Furusato

Home of the Heart

FOR CHRIS and DAN KUBO
BY TAIKOPEACE

“There is a serene feeling of calm about Furusato that invites us to exhale and bring us back to the heart of why we play taiko.”

On vast acres of farmland a few hours to the east of San Francisco in Cortez, California can be found a special gathering place for TaikoPeace. Through the generosity of long-time taiko community members Chris and Dan Kubo, their family residence has become “Furusato” or home of the heart for TaikoPeace.

Cortez can be found on various maps, but is not a zip coded town, village, or municipality. The first to inhabit this land were the Tachi Yokut who were removed with the advent of colonizers and the gold rush. In the early twentieth century the area both to the North and South of the Merced River became the three colonies established by Kyutaro Abiko.

“We feel a deep connection to our ancestors here, under the same sky and stars.”

We feel connected energetically to Furusato, its history and pioneers in the same spirit as the ancestors honored in PJ Hirabayashi’s song, Ei Ja Nai Ka. In 2018, TaikoPeace held its first retreat at Furusato which has become a destination for respite, rejuvenation, and re-imagining.