Dokon Daiko was formed in 1996 in Burlington, Ontario under the direction of Kiyoshi Nagata (http://www.nagatashachu.com) who apprenticed in Japan with the world famous taiko ensemble Kodo. Taiko is the Japanese word for drum. Our group performs traditional taiko pieces from Japan along with newer compositions. DoKon Daiko incorporates a variety of Japanese instruments to enhance the texture of the music. These instruments include the yokobue or bamboo flute, chappa or hand cymbals and the ataregane a brass hand cymbal played with a tiny hammer. The words ‘Do’ and ‘Kon’ translate literally to ‘spirit’ and ‘energy’. The word ‘Daiko’ is the correct grammatical word for taiko in Japanese when it is used as a compound word. As a group, our goal is to embrace the literal meaning of spirit and energy in each performance.