Venice Koshin Taiko
Photo by Virginia Minami
Venice Koshin Taiko was founded in 1992 under the direction of Etsuo Hongo Sensei at Venice Japanese Community Center. From 1995 to 2015 they performed in those years' LA Taiko Festivals, as well as playing two International Taiko Festivals hosted by Grandmaster Tanaka and San Francisco Taiko Dojo.
Since 1992, Venice Koshin Taiko has become known and recognized playing along the course at the LA Marathon, being stationed mainly in the Little Tokyo Area. Hongo Sensei's piece, Ran, was written specifically for the marathon to capture the heart and energy of the runners. The group plays the for everyone runner that goes by and doesn't stop until the final runner passes, with many runners commenting that the group is their favorite part of the marathon. Since 2016, Venice Koshin Taiko has been the official taiko group for the LA Marathon.
Photo by Virginia Minami
Venice Koshin Taiko has been very active in the Los Angeles communities, playing for various community festivals, as well as the Nisei Week Taiko Gatherings. They've also played at many of the Katsuya restaurant openings.
Some other events that Venice Koshin Taiko has played for are:
2008 LA Dodgers JA Community Night
2018 Angels Japan Heritage Day
2017/18 Universal Studios Lunar New Year
2019 Miss World Philippines Pageant