2011 Update – St. Louis Osuwa Taiko will be performing at the Japanese Fall Festival at the following times:
Friday, September 9 at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 10 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Sunday, September, 11 at 1:30 p.m.

Taiko means “big fat drum” and long ago in Japan, drums were beaten to boost the moral of armies and communicate between villages. Today taiko are played at festivals around the world. Some say the beat of the taiko drum echos the first thing we hear – our mother’s heartbeat.

St. Louis Osuwa Taiko energized festival crowds in the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden, Springfield, MO at the 2009 Japanese Fall Festival with dramatic performances of Japanese drumming and creative choreography. Video by Russ RuBert.

Find more about the St. Louis Osuwa Taiko on their website which lists upcoming performances, classes, and a contact form to request a performance.

The annual Japanese Fall Festival is sponsored by the not-for-profit Springfield Sister Cities Association and the Springfield-Greene County Parkboard.

See the full 2011 Japanese Fall Schedule here.