Conservatory of Music, and workshops at Nagata Shachu’s studio in Scarborough.
Nagata grew up around traditional Japanese music and arts—his mother, sister, and aunts practiced odori or Japanese folk dancing, and his late maternal grandmother played the shamisen.
“I never saw her perform live, but I remember seeing pictures, and I thought that was really cool. I think part of me wanting to study traditional Japanese music was hearing about my grandmother playing the shamisen,” says Nagata.
After a decade of practicing taiko with Suwa Daiko, later becoming the group’s artistic director, Nagata wanted to explore the roots of taiko in Japan. After graduating from university, he moved to Japan to study with the world-renowned taiko ensemble Kodo of Sado Island. The experience was eye-opening for learning taiko but also for understanding his identity as a Japanese Canadian.
“It was there that I really felt how truly Japanese Canadian I was, and not ‘Japanese-Japanese.’ For example, not being able to speak the language fluently, not [being] so aware of the customs and traditions. It really was a real wake-up call for me about being a Japanese Canadian who wished to explore his heritage through a Japanese art form, but then once going to Japan, realizing how different it was,” says Nagata.
Nagata returned to Toronto and founded Nagata Shachu in 1998. The group has taught Canadians about Japanese culture by performing at cultural events and festivals across the country and running community outreach programs and workshops throughout the GTA.
Nagata Shachu received Japan’s Foreign Minister Commendation for promoting cultural exchange through art between Japan and Canada in 2019. Photo credit: Kelly Fleck.
The group was recognized with Japan’s Foreign Minister’s Commendation for promoting cultural exchange through art between Japan and Canada in 2019. The group was also a finalist for the Toronto Arts Foundation Roy Thomson Hall Award of Recognition for contributing to the city’s musical life in 2020.
“I think it’s taken me 40 years to realize my place in the JC community…I was just never sure where I stood within the different communities. Once I became a little bit more recognized for what I do, I felt like I was able to contribute more within the community and offer my performances at different local events and festivals. And now, I feel a little bit like I’m a bit of an ambassador for the JC community,” says Nagata. “I feel like the JC community really defines who I am.”
Nagata hopes Nagata Shachu can create a new voice for taiko by rejuvenating the ancient art form while still honouring its traditional roots. Each season, Nagata Shachu collaborates with different artists and groups to show the potential and versatility of taiko. From an Irish Celtic band to a New Orleans jazz group, to a DJ, to storytellers and dancers, these collaborations push the boundaries of what taiko can be.
“We always have one foot in tradition because we think that’s where our foundation is. That’s our springboard in which we can explore and create,” says Nagata.
After 26 seasons, five CDs, five DVDs, and countless compositions, Nagata Shachu continues to create new and exciting music and concert series each year. These collaborations also help keep Nagata inspired. With his eyes and ears on the Toronto music scene, Nagata always has an ongoing list of local artists and groups he wants to work with, along with artists from Japan.
Toronto taiko troupe Nagata Shachu in performance. Photo courtesy: Nagata Shachu.
“Whenever we perform with other groups, it’s a real learning experience for both groups. And when we’re creating music together, we have to learn their musical language, but also the roots of where their music comes from,” says Nagata.
Not just through collaborations but through members, past and current, have enriched the group and brought it to where it is today, says Nagata. The group will show off that unique voice in their upcoming show, Possibilities, on June 21. The performance includes the debut of original new pieces written by five senior members of the group, including Nagata.
“All the pieces are so different, but they’re really reflective of the personalities of each of the composers,” says Nagata.
Looking forward to the upcoming show, Nagata is excited to show a bit of a different side of the group through the new compositions.
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Nagata Shachu wraps its 26th season with Possibilities at Fleck Dance Theatre on June 21. For tickets and more information, visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com/event/possibilities.
